Ensure Benefit of Time

It is absolutely necessary for Muslims to be careful about time. The Muslim is required to utilize and invest his time in what benefits him in this world and the Hereafter. ● We should follow the example of the companions and how they utilized their time well for the sake and cause of Allah ● They made sure that no time, however short it was, passed without doing something useful, such as acquiring useful knowledge, doing good deeds, helping other Muslims and serving or advising the Ummah (nation) ● Once a wise man said, ● "If you spend one day on other than carrying out justice, performing obligatory worship, achieving some gain, praising the Lord, establishing something good or acquiring knowledge, you have been ungrateful to your day and have wronged yourself."

The Prophet Muhammad once said: ● "On the Day of Resurrection the feet of the son of Adam [man] will not move away till he is questioned about four matters: how he spent his lifetime, how he spent his youth; from where he acquired his wealth and how he spent it, and what he did with his knowledge." -Tirmidhi ● He also said, "Grab five things before five others: your youth before your decrepitude, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before your death." ● This Hadith is a direct call on Muslims to invest their time as early as possible when conditions are favourable, i.e., youth, health, wealth and time before being handicapped by impediments, such as old age, sickness, poverty or preoccupation.

The Companions were extremely careful about occupying their time with useful deeds, and they hated laziness and unemployment. ● Umar Ibn-Al-Khattab was reported to have said, ● "I do hate to see any of you unoccupied, doing nothing for this world or the Hereafter." ● [Abul-Qasim Azzamakhshari, “Al- Kashshf “, in Arabic, investigated by Mohamed A. Shaheen] ● On the authority of Ibn-Mas'ud, the Prophet said, ● "I do hate to see a man doing nothing for this world or the Hereafter." ● [Abul-Qasim Attabarani, ”AI- Mu`jam Al-Kabeer]

As stated by one of the modern scholars, Sheikh Qawadari: ● "Leisure time will never remain unoccupied. It will be occupied with good or evil. ● If one does not occupy himself with truth, that self will make him occupied with falsehood. ● Successful is he who fills his time with what is good and righteous, and woe to him who fills it with evil and corruption.” ● [Time In The Muslim’s Life]

In making the most of our time we should begin our day early – not late! ● The Prophet always demanded that work should start early in the morning. On the authority of Sukhr Al-Ghamidi: ● "The Prophet said, 'O Allah, bless my nation's early rising.' If he dispatched an army or a division, he did that early in the morning." ● [Abu Dawud, Ibn Hibban] ● Sukhr was a merchant who used to do his business early in the morning, and he made good profit and became rich.

Aisha reported a Hadith with a similar meaning; the Prophet said ● " Rise early to earn your living and do your affairs, for it brings about blessing and success." ● [at-Tabarani] ● Fatima, the Prophet's daughter, said that when he saw her still lying in bed one morning, he told her, ● "My daughter, get up and witness your Lord's bounty, and do not be among the indifferent; Allah distributes daily bread between the break of dawn and sunrise." ● [al-Baihaqi]

We have to understand as Muslims that Shaytaan wants us to be lazy and put off the doing of good deeds ● Concerning this point, Satan has many ways and means. It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet said, ● "During your sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of your Decks. He breathes the following into them, 'The night is long so keep on sleeping.' If the person wakes and praises Allah, then one of the knots is unfastened. And if he performs ablution, the second knot is unfastened. When he prays, all of the knots are unfastened. After that he will be energetic and happy in the morning. Otherwise he would get up listless and grouchy."

It is also recorded in Bukhari: ● When one of you rises from your sleep he should make ablution. He should rinse his nose three times. For Satan stays in the upper part of one's nose during the night." ● Also the Prophet was asked about a man who sleeps until the morning comes, that is, after the time of the dawn prayer. He said, ● "That is a man whom Satan has urinated into his two ears."

So thus as Muslims we should not allow shaytan to cause us to not make the most of our time ● We should live each day as if it were our last, and spend it as the companions did – doing what would be pleasing to Allah ● Also do not be lazy and procrastinate. Shaytaan wants you to think there is always more time but in reality – time like everything in this world is LIMITED