O Muslim, be aware of managing the time

• Last Updated on March 20, 2022 @ 7:45 am by Islaminlife Admin

Time is the most visible thing that points us we are losing life-span every moment! We have to be strict with our lifestyle to gain success in the world and afterlife. Good practices have to be started as soon as possible or otherwise, it will be too late when we would get habituated with the bad and evil doings, and our nafs – the lower self will not endure any positive hardship.

Activities that bear “no fruits” should be strictly avoided, not to mention about sins. There are talks and tasks that enter into our lives unnecessarily. Those should be checked and carefully get ridden off. If there is an increase in practicing good doings, automatically the bad habits and evil-doings would leave.

We have to be very cautious about time-leaks. Time leaks are mainly created from bad company, unnecessarily going and spending time in various places, talking over cell phone/chatting in the internet, browsing the internet and gossiping with friends and/ associates. All these open up doors to major sins too, for instance, making the Salat qadha, backbiting, seeing forbidden or haraam things, participating in immoral talks and so on.

Today we have attached many duties and responsibilities to our lives, which are indeed nothing but worthless tasks. Wandering about with friends outside, watching games and sports, browsing the internet, reading newspaper, attending various programs — all these have become a means of great loss of our life span. They enter into our lives with various “honest” guises today, but we have to admit that the result they bring in is indeed very negative and evil. For instance, by the excuse of helping friends today we give away a valuable time on many unnecessary tours and tasks, by the name of social gathering we attend various evil programs which allow haraam matters. When we will continue with bad surrounding of friends and evil environment, there might be a situation and state, which we could never ever recover from! Many valuable lives have gone spoiled and ruined by uncaring and wasting time through these means.

We should rationally think , after all these tasks and engagements in life, how can there be time for Taleem (Islamic Teaching) at home, how can we manage time for reciting the Holy Qur’an, how can we get time for doing Tasbih?!

When a Muslim would affix time for carrying the responsibilities of family and elders, neighbors and relatives and then for his essential personal affairs such as eating, resting and sleeping – there is hardly any time for other tasks.

Let us not waste away the valuable life in this way. What we earn today in the world would be achieved tomorrow – in the afterlife. Allah Taala warned us, (Meaning): O those who believe, fear Allah, and everybody must consider what he (or she) has sent ahead for tomorrow. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is fully aware of what you do. [Sura Hashr:18]

To utilize time best, we should make a general routine. We should fix up the minimal good deeds to be accomplished every day according to our capability and workload. For instance, if the Holy Quran is to be recited “one juz/chapter/para” daily, this time should be affixed; Zikr (Tasbeeh) quantity and time should be fixed accordingly. Muslims who take guidelines from a spiritual mentor should consult them. In general, we could all consult the local Imam or pious people regarding beneficial regular Zikr.

Salat – the five time prayers of every day automatically sets us a routine dividing the whole day into 6 parts. Therefore, from dawn to Fajr, from Fajr to Zuhr and so on, there are periods or parts of day when specific tasks should be carried on. As said, at least a general routine should be set so that every day is benefited by enough supererogatory deeds (Nawafil) besides the Fard and Waajib (compulsories). Taking care of family members, teaching them good deeds, engaging in halal earning, participating in household works that help the members — these are definitely much more important related to supererogatory deeds (Nawafil) and therefore, cannot be neglected at all. We have to smartly manage time for our family and support them as much as possible for the pleasure of Allah Taala. Sadly, many of us today stay out long outside at work and other places (meeting friends etc.) and often neglect the responsibilities to family members – parents, spouse and children. Whereas, the rights of our family members are compulsory in terms of obligation and neglecting those are major sins.

Islam has set a wonderful balance in this regard and we should follow it for the peace, benefit and reward in this world and afterlife. Our life should have as much as similarity with our Beloved Nabi ﷺ, or otherwise, who are we? Whom are we following?

How can managing the time well, abandoning all the sins and fulfilling the rights of other people become easy? No doubt by sitting with the pious and spending time with them; listening to their advice and sincerely keeping on trying. Besides this, when we would be doing dua earnestly and humbly, InshaAllah, things would start changing for us.

Notice carefully that, laziness and negligence have only been barriers at the time of good deeds, but when the worldly affairs – adjacent to our evil desires arise, we never shun them; rather, we become very active and attentive to those!

Let us exert our good efforts from today and now. Otherwise, it is we, ourselves, who have to repent extremely one day, very soon – for showing futile excuses, but that would be too late.