{It
is He who made the sun a shining radiance and the moon a light,
determining phases for it so that you might know the number of years and
how to calculate time. Allah did not create all these without a true
purpose; He explains His signs to those who understand.
In
the succession of night and day, and in what Allah created in the
heavens and earth, there truly are signs for those who ward off (evil).} (Yunus 10:5-6)
Time
is a great blessing of Allah. It is also His blessing that he taught us
the ways to calculate time and to know the number of months and years.
Calculation of time is part of human civilization and culture. It helps
us to keep track of time for our worship, work and life. It helps us to
learn about the past and plan for the future.
Islam
gives a lot of importance to time and reminds the believers to be
conscious of time in their life. Islam does not emphasize only the
calculation of time but it gives a lot of importance to quality of time.
We should not only count time but also make our time countable.
Unfortunately
we human beings waste a lot of our precious time. It is said that in a
lifetime the average American spends about 184,000 hours (almost 21
years) watching television and/or surfing the internet. We also spend
about 2-3 years’ time opening the junk mail or reading and deleting junk
emails.
A
wise man once asked, ‘What is the most valuable thing on earth for a
human being? And what is the worst thing on earth for a human being?’
For both the answer he gave was, ‘Time.’ Everything in this world, he
said, is acquired in time. By losing time we lose everything, even
ourselves.
Allah
Almighty reminds us in the Qur’an that in the movement of time and in
the succession and variation (ikhtilaf) of the days and nights there are
signs for those who wish to be mindful of Allah and grateful to Him
(Al-Furqan 25:62).
Each
one of us has 24 hours every day at our disposal. There are those who
use their time wisely and accomplish a lot. There are also those who
waste their time.
Time
is a non-renewable and non-replaceable resource. If you lose your money
you may get it back; if you lose any of your possessions you may find
them or replace them, but no one can get back the time that is gone.
Surat
Al-`Asr is a very short Surah. It does not take much time to read it or
to memorize it. However, it gives a very profound lesson and carries
with it volumes of meanings. The whole human history is a witness to
what is said in this Surah. Allah says,
{By
the (passing) time, man is [deep] in loss, except for those who
believe, do good deeds, urge one another to the truth, and urge one
another to steadfastness.} (Al-`Asr 103)
In
several other Surahs we are reminded about the passing nature of time
and how important it is to pay attention to every day and night, nay to
every moment. Allah says:
{By
the daybreak, by the Ten Nights, by the even and the odd, by the
passing night— is this oath strong enough for a person of reason?} (Al-Fajr 89:1-5)
{By the enshrouding night, by the radiant day, by His creation of male and female! The ways you take differ greatly.} (Al-Lail 92:1-4)
{By the morning hours and by the night when it grows still.} (AD-Duha 93:1-2)
Time
is a blessing (ni`mah) and it is also a trust (amanah) of Allah. It is
reported in a Hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
said, “Do not abuse time, because it is Allah Who is time.” (Muslim)
The
scholars say this is a metaphorical (majaz) way of speaking. The
meaning is that it is Allah who has created time and it is He who has
given it to you. It is important that we use every moment wisely and do
good and useful things. If we do wrong we should not blame time but
ourselves.
Islam teaches us that we should manage our time in a proper and balanced way:
- *Some time we should devote to our Lord and Creator by doing the acts of worship, remembering and thanking Him.
- *Some time we should give to ourselves taking care of our physical needs.
- *Some time should be spent in study, Halal (lawful) earning and useful work.
- *We should also dedicate some time to our families, our spouses, children and for other social needs.
- *Sometime we should give to voluntary and charitable work to help others.
- *No time should be spoiled by committing sins or wasted in useless things. Let us not just count our days, weeks, months and years; let us make them countable and valuable in this life and in the eternal life.
Let
us make them blessed for us as well as for others. We have to be
conscious of every moment of our life and keep in mind that we shall
have to give the account of every moment. On the Day of Judgment Allah
will ask:
{He
will say, ‘How many years were you on earth?’ They will reply, ‘We
stayed a day or a part of a day, but ask those who keep count.’ He will
say, ‘You stayed but a little, if you had only known. Did you think We
had created you in vain, and that you would not be brought back to Us?} (Al-Mu’minun 23:112-115)
The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained this: In a hadith
reported by Mu`adh ibn Jabal, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) said,
"The
feet of any person shall not move from their place on the Day of
Judgment until he/she is asked about four things: about his life, in
which deeds he spent it? About his youth, how he utilized it? About his
wealth, how did he earn it and how did he spend it? About his knowledge,
what did he do based on it?" (At-Tabarani)
These
are very serious questions. No one can avoid answering them or give
false answers. Let us use our time in such a way that on that Day we
would not regret or be ashamed and embarrassed by our answers.
May Allah bless us and keep us on the right path. Ameen.
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