Value of Time - An Islamic Perspective

 

 

Time does not favour anyone. The amount of time given to everyone in a day has always been equal since the beginning and will remain the same in the future. 

 

Haven’t you experienced days when time passes by so quickly that you ask yourself, “where did the time go?” Sometimes, a few good hours may feel like mere minutes. Yet, there are also times when we may feel that time ticks slowly, especially when we’re feeling down or having a bad day. 

 

 

In reality, it depends on our attitude towards time. What really differs for us is the way we manage each counting second. When we regret over the past or worry too much about the coming days, we fail to just be in the present and savour each moment.

 

One thing is for certain - time that has gone will never come back. When we start to appreciate time, we will focus our attention on what really matters – strengthening our relationship with Allah s.w.t. and nurturing ourselves to be the best we can be. 

 

To really recognise time’s worth, we should always remind ourselves of its greatness so that we will not lose sight of it. Here are 3 reasons why you should value time:

 

1. Time is one of the most dignified favours of Allah

 

 

One of the most precious blessings granted by Allah s.w.t. to us is time. Time has been mentioned in the Quran in various verses where Allah s.w.t. depicts its loftiness:

 

وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ دَائِبَيْنِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ

He has subjected for you the sun and the moon, both constantly orbiting, and has also subjected the day and night for you

(Surah Ibrahim, 14:33)

 

وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ وَالنُّجُومُ مُسَخَّرَاتٌ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

And He has subjected for you the night and day and the sun and moon, and the stars are subjected by His command. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who reason.

(Surah An-Nahl 16:12)

 

Allah also reminds us of the greatness of this blessing when He makes a vow by time in multiple verses in the Quran - By the day, By the night, By the dawn, By the morning, By the sunset, By the forenoon - reminding us of its importance and value:

 

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ. وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ

By the night when it covers, and by the day when it appears

(Surah Al-Layl, 92:1-2)

 

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذْ أَدْبَرَ. وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا أَسْفَرَ

And by the night when it departs, and by the morning when it brightens

(Surah Al-Muddaththir, 74:33-34)

 

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ. وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ

And by the night as it closes in, and by the dawn when it breathes

(Surah At-Takwir, 81:17-18)

 

وَالضُّحَىٰ. وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ

By the morning brightness (forenoon), and by the night when it covers with darkness

(Surah Adh-Dhuha, 93:1-2)

 

وَالْعَصْرِ. إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ

By time, indeed, humankind is in loss

(Surah Al-Asr, 103:1-2)

 

In a different verse, Allah s.w.t. reprimanded those who waste time that He has bestowed upon them, spending it heedlessly and thinking that all they needed was more time in their life to do good in order for them to fare better in the Hereafter:

 

أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ

Did We not give you lives long enough so that whoever wanted to be mindful could have done so? And the warner came to you

(Surah Fatir, 35:37)

 

The point is that Allah s.w.t. has given us this gem in abundance, so much that it is enough for us to think about the truth and to act upon it. It is highly encouraged that we think and plan every single day on how to benefit from time. Here are some free online Islamic classes you may want to attend.

 

2. Time is the safe in which we store our actions in

 

 

The time we’re given in this world is all we have to sow the seeds of good deeds with the hope that we’ll harvest the rewards in the Hereafter. This time is limited and cannot be returned, exchanged or transferred from someone else. It’s a losing game unless we make the most of it. To be conscious of our time spiritually is to be given the tawfiq; the success or ability to recognise the value of time.

 

 

The Prophet s.a.w said in a hadith:

 

كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ

“Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a Traveller”

(Sahih Al-Bukhari)

 

A quote that has been attributed to Ali r.a. states:

 

عِشْ حَيَاتَك كَأَنَّكَ تَعِيشَ أَبَداً وَاعمَل لِأَخِرَتِك كَأَنَّكَ تَمُوتُ غَداً

“Live for your life as if you’ll live forever and live for the Hereafter as if you’ll die tomorrow.”

 

We have to understand that Allah is the owner of time, and if He does not will it, nothing can be done. So, we must invest our time in serving Him – performing acts of worship, spreading awareness about our religion, serving the community and humanity at large - because it will never be a waste.

 

 

One way to keep track of this investment is to practice our own personal time audit. At the end of the day, list down personally all of our good deeds which we have ‘stored’ in our safe and find ways on how we can increase this investment in the coming days.

 

When we are conscious of death and the limited time that we have, we would have great ambitions and be motivated to work hard for success in this life and the Hereafter.

 

3. Time for a change

 

Take this opportunity to turn daily activities into acts of worship – simply by making the

right intentions. It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu’minin (leader of the believers), Abu Hafs Umar bin al-Khattab r.a. said: I heard Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. say,

 

إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ

“Actions are judged by motives (niyyah)”

(Sahih Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

 

When we redirect our focus, every simple act can become significant. The act of sitting down to eat can become a moment of reflection as we ponder upon the littlest blessing and traject our mind upwards to the Creator. 

 

 

The way we sit or sleep or even go to the toilet can be transfigured through the type of spiritual vigilance - ultimately a kind of God-consciousness in which our mind is reshaped by our awareness of Him.

 

For example, our daily work can also be an act of worship, if we accompany it with the intention to earn and consequently provide good provisions for our family. Spending time with our family at the park can also earn us rewards if our intention is to strengthen the bonds between us. 

 

 

Even partaking in any kind of sport can be an act of devotion if we intend to look after our body. These are all actions that are encouraged within the religion. It is a form of appreciating the blessings and fulfilling the responsibility that Allah s.w.t. has granted upon us.

 

We can be in a state of devotion with the simplest of action; we can extract spiritual value  from every second of our lives. Our task, then, is to constantly be aware that we are in this world to serve Allah, therefore we should always tie our everyday activities to the broader concept of worship in Islam. Here are 8 ways to get closer to Allah at home.

 

Let us strive to be a better version of ourselves and pray that Allah s.w.t. grants us tawfiq (assistance) to appreciate the gift of time and, therefore, fill every moment with acts of worship because Islam is a way of life, and life is merely a short stop on your way to the Hereafter. 

 

And Allah knows best.