Islamic World

The scientific concept of time is that time can only exist when there is space. Allah Almighty is One, Eternal, and Absolute. He has always been in existence before time, in negative eternity, and He is present after time, in positive eternity. Before the creation of the heavens and the earth, only Allah Almighty existed.

Space and time came into existence:

[Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees an affair, He only says to it, "Be," so there it is.] (Al-Baqarah 2:117)

Our concept of time is relative to the revolution of the day and the night (i.e. the time it takes Earth to spin on its own axis, which is one day, while one year is the time that it takes Earth to revolve around the sun. Yet, the concept of "day" has different meanings, some of which is beyond our comprehension:

[To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years] (Al-Ma`arij 70:4).

[The grand night (Laylat Al-Qadr) is better than a thousand months] (Al-Qadr 97:3)

So our concept of time is related to one revolution of the earth axis, i.e. one earth day. Thus Allah Almighty, the Most Merciful, has decreed that whoever is fortunate to take advantage of the Blessings the night of power, then this is better than a thousand of earthly months. A thousand months amount to 83.3 years — a whole lifetime for some. This is a phenomenal return on investment.

You only invest 12 hours of prayer, and obtain a reward of 83.3 years of worship — truly, Allah Almighty is Most Gracious, Most Beneficient, and the Most Merciful. Surely, those believers who spend this blessed night in gossip or socializing or watching TV are the true losers.

There are many examples where the benefits we obtain on spending our time on the important matters, far outweigh the temporal benefits of this world.

When we are faced with the situation that we simply do not have the time to do the important work, we should reflect and decide which activities we can reduce, so that we are then left with more time to spend on the important areas of our life.

For example:

The average person spends 15 hours per week on TV.
+ Add to this half an hour a day on newspapers = 3 hours
If the time spent on TV and newspapers is cut in half, this gives a saving of 9 hours per week. Nine hours per week can be translated as follows:
= 468 hours per year
Or
= 28,000 minutes per year
Or

= 77 minutes extra per day.

77 minutes = 1155 breaths = 5544 heartbeats

What we can do with 77 minutes extra per day:

In 77 minutes, one can recite 77 duroodon Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

* In 77 minutes one can recite Surat Al-Ikhlas 77 times.
* In 77 minutes, one can pray, study, assist in volunteer work, teach someone, spend time with loved ones, cook a halal meal for the family instead of buying in a questionable TV meal, visit a sick friend, ponder over ideas to earn an honest living, give charity, teach a skill to someone, fight poverty, learn how to use a computer, etc.

The point is, is that we only have a limited amount of hours every day. We have to sacrifice our time to do certain activities. We have to decide what is important, and which activities can be considered "sacrificial" blocks of time. If we allow frivolous activities to overshadow our important activities, we could end up losing the race in this life.
When we plan to go for a holiday, we plan well in advance, pack our bags and our tickets and clothes (depending on the season, winter or summer) etc. It therefore makes common sense that we have to make preparations for our journey to the hereafter. The only problem is that our ticket (death) is already booked, but we do know the date and time of our "flight."

When we are called, we cannot say, "we are not ready." Furthermore, we do not know whether we will go to a very hot place or a very peaceful one — the only provisions that we take with us are our deeds, both good and bad; our deeds are the currency of the hereafter; the scale will then determine our ultimate abode, either in Paradise or in Hell.

TIME A BLESSING FROM ALLAH ALMIGHTY.

[By (the token of) time (through the ages), most surely humans are in loss, except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience.] (Al-`Asr 103 1-3)

Allah Almighty cautions us that we are at loss, unless we prioritize our lives on the important things that will help us in this world and in the hereafter. If we do not, then we will find that time is against us. Even though we are aware that "one day" we will all have to die, the average person assumes, incorrectly, that death is far away. We get so involved in our day-to-day activities, that we do not spend as much time as we should, pondering on the Day of Judgment. If we did know the date and time of our death, we would certainly behave differently. However, this information is kept hidden from us so that it forms a part of our test in this world.

[Nay! Nay! You shall soon know. Nay! If you had known with a certain knowledge, you should most certainly have seen Hell.] (At-Takathur 102:4-5)

Allah Almighty warns us,

[Nay! But you love the present life] (Al-Qiyamah 75:20)

[The near event draws nigh] (An-Najm 53:57)

[And will you laugh and not weep? While you are indulging in vanities?] (An-Najm 53:60–61)

[ The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things), until you come to the graves] (At-Takathur 102:1–2)

Allah Almighty, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful, has given all of us sufficient time. If we feel we do not have sufficient time, the fault is ours — we are spending too much of our time on "nice," but unimportant matters. The frivolous activities are pleasurable and become a habit; they form an integral part of our life. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) warned us against abusing time:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Allah said, 'The son of Adam hurts Me by abusing Time, for I am Time; in My Hands are all things and I cause the revolution of night and day.'"(Al-Bukhari 9:93 #583)

[He causes the dawn to break, and He has made the night for rest, and the sun and the moon for reckoning; this is an arrangement of the Mighty, the Knowing.] (Al-An`am 6:96)

[He it is Who made the sun a shining brightness and the moon a light, and ordained for it mansions that you might know the computation of years and the reckoning. Allah did not create it but with truth; He makes the signs manifest for a people who know] (Yunus 10:5)

Allah Almighty, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, has blessed us with an earth that revolves on its axis, thus giving us the alternation of the day with the night. If the earth did not rotate, then one half would be very cold and in perpetual light and the other half would be very cold and in perpetual darkness. The revolution of the day and night that we take for granted is a tremendous blessing from Allah Almighty. This brings harmony and balance in our life, so that the day can be spent on seeking the bounties of Allah Almighty and the night is for rest and recuperation. Furthermore, the phases of the moon and the changes in the seasons, are useful indicators to keep track of the passage of time.

