40 life lessons at age 40

Today, September 1^st 2026, marks my 40^th birthday as per the Gregorian calendar. Of course, as per the lunar/Islamic calendar, I already turned 40 a while back. Nonetheless, I decided to take some time today to reflect on my life and some lessons I learned in my forty years of living. Some lessons that I believe we can all benefit from.

Life is short. Do not take it for granted. I have lost so many friends and family members over the years. Many of these friends were my age or younger. We do not know when our time is up, so never take life (or the hope for a long life) for granted.
The biggest source of worldly joy is a loving family. Through everything I have been through, my biggest joy has been my family. There is nothing in this world as precious as a loving family. Build one and be grateful for it.
Maintaining a loving family is a challenge. Every family has their challenges, their ups, and their downs. To keep the family together requires dedication, hard work, problem solving, and humility. Put in the work if you want a strong family.
We accomplish more when we take the time to do things properly. Too many people try to speedrun life. We want to achieve as much as possible as quickly as possible. Yet good things take time. Do not rush. Take the time to build and grow properly. With long-term effort, you will accomplish more with better quality results.
The habits we build when we are young have a compound effect when we get older. This applies to both good and bad habits. A good habit of reading a book a month can compound into several hundred books over a lifetime. A bad habit of procrastination can compound into many missed opportunities and multiple regrets. Choose and build your habits wisely.
Health is more important than careers. If you have the ability and opportunity to choose a source of income that is better for your physical and mental health, take it. Even if it means earning less. Your health is more valuable than that extra money.
Age catches up to us much earlier in life than we expect. When I was young, I always imagined that people maintain their youthful energy and strength until fifty. Then I turned thirty-five and there was nothing I could do to stop my body from slowing down. Youth lasts much shorter than we expect, use it wisely.
There are things that will happen that cannot be undone. Make peace with it. I lost my father when I was eight years old. It took me decades to make peace with that. Recently, my hearing decreased by 30%. I am still struggling to make peace with that, but that is really the only way forward.
Do not take anything for granted. You do not know which gifts are temporary. I never imagined I could use my ability to hear properly, and now I grieve it every day. Everyone my age has lost something in terms of their health, wealth, or family. Do not take any gifts for granted.
Married young is one of the best decisions you can ever make. I got married at age twenty and became a father at age twenty-one. Twenty years later, I still consider this one of the best decisions of my life. Marrying young saves you from a lot of trials and gives you motivation to work even harder.
Life is a rollercoaster, deal with each twist and fall as it comes. You cannot predict life. There will be good times and bad times. Enjoy the good times and lock in during the bad times.
Even the impossible becomes possible with Allah’s Help. There were so many times in my life when achieving my goals seemed impossible. Yet with Allah’s Help, miracles happened.
Tawakul will get you through the craziest situations. True tawakul is trusting Allah’s plan when everything seems to be going crazy. Tawakul will keep you strong and moving forward no matter how crazy life gets.
Freedom is a luxury worth struggling for. The freedom to use your time as you wish, and to do work that matters to you. This freedom is priceless. I will not trade this freedom for any paycheck.
People will come and go. Very few will stay in your life for a long time. Many people will come into your life, play an important role and then move on. Not everyone will stick around for a long time. Even these temporary friendships and alliances are valuable and important. Be grateful for them, even if they last just a few important days.
What most people think of you does not matter. There are few people who matter, your immediate family, your righteous mentors, and those under your authority. Beyond this, it does not matter what other people think of you.
Let go of grudges, they will destroy you. People will hurt you. That is part of life. Holding a grudge and obsessing over revenge will hurt you even more. Learn to let go, make peace, and move forward, even if you are unwilling to forgive.
Be content with your destiny, even if it looks different from what you imagined. Everyone’s destiny is unique. Allah knows what is best for us. Be content with what Allah has chosen for you.
Take care of your health. Once you lose it, there is rarely a way back. Whether it is eyesight, hearing, blood pressure, strength, or anything else. It is crucial to take care of your health from a young age. Once you lose something, it is hard to get it back. Sometimes impossible.
Take care of your mind too. I have literally seen people go crazy or become dumber because they refuse to take care of your minds. This is even more common now that people are consuming brainrot content and outsourcing their thinking to AI. You must take care of your mind, or you will lose it.
Taking care of your soul is most important. The corrupters of the soul have long-term effects. Keep them out of your life as much as possible. Proper care for the soul is necessary.
Righteousness is a journey. Nobody is perfect, and perfection is actually unattainable. But we can try to be a little bit better every day. Never give up on trying to be better.
Make time for thinking. Make time daily to be alone with your thoughts. It is during such deep-thinking time that you will develop your best ideas and find solutions to your biggest problems.
Never give up. Success is never a straight road. It is not quick, easy, or straightforward. Just keep pushing forward until you achieve your goals.
Your friends have a bigger effect on you than you realize. The kind of people you surround yourself with has a bigger impact on you than you think. This applies at any age. Be very picky when choosing your friends.
Your environment has a bigger impact on you than you think. The place you live in impacts you on a spiritual level. If needed, migrate to another land for the sake of your soul. Never stay where your soul darkens.
Trust your intuition. When all else fails, go with your gut. There will be times when your intuition will be screaming at you to do or not do certain things. Trust your gut and follow your intuition. Note: This applies only to those who have built strong intuition.
Stay away from negative people. They sap the energy from the room and kill your motivation and aspirations. There is no benefit from hanging around us people.
Never blackpill. There is always hope. Social media sensationalizes the problems in the world, causing people to lose hope. The real world is a lot more balanced than what we find online.
Cut down on social media and internet time. The real world is outside. Spend more time there and less time in the digital world. It eats away at your ability to function normally.
Define success in your own terms. You do not need the same timeline, possessions, qualifications, or wealth as someone else. Focus on things that make you happy and be content with those.
Enjoy the halal of the world. It was made for us to enjoy. Do not feel guilty to enjoy halal things if you are fulfilling your obligations. They are gifts from Allah meant to be enjoyed.
Find balance and moderation in your understanding of Islam. Too many young people gravitate towards extreme understandings of Islam. Find balance and you will find peace.
Focus on what you can do for others, not on what others can do for you. Be of service to the ummah. Be generous with your time, money, and skills. Do not expect anything in return.
Drama will come and go. Ignore it. There will be scandals, controversies, mistakes, and exaggerations. Ignore it and remain focused on your goals. People move on to the next drama quickly.
Even during difficult times, find things to be grateful for. Gratitude will keep you grounded and optimistic even during the most difficult phases of life.
No risk, no reward. Everything worth achieving in life requires risk. Take strategic risks to unlock greater rewards in life. Without taking risks, you will go nowhere.
Find your courage. Anything worth doing is scary. Find your courage quickly and you will find a way to achieve your goals. Do not let fear hold you back. Find your courage.
Make peace with the uncertainty of life. Nothing is guaranteed. Life is a series of tests. Be grateful for the good times, stay strong during the difficult times, and avoid worrying too much about what could happen in the future.
Prioritize the Afterlife. Life is short, and we do not know when it will end. Stay focused on the Afterlife and make your life a journey of preparing for it. In the end, this is what truly matters.

May Allah bless us all with lives worth living, deeds that are accepted, hearts that are pure, families that are loving, and work that benefits the ummah long after we have moved on to the next life.