As part of a series of scientific and intellectual lectures organized by the Alumni Club of the International Islamic University Malaysia, H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy, delivered a lecture on Friday 16 Shawal, corresponding to 28 May 2021, entitled: Lessons Learned from the Corona Pandemic: Five Opportunities to Seize Before You Miss Them.

His Excellency began his lecture by expressing his sincere thanks to the club’s leaders for their communication with the university’s alumni, praising their concern for the club’s advancement by organizing intellectual and social activities, programs and events. He also commended them for the efficient organization, arrangement and coordination and praised the accuracy of the intellectual topics that the club raises for discussion, meditation and study.

His Excellency then addressed the lecture’s title, which he described as a faithful summary of a hadith that carries within its folds a warning, advice and reminder of those great blessings that Allah has bestowed on each of us in varying degrees. However, many of us do not make the most of these blessings that we know of, all of which are inevitably ephemeral. As for the hadith, it is what our Prophet (PBUH) said to Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari (RA): “O Abu Dharr, take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death”.

The scholars consider this hadith as one of the most important sayings in which words are summarized in a categorical and mutually exclusive way, as a clear proof of prophecy due to the simplicity of its content, yet the consistency with what Allah grants to all, in various degrees. These five blessings represent the grace of youth, the grace of health, the grace of wealth, the grace of free time, the grace of life. These graces are characterized by their instability and impermanence, as they are inevitably ephemeral, which makes their maximum benefit inevitable for any rational and wise person; therefore, in order to benefit from them, it is necessary to exploit them in obedience to Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) in order to fulfil the mission of God’s vice-regency on earth, to build the earth in accordance with the divine teachings, and to work for good deeds that include all aspects of intellectual, scientific, social, economic, political, cultural, and educational life.

His Excellency also explained that the Corona pandemic has increased awareness of these graces and their importance, since the partial and total halt of economic activity that has affected many countries and cities in the world is a reminder of all these graces, especially those of health and free time. Unemployment and heavy losses suffered by individuals, companies and states remind us of the grace of wealth, just as the quarantine imposed on people and companies, and the crowding of hospitals and health centers with sick and dead people, remind us of the graces of health and life. As for the grace of youth, which calls for optimism, activity, planning, projects and hopes, it was also interrupted due to the restrictions resulting from the pandemic.

Indeed, everyone should have remembered these graces and seized them before their sudden or gradual disappearance, just as we should seize them before their inevitable loss by avoiding procrastination, delay and betting on a future that does not belong to us and that we can neither change it. Therefore, our young people must exploit their age, strength, and energy to equip themselves with knowledge and know-how of all kinds. It is time for them to make the most of this temporary grace before it disappears. It is opportune for us to exploit all these graces for what is beneficial for us, our societies and our countries with benevolence and justice in both worlds before their inevitable disappearance.

For a full hour, His Excellency presented the deep meanings and lessons learned from the Corona pandemic. He concluded his lecture by invoking Allah to hasten the disappearance of this pandemic from the Ummah, to accept those who perished into the gardens of his paradise, and for the speedy recovery of the sick.

Then, His Excellency answered the questions raised by some participants, especially regarding the call to Muslims and the world to seek forgiveness, repentance and return to Allah, to honor parents, to strengthen kinship ties, to increase alms and donations, to reform oneself and to show kindness to the poor, the needy and the vulnerable people all over the world. He also called on Muslims to comply with the health authorities’ precautionary measures in their countries to protect the souls and people around them.

It is worth noting that the Alumni Club of the International Islamic University Malaysia plays a role in communicating and monitoring the graduates’ achievements in their professional lives after graduation. In addition, the Alumni Club organizes an annual conference from time to time to honor outstanding graduates who have made significant achievements and impact on their society and country.