Thursday, December 3, 2009

Value of Time in Islam

It is imperative for a Muslim to know the value of his/her time, for ‘time is life’. In Islam there is no room for motto like "killing time", for in Islam time is really valuable. In fact, wasting time is much more dangerous than squandering property, because unlike property, time cannot be compensated. In the Hadith, the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him), said: “There are two of Allah’s favors that are forgotten by many people: health and free time.” Free time is a blessing that is overlooked, and not wholly appreciated by many Muslims now-a-days. A Muslim should not waste his/her time in activities that does not bring her/him closer to Allah, in pursuits that will not serve as a contribution for the betterment of his/her people, his/her society and mankind in general.

Almighty Allah says: “By the time! Verily man is in loss.” (Al-`Asr:1-2) The Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is also a rich record of many Hadiths that acknowledge the value of time and confirm the responsibility of man on how he maintains it; he will be brought to account by Allah on the Day of Judgment. Mu`adh ibn Jabal quotes the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him): “A servant of Allah will remain standing on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about four things: his life and how he spent it, his youth and how he used it up, his property and how he acquired and managed it and his knowledge and how he utilized it.”

In Islam things should be regarded according to their level of significance. Hence we have several categories to view on this merit– Personal religious practice, Daw’ah, Islamic education, career, education, family, friends, health, leisure pursuits, etcetera,. I like to combine these categories to simplify slightly. Below is a sample daily rota:

1. Personal Worship: associates the relationship with Allah, no one share this time

* 5 Daily Prayers

* Read Quran

* Islamic Education

o School

o Internet

2. Finances: speaks about the activities that either bring money in the household, or vice versa

* Paying Bills

* Managing Zakat

* Job tasks

3. Health

* Working out

* Personal Hygiene

* Medical and Dental Work

* Personal upkeep

* Family and Friends (Networking and family get together)

4. Preaching

* Net

* Friends and Family circle

5. Systems Maintenance: This is the essence of life that keeps all the machinery in order moving towards a targeted aim

* Daily Planning

* Weekly Planning

* Laundry / Chores

* Groceries

Some sub-items fall under multiple categories. The point to concentrate on here is to Simplify. And to bear in mind that time has certain characteristics such as:

1-Time passes quickly.

2-Time that passes can never return, nor can it be compensated for, for time is irretrievable.

3-Time is the most precious thing that man possesses.

Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri says: “At the beginning of every day a herald calls: ‘O son of Adam! I am a new creation and a witness of your deeds. So take a provision from me because when I pass, for I never come back till the Day of Resurrection.’”

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