Benefiting from our time

Allaah the Almighty and His Messenger, Prophet Mohammadvery clearly
tell us the value oftime, why we must not waste it and how we can make
use of our time wisely to increase our faith and thus attain success,
especially eternal success in the Hereafter.
Both the Quran and the Sunnah enjoin Muslims to be conscious ofthe
great importance of time. Weare reminded that life in this world is
nothing but temporary. We never know when death has been appointed for
us. We must value time for the satisfaction of Allaah. For our
guidance and success, we must never waste time nor abuse it.
Allaah, Almighty, swears in the beginning of many chapters by time or
moments in time, for example:
Allaah Says )what means(:"By time…"]Quran 103: 1[ And )what means(:"By
the dawn and ]by[ ten nights)i.e., the first ten days of the month of
Dhul-Hijjah(…"]Quran 89: 1-2[ And )what means(:"By the night when it
covers, and ]by[ the day when it appears."]Quran 92: 1[ And
)whatmeans(:"By the morning brightness; and ]by[ the night when it
covers with darkness…"]Quran 93:1[
The Prophetsaid:"There are two blessings which many people lose: )They
are( health andfree time for doing good."]Al-Bukhaari[
When Allaah swears by something of His creation, it directs our
attention to the benefit of that thing. Allaah Says)what means(:"And
He subjected for you the sun and the moon, continuous ]in orbit[, and
subjected for you the night and the day. And He gave you from all you
asked of Him. And if you should count the blessings of Allaah, you
could not enumerate them…"]Quran 14: 33-34[
And )what means(:"And it is He Who has made the night and day in
succession for whoever desiresto remember or desires gratitude."]Quran
25: 62[
The Prophetsaid:"A servant of Allaah will remain standing on the Day
of Judgment till he is questioned: about his age and how he spent it;
about his knowledge and how he utilized it; about his wealth from
where he acquired it and in what)activities( he spent it; and about
his body as to how he used it."]At-Tirmithi[
Time must be spent to fulfill our very purpose in life that is to
worship Allaah all throughout our lives. Allaah Says )what means(:"And
I )Allaah( did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me
)Alone(."]Quran 51: 56-58[
If we do not use our time effectively for something good, then we will
definitely use it for something bad, which destroys our rewards and
our lives.
Everything we do in accordance with Islam is an act of worship. Such
worship must be done sincerely for the sake of Allaah alone. We should
make use of our time in doing beneficial thingsdoing good deeds in
orderwe earn the pleasure of Allaah and the pleasures of eternal
Hereafter.
We should prefer that which is everlasting to that which will pass
away. Yet, this doesn't meanthat we should leave the life of this
world aside completely and spend every moment of our day in prayer!
No, not at all, for worship is not confined to just acts of prayer,
fasting and charity.
Verily, with the right intentions, correct knowledge and sincere heart
we can earn reward and worship Allaah through most, if not all of our
daily actions. We profit from our time when we take permissible acts
such as eating, taking care of children, etc., and make them a source
of reward by making intention for the sake of Allaah and follow the
Sunnah )way( of Prophet Muhammedfor each occasion.
We should try to make a short revision at the end of each day about
what we did during that day. Ask ourselves: What did I do today? And
what did I do that repentance for the bad things that we have done and
determine sincerely not to repeatsuch things.
We have to make use of our time wisely by knowing more of the Quran
and the Sunnah. We must have correct knowledge of what Allaah and His
Messengerhave commanded us to do and atthe same time to refrain from
what they have forbidden us. Allaah Says )what means(:"O you who have
believed, obey Allaah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate
your deeds."]Quran 47: 33[
Here are some tips that help benefiting from our time:
1. Acquiring knowledge sincerely for the sake of Allaah.
2. Abstaining from all sins.
3. When committing any sin, we should repent immediately and determine
not to repeat it.
4. Keeping away from harming others, slandering, backbiting etc.
5. Not laughing excessively nor talking excessively.
6. Always being mindful of the rules of the Sharee'ah )Islamic Law( in
everything we do.
7. Staying far from the irreligious people.
8. Offering prayer on the proper time and with great concentration.
9. Occupying oneself in the remembrance of Allaah.
10. Setting aside specific times for different tasks and abiding
strictly to these times.
11. Helping and benefiting others irrespective of whether it is in
worldly affairs or religious matters.
12. Being in the service and company of guests, travelers, strangers,
scholars, and the piousservants of Allaah.
13. Fearing Allaah all the time.
14. Remembering death.
15. Setting aside a certain time daily wherein we should think about
all our actions for that day.When we remember any good action, express
gratitude to Allaah. When we remember any evil action, repent.
16. Living with bashfulness, modesty and forbearance.
17. Making Du'aa )supplication( toAllaah to keep us steadfast on the
straight path.
When it is time for anyone of mankind to die, he will ask for more
time to do good deeds, as Allaah Says )what means(:"They will cry out
therein, 'Our Lord, remove us; we will do righteousness – other than
what we were doing!" But did We not grant you life enough for whoever
would remember therein to remember, and the warner had come to you? So
taste ]the punishment[, for there is not for the wrongdoers any
helper."]Quran 35: 37[