Ensure Benefiting From Time

Khaled Al-Jeraisy

It is absolutely necessary for Muslims to be careful about time. The Muslim is required to utilize and invest his time in what benefits him in this world and the Hereafter. In this regard, he can follow the good example set by the Righteous Salaf. They were so careful that in less than a century they were able to make radical changes in the societies into which they introduced Islam.

The Righteous Salaf made sure that no time, however short it was, passed without doing something useful, such as acquiring useful knowledge, doing good deeds, helping other Muslims and serving or advising the Ummah (nation). Remarking Imam Hammad Ibn-Salama Al-Basry's [a grammarian] meticulous care for time, Musa Ibn-Ismaeel said, "It is unbelievable! I have never seen Hammad laugh at all. He was always busy explaining the Hadith, praying, reading or praising the Lord. This is how he spent his day. Abdurrahman Al-Mahdi [Abdurrahman Ibn-Mahdi Ibn-Hassan Ibn-Abdurrahman, a critic and an able reciter; he was considered a good model for knowledge and work. See: Shamsuddeen Adh-Dhahabi, ”Biographies of Noble Scholars”, 9/192-193.] said: "If you were to tell Hammad, 'You are going to die tomorrow', there would be nothing he could add to what he is already doing." [Abu-Hajjaj Yusuf Al-Mizzi, “Tahdheeb Al-Kamal fi Asma' Arrijal”, in Arabic, investigated by B. A. Ma'ruf, 1992, Vol. 7, p. 265.]

Regretting the time he spent eating, Shumait Ibn-Ajlan [Abu-Naeem Al-Asbahani, “Hilyatul-Awliya'wa Tabaqat Al-Asfiya'“ (The Pious Friends' Ornaments and Classes of the Pure), in Arabic, investigated by Mustafa Abdul-Qadir Ata, 1418, 3/149] said, "By Allah, the time I hate most is that which I spend eating." How conscious of time! [Ibid, 3509, 3/151]

Once a wise man said, "If you spend one day on other than carrying out justice, performing obligatory worship, achieving some gain, praising the Lord, establishing something good or acquiring knowledge, you have been ungrateful to your day and have wronged yourself." [Abdurra`uf Al-Minawi, “Faidh Al-Qadeer bi Sharh Al-Jami` Assagheer”, 6/288]

Encouraging Utilization of Time and Warning Against Wasting It

Khaled Al-Jeraisy

Of the well-known Hadiths calling for grabbing the opportunity for investing time is the one related by Ibn-Abbas; the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "Grab five things before five others: your youth before your decrepitude, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before your death." [al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak] This Hadith, like many others, is typically brief, yet comprehensive and loaded with meaning. It succinctly expresses in brief what specialists have presented in manuscripts. It points out the importance of time and the initiative to invest it, together with the importance of utilizing the power of the youth stage and leisure time in fruitful good work. It also warns against five obstacles that prevent proper utilization of time.

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), 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." [at-Tirmidhi, al-Baihaqi]

The above Hadith urges Muslims to take the initiative, and not to delay good deeds; man's life is not free from impediments, such as those calamities, which can prevent him from accomplishing what could have been done earlier. Wise are those who grab available opportunities before being handicapped by obstacles.

In one Hadith, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "If one becomes worried, he hurries up, and if he hurries up, he sooner reaches his destination." [at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim]

Explaining this Hadith, Attayyibi says: "The Prophet gave this as an example to illustrate man's journey to a safe haven in the afterlife. Satan, supported by man's evil desires and wishful thinking, obstructs his way. If he is fully aware and has kept purity of intention regarding his deeds, he is safe from Satan's conniving." The example can be true in the case of the person who has set himself targets, and is worried lest he should be encountered by obstacles before reaching them. He, therefore, makes a greater effort in order to reach his targets.

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam) always demanded that work should start early in the morning. On the authority of Sukhr Al-Ghamidi: "The Prophet said, 'O Allah, bless my nation's early rising.' If he dispatched an army or a division, he did that early in the morning." [Abu Dawud, Ibn Hibban] Sukhr was a merchant who used to do his business early in the morning, and he made good profit and became rich.

