SIGNIFICANCE OF TIME IN ISLAM by YAHYA GARBA AL-YOLAWI

THE 101 KHUTBAH DELIVERD AT  AREA 10 JUMA’A MASJID BY YAHYA GARBA AL-YOLAWI ON 6TH  JAN 2017 /  8th R/THANI 1438    AFTER HIJRA

                                         TOPIC:  SIGNIFICANCE OF TIME IN ISLAM

In the name of Allah the most gracious the most merciful

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam; we must sincerely thank Allah SWT for the gift of life and time given to us free of charge. Let’s make good use of our time; as success and failure largely depend on the use of time, the way we are constantly running out of time year in year out in this life, consciously or unconsciously we are becoming closer to our graves every day, every hour and every minute past.

O Muslims! Time is more important than any material thing in this life. Time is more precious than money, gold and silver or any valuable thing you can think of in this world. Time is your life and nothing can replace your life to you. Time is the period destined  for you by Allah [SWT] to spend in this world; to effectively use it and

secure your here after  is all about how you  act within it, that is why Islam teaches and guides humankind; not only the value of time; but how one can get best of it.The Quran and Sunnah both emphasize the importance of time in the life of a Muslim.

Allah [SWT] swears in the beginning of many chapters by time or moments in time, for example Allah Says: “By the dawn and the ten nights [Quran 89: 1-2] And also Says “By the night when it covers, and by the day when it appears...” [Quran 92:1] And also Says “By the morning brightness and by the night when it covers with darkness...” [Quran 93:1] And Says : “By the time indeed man is in loss...” 103:1]  When Allah [SWT] swears by something of His creation, it directs our attention to the benefit of that thing.

If we do not use our time effectively for something good, then we will definitely use it for something bad, which destroys our rewards and our lives. For example, if we do not make Azkar , then you will be saying something else, perhaps charting  on phones, backbiting or  talking about your children, your work, your neighbors, your friends or your enemies. What counts is using the time to do something useful, doing good deeds or saying good things.

Our lives are judged mostly according to what we did, not according to how many years we lived. We know that life is very short, and at the end of it comes death. We do not know when and how would we going to die, so we have to make sure that we have done many good deeds before we pass into the next life as we will not be able to return in order to repent from our bad deeds, or to do more good deeds.

Time passes very quickly as Allah Says (what means): “The Day they see it, (it will be) as if they had not stayed (in this world) except an afternoon and a morning.” [Quran 79:46]And also Says: “And on the Day when He shall resurrect them together, (it will be) as if they had not stayed (in the life of this world and graves, etc) but an hour of a day.” [Quran 10:45]

Time is very precious and if it passes, you cannot control or make use of it again. If a second passed without performing anything, then it is gone forever; you cannot take it back or reclaim any benefit from that time.

When it is time  to die, many people may ask for more time to do good deeds, as Allah Says

And spend [in the way of Allah ] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous." But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do” Q63:10-11 He also says “Therein they will cry: ‘Our Lord! Bring us out; we shall do righteous good deeds, not what we used to do.’ (Allah will reply): ‘Did We not give you long enough lives so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it, and the Warner came to you? So taste you (the evil of your deeds). For the wrongdoers, etc, there is no helper.” [Quran 35:37]

People usually use to say; we are so busy and occupied; busy with what? busy with handset, busy with friends, family , work or  children, but Allah is saying : “O you who believe! Let not your wealth or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that, then they are the losers. And He also says:

Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."Q9:24

Many people before us spend their time effectively by performing good deeds, teaching, doing something for the benefit of the Muslims, their families and their relatives, or by advising others to be good, and calling others to Allah and Islam, etc. They considered every day passed without being effectively  utilized for the sake of Allah as denying the favors of Allah. 

Today we have those waste their time in the name of  “killing time.” These people gather to talk about things not concern them, Islam or the Muslims’ affairs; they play around or talk about others or spend hours on television, phones adding nothing but sins. These people are not killing time, but they are actually committing silent suicide because they are killing their time -- and their time is their lives! So they are quietly killing themselves and after they die, they will going to account for it?

The Prophet, [SAW] said: “There are two favors (or bounties) of Allah’s bounties, and in them many people are losing: health and free time.”

