and the Hour will be far more calamitous and more bitter, as Allah says: “Rather, the Hour is their appointed time—and the Hour is more grievous and more bitter” (Q 54:46).

These, then, are seven matters against which the Prophet ﷺ warned us, and he instructed us to hasten to righteous deeds before any of these seven arrive. So hasten, my Muslim brother, to your good works before the opportunity slips away. You are now energetic, strong, and able, but a time may come when you will have neither the strength nor the ability to perform righteous deeds. Seize the moment and train yourself; if you condition your soul to righteous action, it will grow accustomed to it, find it easy, and willingly comply. But if you accustom yourself to laziness and negligence, you will be unable to carry out good deeds. We ask Allah to help me and you to remember Him, to thank Him, and to worship Him in the best manner.

94 — Eighth narration: From him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said on the day of Khaybar, “Tomorrow I will give this banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger; through him Allah will grant victory.” ʿUmar (d. 23 AH) said, “I never desired leadership except on that day; I rose on tiptoe hoping I would be called for it.” Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ summoned ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (d. 40 AH), handed the banner to him, and said, “Advance, and do not look back until Allah grants you victory.” ʿAlī walked a little way, then stopped without turning around and shouted, “O Messenger of Allah, against what shall I fight the people?” He replied, “Fight them until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they do that, they have secured from you their blood and their wealth—except by right—and their reckoning is with Allah.” Reported by Muslim.