However, the blessings of Allah Almighty do not end there. Each and every day, every living person is given a fresh, new allocation of 24 hours (except on your last day on earth). Allah Almighty is Al–'Adl — The Just. Everyone is given those 24 hours whether a prince or a pauper, a president or a prisoner, a believer or non-believer, or dark or light-skinned — everyone gets an equal share. However, there is one slight problem that makes life interesting and challenging:

• You cannot save any hours, not even one second, for the next day — there is no savings account for time.
• You cannot sell your hours to anyone.
• You cannot donate any of this time to anyone — not even to your nearest or dearest who may be on the death-bed.
• There is not an instant replay button — you cannot go back in time to rectify your mistakes, and you cannot push a "fast forward button" to find out the challenges of tomorrow. Furthermore, there is no "pause button," while you decide what to do next.
• You either use your time or waste it!

You either use your life or waste it. Time is life, not money. Time is more precious than money — it is the most valuable commodity that we have, yet we do not value it.

There is a time to live and there is a time to die. From the time that a child draws its first breath, only Allah Almighty has the knowledge how many breaths the soul will take before it draws its last and final breath in this physical world. No mortal knows how long anyone will live. There are two broad categories simplified as follows:

1. Some souls breathe only a few times before they depart this world; they are only here for a brief visit, innocent at birth and innocent at death: These are visitors from Paradise, sinless from their first breath to their last breath, bringing both joy and heartache to their parents and siblings (We should, however, always put in mind that Allah Almighty knows best).

2. Other souls have a much longer life span in this world. The average healthy adult breathes 22,000 and their heart beats 104,000 times daily. A person who lives for an average life span of 70 years, has been given 560,000 breaths and 2.5 billion heartbeats. Each person's life is like a candle. Each person's candle has a different length.

However, from the moment a child is born, the candle begins to burn, and each day, the candle gets shorter, just like life. The greatest mystery is that no one knows the length of their candle. No one knows if they have one hour left to live, one day, one week, one year, or ten years. Only Allah Almighty knows the answer. Each person's time will come at the precise moment that Allah Almighty has decreed, not a minute later and not a minute sooner. This is the decree as mentioned in the following verses:

[And a soul will not die, but with the permission of Allah; the term is fixed] (Aal `Imran 3:145)

[Say: You have the appointment of a day from which you cannot hold back any while, nor can you bring it on] (Al- Saba 34:30)


The feeling we get when we say that "there is no time," stems from a subconscious conflict that occurs in each and every one of us. On the one hand, we need the time to earn a living and attend to our daily activities. On the other hand, we are aware on a subconscious level, that there is "too much to do," and too little time; we are also aware that because we have "too much to do," we have to find the time to do everything. This means that we have to start sacrificing some of the time from other activities, which are important, but not urgent, such as family time, sleep, prayer, and exercise, to devote to those activities that have to be done. We usually justify and rationalize our usage of time by telling ourselves that we will do something "later" or "one day." For example:
Important But Not Urgent
Excuse

I know that I have to perform Hajj.
I will do it "someday" when I am ready.

I must visit or phone my parents.
I will do it "later/next … (week, month, etc.)"

I must spend some time with the children/my spouse.
I will do it "later."

I must exercise.
I will start "soon/next month/someday."

I must lose weight.
I will start "someday/one day."

I must stop smoking.
I will start "someday/one day."

I must plan for the hereafter.
I will start "someday/one day."

Unfortunately, we fail to realize that the road to "soon/later/someday" leads to the city of "nowhere." It is a false illusion that we use to deceive ourselves into thinking that right now we are too busy, but one day, when we get the chance, we will do the "important" things in life.

However, if life is so uncertain and unpredictable, how do we know that we will ever get to that "one day"? Today is a gift, a kind of "present." We have to cherish this "present" that we have been given today, and we should not fool ourselves and wait for "someday." If you look at any calendar, you will find "Monday, Tuesday, etc." but no "Someday" — "Someday" does not exist! We have to start spending time on the important activities today.

Seminars that run time management workshops make lots of money showing people how to manage time. What they do not tell you is that time management does not exist. We cannot "manage" time — we can only manage ourselves. It is only when we take stock of how we utilize our time on a daily basis, and then start changing our habits, only then can we have some hope of making more efficient use of the time available to us. When we make a list of what is important to us and then inculcate a new habit of daily focusing on the important issues, then, and only then, can we have a sense of the usage of time. If not, we will soon face the shocking reality that time is no longer on our side, and life has passed us by. It will be too late for regrets! We are essentially souls, on a brief physical journey, en route to an eternal spiritual existence. How do we prepare ourselves for our eternal existence?