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Our most precious
asset - Time
In one of the shortest
and most powerful chapters of the Quran, we are reminded that our
whole existence in this life would be utterly wasted, futile, and
pointless unless we have faith in Allah, act righteously, and join
with others in encouraging truthfulness, patience, and perseverance
(Al-Asr, 103).
During our lifetime, we will encounter hardship and prosperity,
grief and happiness. Allah will test us, with success and with
suffering, to see who is best in faith, to test our iman. To the
believer, time is a wonderful asset; it is a chance to seek Allah s
mercy, to ask forgiveness, and to do more good deeds.
We must use our time wisely, because wasted time can never be
recovered. Time and tide wait for no man.
Time passes on, used or abused. And the two angels on our shoulders
write down every action in our book of deeds.
Don't we often wish that we could live our lives again from the
start, so that we could put right the wrong things we did? And that
our successes could be repeated over and over again? The very fact
that we now want to forget our mistakes, or, we want to repeat our
good deeds, shows that we have learnt from our experiences in time.
Yes, Allah has placed Time at our service as our teacher: it is a
teacher that allows good and bad things to happen. But the decision
is made by our own free will.
If we look back in history, we will see that, in time, every unjust
oppressor was destroyed. In time, good prevails over evil. But this
comes only with effort and sacrifice.
Thus the hard work, suffering, humility and perseverance of all the
Prophets of Allah helped justice to prevail over oppression.
Just think of Prophet Musa (Moses) and Pharaoh, or Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) and the tribe of Quraish. Thus Allah Almighty reminds us in
the Qur an: Whoever does righteous good deeds, it is for (the
benefit of) his own self: and whosoever does evil, it is against his
own self.... (Fussilat 41: 46)
Time wears out and destroys all material things. But time itself was
created by Allah. Allah Alone is the Master of time, and He punishes
and rewards us in relation to how we use our time.
We have the power to use time to make our world a better place. But
are we truly aware of the value of time? Does our use of the time
show that we understand the purpose for which we were created? Do we
fully realize that we cannot escape Allah s judgment? Allah created
us to serve Him and Him Alone, and all our actions must reflect
this. Our actions must be in harmony with all other creatures, and
must follow with the Divine Plan of Allah.
Certain forms of ibadah (worship) need to be observed at definite,
prescribed times, such as our prayers, fasting, haj, and Jumu ah. We
cannot perform Jummah at any time, according to our convenience,
like on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon! Our daily routines must fit
in with our Islamic duties that are time-related. This way, all our
good actions will become an extension of our ibadah.
Time is valuable. Let s not waste it on vain conversations and petty
arguments. Let s use our time creatively, to move forward, as
individuals and as an Ummah. Every moment in time is a favor Allah
bestows on us, and surely we must repay honor with honor.
We must express our gratitude to Allah Almighty by using every
moment in His service, by teaching others, inviting others to good
and, serving our less fortunate brothers and sisters in distress.
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