A great Muslim theologian Hasan Al Basri once said:
Life has three days:
1. Yesterday which has gone
2. Tomorrow which you may or may not see
3. Today, that you have!
Not all uses of time are equal. Yes, you and I have the same number of hours every single day. However, it is how we utilise the daily 24 hours that will bring us success. If neglected, we will gain little. Essentially, it all comes down to how we spend and value time and this is what we will be discussing today!
People who spend their time investing in this world i.e. building relationships, focusing on careers and businesses will thrive and flourish in those very fields. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) himself spent his youth earning a livelihood and had the greatest of relationships with all kinds of different people, whether rich or poor, famous or infamous, kings or even just the common people. However, just as we believe the prophet (PBUH) also taught us to make the most of every day to please our Lord and leave a great legacy behind to benefit others.
Ask yourself this, how did I spend my time today? Did today get me closer to my goals that will benefit myself in this world and the next?
Why time is so important?
The reality is, for every second and minute passing by it will not return. Time is such that we will not be able to hit the rewind button once it passes. The nature of it is like an ice cube melting away in our hand.
Our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us to , “Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth before you become old; your health before you fall sick; your wealth before you become poor; your free time before you become preoccupied.”(Musnad Imam Ahmad).
How many of the above blessings do you have? Ever shown the gratitude for them by utilising them?
Time is valuable
Have you ever heard of the saying, “Time is free, but it is priceless”? Let us ponder over this for a moment. You will never hear anyone say, “I need to go out and buy ‘time’ today”. No, because it is given to us…for free. We had time yesterday, we have time today, we will have time until we pass. It is the most valuable and priceless item in anyone’s cart in their life as it allows us to be in full control over it and how we spend it. This is the one thing that will allow us to make a difference, make a positive change and not only help others but ourselves too.
Treasure time because it is fleeting
Allah says in Suratul Asr:
By Al-‘Asr (the time).Verily! Man is in loss. Except those
who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds and recommend one another to the truth.
In the above Verses from the Qur’an, Allah takes an oath by the fleeting nature of time as it is constantly running away. When Allah takes an oath in this Surah, He does so to create the feeling of urgency and to highlight the nature of time itself. We must allow ourselves to review, reflect and improve in all the activities we spend our time on.
Allah says, “man is in loss” this statement tells us how to avoid being amongst such a group. It is simple, by ensuring we do not waste the precious ingredient called ‘time’ in the recipe for “real success”.
How do we make our life more meaningful?
Our role model and inspiration Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had the same number of hours in a day as the rest of us. Yet, in a span of just 23 years he managed to conquer the whole of Arabia and spread the religion of Islam through peace, education and love far and wide. Helped many, supported many others and also enjoyed time with his family and loved ones. He was a human like us in flesh and he chose to live his life in a way that would allow his nation to also follow and achieve great success after he is gone. That is in-fact you and me.
Where do I start?
Some of which have been mentioned by the great Muslim philosopher, Imam Al-Ghazali
· Identify how you spend your day currently.
· Make a list of what you can improve, keep and add on to make your day most productive
· Organise your routine including your worship, work, responsibilities and interests.
· Learn something new/ seek knowledge as this is ideal for self-development for all human beings (this is where TMI APP comes in!)
· End your day by reviewing it, the knowledge you have gained, the people you helped, the activities you participated in. Assign yourself new targets and goals to work towards the next day!
We hope this read has allowed you to take a pause, allowed you to review your daily routine and how you are spending your time! Here at Teach Me Islam App we are solely here to benefit you, our communities and support you by offering our facilities to you to enhance your day, routine and lifestyle through Islamic education.
Check out how we aim to do that by choosing one of our structured programmes here for yourself, your family and friends. Who said studying Islam together can’t be on the bucket list!