The value of time Monday, 29 August 2011 03:57

By Ramzi Al Saeed

Believers know the value of time and its benefits so they utilise days and nights of the month of Ramadan to glorify Allah, recite Holy Quran, doing as much good deeds. It is necessary for us to build our generation in a way  so  they can understand the value of time. We should prepare ourselves to respect the time and use it without wasting. We should also understand that the life and the age are huge capital and we would be asked on the Day of Judgement about every moment we spent in this world and our activities.

Islam teaches us that time passes quickly and can never return, it is irretrievable. It is also the most precious gift that humankind possesses and can be taken from us at any given moment. God is the Giver but He is also the Withholder.  Time passes swiftly and God reminds us in the Quran that the months and years pass but when we are standing before Him on the Day of Judgement our time on earth will seem as though we had lived, dreamed and worshipped for less than a day.

Islam takes care of the value of time. Killing of time becomes easy and it is not known to the foolish people that this is a play with life. Killing of time this way is destruction of individual and losing the group as the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: “There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” (Bukhari)

Prophet also said: “The feet of man will not move on the Day of judgment until he will be asked about four things: about his age where he ends, about his youth where he wore away, about his wealth from where he earned and where he spent and about his knowledge what he done with it.”

There are among those who believe in the popular saying as “Time is Gold.” Time in Islam is more than Gold or any precious material thing in this world. Islam guides mankind not only to the importance of time but also how to value it. Allah the Almighty and His Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), very clearly tell us the value of time, why we must not waste it and how we can make use of our time wisely to increase our faith (Iman) and thus attain success, especially eternal success in the life hereafter.

“A man shall be asked concerning five things on the day of resurrection: concerning his life, how he spent it; concerning his youth, how he grew old; concerning his wealth, whence he acquired it, and in what way he spent it; and what was it that he did with the knowledge that he had.”

The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), used to call on Muslims to take the initiative to do good deeds before any obstacles arise. For instance, he said, “Lose no time to do good deeds before you are caught up by one of seven calamities awaiting you: a starvation which may impair your wisdom; a prosperity which may mislead you; an ailment which may damage your health; an old age which may harm your senses; a sudden death; the Dajjal (Antichrist); or Doomsday, which is indeed the hardest and most bitter.” (Tirmidhi and Baihaqi)

For making people to take the value of their time in consideration, it is necessary for us to train our generation to organise their time since childhood and should take this process as complete responsibility of respect of time. We have to manage our schedule, for example eating, sleeping, study, leisure time etc.

The Peninsula