Are we making the best use of our time in this life? Are we to simply pass our time in whatever way possible so that we can get to the hereafter? How are we to balance our time across various aspects of this life? Is there a right balance? Are our life’s priorities purpose driven?These are some of the questions we Muslims ought to ask ourselves to get the most from our lives. It matters because we have at best only a few years to live. Considering the various phases of our lives individually, the available time is even shorter. Have you thought whether you will be satisfied when you get to the end of the road? Will you do things differently if you know how much time you have left? What if your remaining time is very little?Time is passing us quickly – and as it does, we should ask ourselves whether we havemuch to show for it. Are we fulfilling both our religious and worldly responsibilities? Are ourfamilies getting our fair share or is it all aboutother matters? Are we balancing our time across all other obligations? Are we even conscious about how we use our time?Time is therefore one of the most valuable assets that we have. Being wise in the use of that asset is thus only prudent. Time is one of the many things that Allah has used to swear by in the Quran (verse 1 of Surah Al-Asr). The Prophet, too, told us to use time to make the most of certain assets before time takes it away from us. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:“Make the most of five things before five others:LIFEbefore death,HEALTHbefore sickness,FREE TIMEbefore becoming busy,YOUTHbefore old age, andWEALTHbefore poverty.” [Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1077.]Those who have run out of time will tell us its value. Ask the old who have nearly run out of time or ask the terminally ill who have been given only a few months to live. They will tell us how productive they would get if they got more time.The reality is that our lives are too busy and daily routines too engaging to make us pause to assess what we are earning or opportunities that we are missing as we pass our allotted time. But here are some of the things we can do to ensure that we use our remaining time in this life effectively.Be mindful of your purpose in this lifeAs Muslims, we believe that Allah not only created mankind but clarified their purpose of being here. That may seem quite obvious to some but questions related to the “purposeand meaning of life” have been grappled by western and non-Muslim philosophers for centuries. The foundation of ourIslamic beliefsthus does away the need to get entangled in the philosophical innuendos of the topic. Islamic principles make it clear that Allah created life, this universe, and the rules that embody it. And mankind is to worship Him by submitting to those rules.Amongst the many, consider the following three verses –“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56].“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, mySalaah(prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)” [al-An’aam 6:162]“Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?” [al-Mu’minoon 23:115]Needless to explain but a sense of purpose can help in reconciling the many complex questions and issues that aren’t always that easy for us to comprehend. It helps in imbuing the energy that we need to keep moving irrespective of the challenges that we face and to adhere to a system of living that we believe was designed by the Creator for His Creation.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 04:11:26 +0000
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