Have You Benefited from Your Time?
Since 2012-11-26
Days pass by... A night ends and a morning comes, and a morning ends and a night comes.
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Protector of this who asks for His protection, The Near from this who calls Him. Prayers and peace of Allah be upon the Messenger of guidance and upon all his family and companions, the leaders of the pious.
Days pass by... A night ends and a morning comes, and a morning ends and a night comes.
When the days pass, months draw near, and when the months pass, years draw near.
The wheel of days rotates perpetually and the disc of the sun never stops its motion.
Among these, there are lives that end, and generations and centuries that perish.
All these are the determination of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing... In His Hands are the keys of the heavens and earth. {Every day He is (engaged) in some affair (such as giving honour or disgrace to some, life or death to some, etc.)!} [Surat Ar-Rahmân 55:29]
{كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ} الرحمن:29
Transliteration: kulla yawmin huwa fee shanin
{By Al-’Asr (the time). (1) Verily, man is in loss, (2) Except those who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma’ruf) which Allâh has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar which Allâh has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allâh’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islâmic Monotheism or Jihâd).} [Surat Al-’Asr 103:1-3]
{وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ} العصر: 1-3
Transliteration: WaalAAasri (1) Inna alinsana lafee khusrin (2) Illaallatheena amanoo waAAamiloo alssalihati watawasaw bialhaqqi watawasaw bialssabri
Ar-Razy said: “Allah swore by Al-’Asr (the time), as it contains wonders and because a live cannot be evaluated by anything due to its preciousness and costliness.”
My Muslim brother, “Life, it is the station at which all creatures stop for a while; from time to time the caller of leaving calls for a group to leave. They leave taking that bus which does not stop, until all those who are in the station leave. Such bus is: “death!” Such period that every group stay before getting in the bus is: “The life Span.” When it ends, one departs to the Other House!
Have you held yourself responsible, O wise man, for the life hours that have passed by?!
Every wise man knows that the passing of days and months contains decreasing in his life. There are only a few, however, those who hold themselves responsible for the passing of the days of life.
A man is just riding the back of his life
He is traveling and perishing by day and month
He stays each day and night
Far from this worldly life, nearer to the tomb
My Muslim brother: time! This precious treasure, have you benefited from it?!
Time! Such friend that is nearer than the shadow and more inseparable like a creditor!
Some wise men said: “The dearest things are: your heart and your time. If you neglect your heart, and waste your time, so you miss the benefits and lose the dearest things you have!”
You, wise man, is in greater need to hold yourself responsible... Have you benefited from the hours of your life?!
Have you benefited from your time?! It is a station of accountability at which not many people stop!
If they had stopped, they would have learnt how they are negligent in benefiting from their times!
Many people died. If they had been asked what they had accomplished in their lives, they would not have been able to respond!
Do you know, O wise man, what time is?
Time: it is the hours of your life.
Time: it is your treasure if you protect it.
Time: if it goes away, it will never return to you!
Time: it is your capital in which you have your profit and loss!
My Muslim brother: neglecting time has become a general nature in which many people live. It is a matter seen by many in themselves and others, but with indifference and without paying attention to the bad consequences resulting from wasting time! How a loser this is who has wasted his time in other than obeying Allah Almighty!
The Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” [Reported by al-Bukhari: 6412]
«نعمتان مغبون فيهما كثيرٌ من النَّاس: الصِّحَّة والفراغ» رواه البخاري
Ibn Battal said, “The meaning of the Hadith is that a man does not have free time unless he has sufficient means of living and in sound body. Whoever has that must be careful not to waste them by not deserting praising Allah for His blessings. Praising Him includes obeying His orders and avoiding His prohibitions. Whoever neglects that is the loser. He indicated by saying, “Many people” that there are only a few who succeed in that.”
How strange that is who counts the profit and loss of his trade without forgetting anything while he does not count his profit and loss in the hours of his life!
This is the case of many people who waste their time in other than obedience!
My Muslim brother: days are the residence of your deeds, so see which of your deeds will reside in it.
Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “O son of Adam, your morning is your guest, so treat it in kindness, as if you treat it in kindness, it will leave praising you, and if you treat it in a bad manner, it will leave depreciating you. Your night is the same!”
Ibn al-Jawzy said, “Days are the sheets of deeds, so immortalize it with the best of deeds, opportunities pass like clouds, and slackening is among the morals of those who stay behind. Whoever mounts the vehicle of deficiency will stumble with it. Slackening got married to laziness, so they gave birth to loss!”
The strangest thing in the negligence of many people is that they know that if their day passes, there is no way it will come back! However, you see them wasting its hours!!
Hold yourself responsible, O Muslim: What have you done during your day? You are seeing its sunset; as if it is saying to you: a part of your life has gone?!
Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “Not a day comes from the days of this world but says: O people, I am a new day, I am a witness for the deeds performed during my stay, If my sun sets, I will not return until the Day of Resurrection!”
