*     "You are still young; repent in old age."

*     "Retire from work first, then turn to repentance."

*     "There is plenty of time left; perform good deeds later."

Such thoughts prevent us from changing ourselves and reforming our lives. If we reflect, we will find many young individuals who lived with these same notions, but life did not grant them the time they expected. Death took them away from their bustling lives, leaving them in the dark depths of their graves.

Fleeting and unrealistic hopes make it difficult to perform good deeds.

Obstruction in the path of goodness

The Proof of Islam, Imam al-Ghazālī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states:

“Long hopes are an obstacle in the path of righteousness and worship. They are the cause of every mischief and evil. Having these misplaced hopes is a sickness, that leads people to suffer from numerous other spiritual diseases.”^[1]

Fleeting hopes render a person heedless and lazy. Even before performing a good deed, they think "I will do it after some time; there is still plenty of time.” Consequently, a person loses the opportunity to perform the righteous act entirely.

Long hopes also lead to sinful behaviour, as illustrated by this saying of Dāwūd Ṭāˈī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, “The one who fears punishment in the Hereafter, perceives even distant matters as near, while the one suffering from long hopes commits sinful behaviour."^[2]