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Fatwa CenterOld age alone does not guarantee entering Paradise
Question
Does old age guarantee entering paradise? Is there any hadith warranting special favours for old people. A book called Fadhail al-A'amal refers to such narrations, and it also calls it hadith qudsi. Please comment.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Old age by itself does not guarantee entering Paradise; rather, what gets one to enter Paradise is leading a long life along with having performed good deeds, as stated in the Hadeeth reported by Abu Bakrah 
in which the Prophet said, “The best of people is the one who led a long life and performed good deeds, and the worst of people is the one who led a long life but performed bad deeds.” [At-Tirmithi and others - Al-Albaani graded it Saheeh (sound)]
There are other Ahaadeeth about honoring old Muslim people, respecting them, and giving them priority to speak. Anas ibn Maalik said: “An old man came to the Prophet and the people delayed in making way for him, then the Prophet said, 'He is not one of us who does not have mercy towards our young ones and does not honor our old ones.'” [At-Tirmithi]
Besides, Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari said, “The Prophet said, 'It is out of reverence to Allaah in respecting an aged Muslim, and the one who commits the Qur'an to memory and does not exaggerate pronouncing its letters nor forgets it after memorizing, and to respect the just ruler.'” [Abu Daawood]
Moreover, Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported a story that occurred in Khaybar, which reads, “Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Sahl and Muhayyisah and Huwayyisah, the two sons of Mas’ood, set off to the Prophet and Abdur-Rahmaan started to speak, so the Prophet said, 'Let the elder(s) amongst you speak, let the elder(s) amongst you speak.' Abdur-Rahmaan was the youngest of them. So, he kept quiet and they spoke.”
Some other Ahaadeeth were reported about the virtue of an old man, such as the Hadeeth that reads, “Allaah is bashful from the grey-haired man,” and the Hadeeth: “When a man reaches ninety years old, Allaah forgives him his past and future sins.” but they are weak Ahaadeeth, and they are not authentic.
Allaah knows best.
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