Thalathun Amalan Tutil fi al-Umr
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Thalathun Amalan Tutil fi al-Umr ("Thirty Deeds That Prolong Lifespan") is an Islamic treatise by Amir bin Muhammad al-Madari addressing righteous actions and counsel that increase good deeds, elevate spiritual ranks, and lengthen a believer's life .
Purpose and Concept of Lifespan
The author opens the treatise by highlighting the value of time, noting that Allah swore in the Quran by various periods of the day and night to emphasize its sanctity . He describes earthly life as a cultivation ground whose harvest is reaped in the Hereafter and points out that the lifespans of the Muslim community are short compared to earlier nations—typically ranging between sixty and seventy years .
Addressing the theological question of whether lifespan can actually be lengthened, al-Madari cites the prophetic tradition: مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُبْسَطَ لَهُ فِي رِزْقِهِ، وَيُنْسَأَ لَهُ فِي أَثَرِهِ، فَلْيَصِلْ رَحِمَهُ ("Whoever wishes to have his provision expanded and his lifespan prolonged, let him maintain his kinship ties") . He notes that while some scholars held the increase to be literal in days and years, the preferred view is that it denotes divine blessing (barakah) in life, guidance to acts of obedience, and preserving time from waste . He also records Ibn Taymiyyah's view that blessing in life means accomplishing in a short period what others take much longer to achieve, as well as the explanation in Ruh al-Ma'ani that such deeds serve as a cause for lasting praiseworthy remembrance .
Structure and Content
The core of the book outlines thirty specific practices and exhortations aimed at maximizing reward and prolonging life in blessing and deed . Among the deeds detailed in the text are:
- Seeking divine reward in all daily actions: Intending obedience to Allah in routine activities such as sleep, food, drink, and financial support for family, turning permissible habits into acts of worship .
- Maintaining ties of kinship (silat al-rahim): Upholding family bonds, with al-Madari warning against severing them and noting that the lowest degree of maintaining ties can be fulfilled even through greetings over the phone .
- Good character (husn al-khuluq): Cultivating noble manners, which the author links to attaining the reward of one who fasts by day and stands in prayer by night .
- Treating neighbors well (husn al-jiwar): Citing traditions that maintaining kinship, good manners, and good neighborliness build dwellings and increase lifespans .
- Frequent Quranic recitation: Repeating specific surahs with multiplying rewards, such as Surah al-Ikhlas (equivalent to one-third of the Quran) and Surah al-Kafirun (equivalent to one-quarter of the Quran), enabling the believer to earn immense reward within minutes .
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