Mujahid said, “Each day says: O Son of Adam, I have come to you today, and I will not return after today, so see what you do during me. If it passes, it ends and will be sealed. It is never unsealed until Allah unseals it on the Day of Resurrection!”
My Muslim brother: The one who wastes his day will waste his month, the one who wastes his month will waste his year, and the one who wastes his year will waste his life!!
Observe yourself continually to know its keenness of benefiting from the days of its life.
Ibn Mas’ûd, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I have never regretted anything more than my regret over a day when its sun sets, and my life decreased while my deeds did not increase during it!”
Know, O Muslim brother that a part of your happiness is achieved by the help of Allah Almighty to benefit from your time, so you fill its hours with kinds of the acts of obedience, therefore, you fold the sheet of a day; the provision of which you hope for tomorrow; the day when deeds are exposed.
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “If Allah wants goodness for His slave, He blesses him with time, and makes his time his aid. However, if He wants evil for him, He makes his time against him. Whenever he prepares himself for going forward, the time does not help him. For the first, whenever his soul intends to slacken, time makes him stand and helps him.”
Then My Muslim brother: know that the cycle of days moves and does not wait for anyone. People during them perform various deeds. Each day passes by brings you closer to your grave!
Omar ibn Abdulaziz said: “The night and day act against you, so act during them.”
Tayfur al-Batami said, “The night and day are the capital of the believers, its profit is Paradise and its loss is Hellfire!”
A group of people sat for a long time with Ma’arûf al-Karkhi, so he said, “The angel of the sun does not feel bored in driving it, do you not want to leave?!”
My Muslim brother: Every day you live is a trophy, which you should not waste.
- During your day: you can pray five prayers along with what you can of the optional prayers, remembrance and supplication.
- During your day: you can read about a part of the Book of Allah, more or less.
- During your day: you can remember Allah Almighty a lot.
- During your day: you can call on a patient.
- During your day: you can give charity to a poor person.
- During your day: you can participate in a funeral (in Islam you are rewarded by Allah for that).
- During your day: you can learn useful knowledge and understand your religious affairs.
- During your day: you can visit or phone your family.
That is in addition to the other acts of Al-Birr (piety and righteousness and each and every act of obedience to Allâh) that you can do during your day. So, see, may Allah have mercy on you, how you can benefit from your day, which is a part of your life.
My Muslim brother: verily, the true sense of judiciousness is in seizing times by performing righteous deeds and the true sense of prejudice is in wasting times!
So, hasten to seize the hours of the days of your life, as you do not know when death will take you by surprise. When death befalls, it does not respite. So, would you like to leave without provisions?!
Allah Almighty has said, {Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allâh), he says: “My Lord! Send me back, [99]. “So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!” No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.} [Surat Al-Mu’minûn 23:99-100]
{حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ ﴿٩٩﴾ لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّا ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَائِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ} المؤمنون: 99-100
Transliteration: Hatta itha jaa ahadahumu almawtu qala rabbi irjiAAooni (99) LaAAallee aAAmalu salihan feemataraktu kalla innaha kalimatun huwa qailuha wamin waraihim barzakhun ila yawmi yubAAathoona
The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a Muslim in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening or he would be a believer in the evening and an unbeliever in the morning, and would sell his faith for worldly goods.” [Reported by Muslim: 118]
«بادروا بالأعمال فتنا كقطع الليل المظلم . يصبح الرجل مؤمنا ويمسي كافرًا أو يمسي مؤمنًا ويصبح كافرًا، يبيع دينه بعرض من الدُنيا» رواه مسلم
Ibn Aj-Jawzy said, “Know that time is more honorable than wasting a moment of it. It is authenticated that the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “The one who says subhana Allah al-’azîm wa-bihamdih (Glorified be Allâh the Great and praise be to Him), a palm tree will be planted for him in Paradise.” [Reported by At-Tirmidhi and authenticated by Al-Albani]
«من قال سبحان الله العظيم وبحمده غُرِست له نخلةٌ في الجنَّة» رواه الترمذي وصححه الألباني
So, how many hours are being wasted by man, in which he loses a great reward?”
My Muslim brother: The affliction of negligence has turned many people away from thinking about the value of time; so you see a lot of them living their lives as animals do! They are always preoccupied with the lustrous desires of this impermanent world, while the deterrent has died in their hearts!
Ahmed ibn Harb said, “How astonishing this is who knows that Paradise is adorned above him and that Hellfire is kindled under him, how can he sleep in-between them?!”
The affliction of procrastination results from the affliction of negligence. You see the negligent always procrastinates repentance and returning to Allah Almighty. He says, “I shall repent, I shall do,” while days pass by and the death is near!
Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “Beware of procrastination, as you are by your today not your tomorrow. If tomorrow is for you, perform good deeds tomorrow as you have done today. If tomorrow is not for you, then you will not repent for your negligence of today.”
My Muslim brother: Maintaining and utilizing time in performing righteous deeds are the keys of your happiness in this worldly life and the Hereafter.