Aisha reported a Hadith with a similar meaning; the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, " Rise early to earn your living and do your affairs, for it brings about blessing and success." [at-Tabarani]

Fatima, the Prophet's daughter, said that when he saw her still lying in bed one morning, he told her, "My daughter, get up and witness your Lord's bounty, and do not be among the indifferent; Allah distributes daily bread between the break of dawn and sunrise." [al-Baihaqi]

Dialogue Between the Pious and the Wretched

Shaykh `Aa'id Abdullah al-Qarnee

Dialogue Between al-Aswad al-`Ansi and Abu Muslim al-Khawlani

Al Aswad al `Ansi, a man in Yemen who claimed prophethood, asked Abu Muslim to believe in him and testify that he is a messenger. Abu Muslim told him: "I can't hear a thing." So Abu Muslim, one of the awliyaa' (friends, allies of Allah) from the second generation of Muslims, belied him. Al Aswad al `Ansi prepared firewood and threw him in fire. Abu Muslim said: "Hasbuna'Llah wa ni`mal wakeel (Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best Protector . the words that Prophet Ibrahim `alayhis salam said when he was thrown in fire)", so Allah made the fire cool and safe for him.

[Later] `Umar hugged him in joy and said: "Welcome, O Khaleel (i.e. referring to Prophet Ibrahim `alayhis salam) of this Ummah" - or "the man who resembled al-Khaleel Ibraheem", or as he said, may Allah be pleased with him. Why? Because the Taqiyy (pious one) knew Allah and the Shaqiyy (wretched one) denied Allah's favors and went beyond the limits in transgression against Allah and His awliyaa' (allies)."

Dialogue between Rab`ee ibn `Aamir and Rustum

Rab`ee bin `Aamir entered upon Rustom, the leader of Persia, who had 280,000 soldiers under him. Rustum addressed him with arrogance of one who has power, "What brought you here?. . Rab`ee was wearing a thorn robe and had with him a spear and an old horse.

Rustom told him laughingly, while his ministers and companions were sitting with him: "You came to conquer the world with this spear, an old horse and a thorn robe?" So Rab`ee ibn `Aamir responded to him, confident in Allah's help: "Allah sent us to take servants from servitude to (other) servants to servitude of the Lord of servants, and from the narrowness of this world to the vastness of the hereafter, and from the tyranny of religions to the justice of Islam." So the wretched one responded to him after the reply of Rab`ee bin `Aamir baffled him: "Do not exit my palace or hall until you carry soil on your head", so Rab`ee bin `Aamir carried soil and said to his companions, "This is a glad tiding that Allah will let us own their land."

Later, Sa`d bin Abi Waqqaas entered this land victoriously and entered the hall of misguidance and smashed the den of the Persian idolatry, and said, what was related in the Qur'an, "How much they left behind of gardens and springs and crops and noble sites and comfort wherein they were amused. Thus. And we caused it to be inherited by another people." [Ad-Dukhaan, 44:25-28]

"These are two adversaries who have disputed over their Lord." [Hajj, 22:19] Such end befell those who did not know Allah, who did not obey his orders, nor shunned what He forbade.

Dialogue Between Khubayb bin `Adiyy and Disbelievers

Khubayb bin `Adiyy was brought to be hung and was asked, "What do you wish o Khubayb?" He said to the disbelieving, pagan polytheists: "I wish to pray two units of prayer", so he stood up, made ablution, quickly prayed two rak`ahs, and then told them: "By Allah, if you would not think that I fear death, I would lengthen the two units of prayer." Then they raised him to hang him and he supplicated against them: "O Allah, count them one by one, kill them to do away with them, and do not leave any one of them." They said: "Do you wish that Muhammad be in your place and that you be with your family and your wealth?" He said, "No, by Allah, I do not wish that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, be hurt by a thorn, and that I be with my family and my wealth." Then they killed him.

Biographers, such as Moosa bin `Uqbah, said Khubayb bin `Adiyy said before he was killed: "O Allah, inform the Prophet what happened to me. As-Salaamu `alayka, O Messenger of Allah, as-Salamu `alayka O Messenger of Allah, as-Salamu `alayka O Messenger of Allah." He was in Makkah, while the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, was in Madinah, and who said at that moment: . `Alaykas-Salam O Khubayb, `Alaykas-Salam O Khubayb, `Alaykas-Salam O Khubayb." Then Khubayb recited a poem about his death:

I do not care if I am killed as a Muslim,
From which side my death comes in the way of Allah.
And that is for His sake, if He wills,
He will bless parts of the body torn.