Eshnazarova Ezoza
By: Eshnazarova Ezoza
Worth Noting:
- Time is so important that Allah swore by it in the Quran. He said: “By the declining day, 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
- Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: Health and free timefor doing good”. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah comments on this hadith in his book The Value ofTime saying, “Time is a precious blessing and a great gift, the value of which is only realised andbenefitted from by the the successful guided ones, as indicated by the noble hadith, “which many peoplelose,” implying that only a minority benefit from it, while the majority are wasters and losers”.
As long as there is a person in this world, they has their own religion, nation, culture, worldview, traditions and values.
Religions have different origins in different cultures. While some religions have determined the social order, others seek to regulate the inner experiences and psyche of a person.
The word “religion” is sometimes used in the sense of “faith”, but this is not always appropriate, because faith is a personal belief, not a social system.
Religion is the belief in the existence of a god or gods, supernatural forces. Religion is a special way of imagining the creation of the universe and life, a unique way of perceiving it, manifested through certain teachings, feelings, obedience and the activities of religious organizations. There is no single opinion about the origin of religion. According to the teachings of Islam, religion is the divine laws that must be introduced to the world of humanity by God through his prophets. It is a doctrine that expresses faith in the divine power that created nature and man, and at the same time shows and teaches man the right and true way of life.
People say, “Time is Money,” but that’s not completely accurate. Time is Life. Imam Hasan al-Banna said,“Whoever knows the real value of time knows life itself, for time is life”. Another quote from Abu Bakr bin‘Ayyash says, “If a dirham slips off the hand of one of them, you will find him lamenting for the whole day,‘My dirham is gone.’ But when he wastes hours of his life he will never say, ‘O my life is gone!’”11
In order to value time, we need to first appreciate it. And in order to appreciate, we must understandthe following:
- Time is a blessing from Allah. He says in the Quran: “We made the night and the day as two signs,then darkened the night and made the daylight for seeing, for you to seek your Lord’s bounty and to knowhow to count the years and calculate. We have explained everything in detail”. (17:12) This constantchanging of night and day is a daily reminder from God that nothing lasts and that the count never stops.So it should make us more grateful for the time we have and simply not let it slip by.
- Time is so important that Allah swore by it in the Quran. He said: “By the declining day, 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”. (103) Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi says in the explanation of the meaning of these verses: “Allah vowed by asr – which is time – because of its wonders, for within it good and bad matters occur, health and illness, richness and poverty, and because its value and preciousness cannot be measured against everything else “
- Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: Health and free timefor doing good”. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah comments on this hadith in his book The Value ofTime saying, “Time is a precious blessing and a great gift, the value of which is only realised andbenefitted from by the the successful guided ones, as indicated by the noble hadith, “which many peoplelose,” implying that only a minority benefit from it, while the majority are wasters and losers”.
Ibn al-Qayyim in Madarij al-Salikin (Steps of the Seekers) talks about regret over any time that is lost: “Forthe intelligent one is the one who is conscious of his time; and if he loses it then he would have lost all hisinterests, for all interests derive from time, and whenever time is lost it can never be regained”.
The time you’re given in this world is all you have to sow the seeds of good deeds in the hope that you’llharvest the rewards in the Hereafter. This time is limited and cannot be returned, exchanged or transferred fromsomeone else. It’s a losing game unless you make the most of it. Spiritual time is about being given the tawfiq,the success or ability, to recognise the value of time.
PRACTICAL TIPS
- Appreciate the value of your time: Be conscious of how precious and fleeting time is. Once spent, itcan never come back.
- Develop a sense of urgency: Don’t think that you have plenty of time or delay things until you reach acertain age – start now!
- Keep track of your time: Be vigilant of how you spend it. More on this will be explained under thePhysical Time section of this book.
Align your life with God’s instruction in each of these areas. Ask penetrating questions!
Am I fulfilling my calling?
Am I serving my family as God commands?
Do I honor God in my work?
Do I produce spiritual fruit?
Do my goals harmonize with God’s plan for my life?
Human nature will balk at such incisive questions—but our future commitment and growth depend upon a thorough response!
Put God First
What is the greatest commandment? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).
This equates to thinking about God’s plan daily and remaining instant in prayer (Rom. 12:12). We should express appreciation to God daily for His “benefits package” (Psa. 103:1-14). In addition, obedience to God shows that we put Him first in our lives. Obedience keeps us in harmony with His way of life. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous” (I John 5:3).
If we regularly reflect on the great God and the value He has added to our lives, we will maintain our spiritual focus.
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