Ibrahim ibn Shiban said, “This who keeps times for himself so he does not waste them in what does not please Allah, Allah will keep his religion and world for him.”
This who maintains his time fulfills one achievement after another. I will give you a brief example to know the difference between the one who benefits from his time and the one who wastes it. Two persons, one of them slept early. When it was called for the dawn prayer, he woke up, performed ablution and went out for praying. During that he was remembering Allah Almighty. He entered the mosque and prayed two prayer units. He then read what was easy for him of the Book of Allah –Almighty. He then prayed the dawn prayer with the Imam. After praying, he remembered Allah - Almighty and sat for some time. He then returned home while saying the remembrance of going out from home. When he got on the car he did not forget to say the remembrance of riding an animal or vehicle. When he arrived to work he was active and did his work sincerely.
Another man stayed late at night committing a lot of sins. He was among a cup of wine, songs among other things. He did not feel what was going around him the whole night. When dawn appeared, he fell down like a corpse due to his tiredness of his futile staying late at night. When he heard the call for prayer, there had not been an inner self call for goodness. He stayed in such state for a long time of the day!
Tell me, O wise man: which one of these two men is luckier and more successful?!
This is a brief example which is existent in our reality, it is not a fiction. Have you held yourself responsible, O wise man?!
Following, my Muslim brother, are marvelous examples from the lives of people who maintained and utilized their times in obeying Allah Almighty, till the last moment of their lives!
- Al-Fudayl ibn Ayadh said, “I know who prepares his words from Friday to Friday!”
- Some people entered upon one of the ancestors. They said to him, “We may have distracted you?” He said, “Can I tell you the truth? I was reading (the Quran) and left reading for you.”
- Dawud At-Tâ’i was swallowing crumbs and saying, “The difference between swallowing crumbs and eating bread is the reciting of fifty verses!”
- Musa ibn Ismail At-tabûzaki said, “If I tell you that I have never seen Hammad ibn Salamah laughing, I am then true! He was busy; whether he was narrating Hadiths, reading (the Quran), glorifying Allah or praying. He has dived hid day according to that!”
- Othman Al-Baqlawy was a constant praiser of Allah Almighty. He said, “At the time of breaking the fast (during Ramadan) I feel that my soul is coming out of me, because I am busy with eating instead of remembrances!”
- One of the ancestors recommended his friends. He said, “If you get out from my house, separate, that one of you may recite the Quran in his way, because if you gather, you will speak to each other”.
- Some people visited one of the ancestors while he was dying. He was praying. They said to him, “Have rest, you are tired!” He said, “I am racing with time before my sheet is folded!”
- Al-Khalil ibn Ahmed al-Farâhîdi used to say, “The heaviest of the hours for me is an hour when I am eating.”
- Al-Fakhr Ar-Razi said, “By Allah I feel regret to be distracted from performing (righteous) deeds during the time of eating! Time is precious.”
- When Abu Yousuf, the student of Abu Hanifa, got ill, his student judge Ibrahim ibn Aj-Jarrah came to call on him. He found him swooning. When he became conscious he said to him, “O Ibrahim, what do you say in an issue?” He said, “In such state?!” He said, “No problem in that. We learn so someone may be rescued by it.”
He then said, “O Ibrahim, which is better in throwing the pebbles, to be thrown while one is riding or walking?”
He said, “While he was riding”.
He said, “You are wrong”. He said, “Walking”.
He said, “You are wrong”. He said, “Tell me, may Allah be pleased with you”.
He said, “For the places where one stops at for supplication, it is better to be thrown while walking, while for the places where one does not stop at for supplication, it is better to be thrown while riding”.
Ibrahim ibn Aj-Jarrah left him. No sooner has he reached the door of the house, than he heard the crying; he has died, may Allah have mercy on him.”
My Muslim brother: Maintaining: this was the mettle of the righteous ancestors, may Allah be pleased with them. By it they reached the highest degrees in this worldly life and Allah Almighty will not waste their deeds on the Day of Resurrection.
And your time O boy is valuable and precious
So in goodness spend it, my friend
Your slogan, make [it] the Quran always
And the glorifications during the night with morning
If you wish to seize time, really
So the best time is “come to success”
So pray the dawn prayer, and call Allah and seize
The praying at night in the clear nightfall
You will win the reward and good deeds really
So they will deliver you to wide paradises
Utilize, O brother, the days of your life in performing acts of obedience, approach to Allah Almighty with the kinds of means of nearness and desert idleness and the love of meekness. This who prays at night will be pleased on the Day of Resurrection.
The days of your life are the most precious things you have, so hold them firmly and do not waste them. This world lasts for a short time, so prepare yourself for the day of death and hold yourself responsible before you are questioned. All praise and thanks be to Allah Almighty. Prayers and peace of Allah be upon our Prophet, Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.
Written by Azhari Ahmed Mahmûd
Ibn Khuzaymah House
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