In this regard...

In this regard, the Holy Qur’an says: اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعْفٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ قُوَّةً ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا وَشَيْبَةً “It is God who created you in a state of (helpless) weakness, then gave (you) strength after weakness.

Then after strength, gave (you) weakness and a hoary head …” [The Holy Qur’an, al-Rum 30:54] In another verse the Holy Qur’an says: وَمَنْ نُعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ “If We grant long life to any, We cause him to be reversed in nature. Will they not then understand?” [The Holy Qur’an, Ya-Sin 36:68] We lose all our physical strength and our health deteriorates as we get old.

Our understanding turns into lack of comprehension, our strong memory is converted into senility, our strength deteriorates and turns into weakness. Our perfection turns into shortcomings, our power turns into disability, and our freshness and beauty turns into wrinkles and ugliness. When we get old we not only cannot learn new things, we will also forget what we learned earlier.

In this regard, the Holy Qur’an says: وَاللّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْ لاَ يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا “It is God who creates you and takes your souls at death. And of you there are some who are sent back to a feeble age, so that they know nothing after having known (much) …” [The Holy Qur’an, al-Nahl 16:70] Once we get old, we have to live with all the troubles of old age.

The Old as Social Outcasts One of the calamities for the elderly is their natural separation from the active work force in the society due to their old age and weakness. They have to retire, and stay home. A worst calamity for the elderly is for them not to find the love and respect they deserve in their family. The haughty young children might treat them with harshness or might ruthlessly cast them out of their own homes; and they will be left alone with a broken heart and no love and support.

Such people will suffer a lot, and shall soon perish. Death Due to Psychological Stress Dr. Adolph who is a member of the American College of Surgeons stated: “When I was working as an intern in the hospital, we treated a seventy-year old lady for a broken hip bone. While I was reviewing her x-rays, I noticed that she was healing rapidly and her bones were rapidly reconstructing themselves. I congratulated her for the very good reaction of her body to the treatment.

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