Therefore, we must organize our time wisely, being very careful on what we use it, how we use it and where use it. We must treat the free time that we have, in which we could do good deeds as a precious resource, not to waste, misuse or abuse it. 

THE VERSES AND AHAADITH ON SIGNIFICANCE OF TIME INCLUDE:

1. Worldly life is just like a shadow, which moves quickly:

 Allah [SWT] says: “know that the life of this world is but amusement, diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children- like the example of  a rain whose[resulting] plant growth  pleases the farmer then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes[scattered] debris. And in the hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion [deception].  Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared  for those who believed in Allah and His messengers. That is the bounty of Allah which He give to whom He wills and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.

2.  Mankind are in lost in this life except believers who make good use of their time: Allah [SWT] says:  “By the time, verily man is in loss, except for those who have believe and done righteous deeds, and advise each other to truth and advice each other to patience. (Q103:1-3) In line with the above Qur’ânic Verse, we have to discipline ourselves by giving value to the time.  We must be prompt in doing good deeds, which will increase our iman and subsequently enable us to gain Allah ’s pleasure and mercy.  We have to remember that on the day of Qiyaama we shall be asked how we spent our lives, wealth and knowledge.  

3. Having time and opportunity of doing things is a blessings grasps it very well: The Messenger (SAW.) was reported to have said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing well.”   (Bukhari )

4. Four (4) oral questions to be asked on one’s lifetime.

Mu’az bin Jabal, [RA] related that the Prophet [SAW] said: “The slave will not go forward on the Day of Judgment until he is asked four questions. Concerning his age and how he spent it, about his youth and how he used it, about his wealth and how he acquired it and spent it, and about his knowledge and what he did with it.” Tirmizi

5. Make use of the five things before five thing happen to you: It has been reported from Allah ’s Messenger (SAW) said: “Grasp five things before five others:  your youth before your decrepitude, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before your death.”  (Tirmizi)

Islam teaches us to have a well-balanced life.  It encourages us to strive hard to enjoy the material comfort and success in this world.  At the same time, we must develop our spiritual aspects of life in order to have eternal peace, happiness and success in the next world.  Allah the Almighty says:“But seek the wealth which Allah has bestowed on you, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget your portion in this World. But do good, as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land; for Allah loves not those who do mischief.”  (Qur‘an 28:77)  Abu Hurairah (RA.) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW)  said, “Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a Muslim in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening or he would be a believer in the evening and an unbeliever in the morning, and would sell his iman [belief] for worldly goods.”    (Muslim)

We should refrain from wasting or abusing our time in doing unnecessary things or activities that do not benefit us either in this world or in the Hereafter.

Abu Hurairah (RA.)  narrated that the Prophet (SAW.) said, “It is part of the excellence of a person’s Islam that he should discard that which is not concern him [ no benefit to him either in this world or the Hereafter.”   (Tirmidhî )

O you who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what (provision) He has sent forth for the tomorrow.  Fear Allah: for Allah is well acquainted with (all) that you do. (Q59:18)

 Life is about minutes that move into hours => into days => into weeks => into months => into years .seemingly faster than ever. yet every moment is a precious component of life and every moment counts.

The Characteristics of Time

We are to bear in mind that time has certain characteristics, among of which are the following:

-Time passes quickly and cannot be saved but re allocate.

-Time that passes can never return forever.

-Time is the most precious thing that man possesses.

Time is your capital to do anything in life.

Time is the easiest thing to lose.

You cannot control time but you can structure and plan your time.

A Muslim should learn how to organize his time, and make a realistic plan for his worldly and religious duties, one should know how to arrange his priorities: the most important and the most urgent comes first, and carried out according to schedule. One of the methods of managing his time properly is for a Muslim to get up early and sleep early, for early hours always yield great blessings. Starting his day with prayer and  azkar of the morning brings  about happiness, peace of mind and comfort.

Finally let say you are 40 years old and your life is 60yers destined for you in this life, what left  is just 7300 days, 175200 hrs and 10.5 m seconds to spend in your life.

We ask Allah the most high, to continue to guide and protect us, protect our leaders, our security personals and the entire Muslims of this country.  Ameen 

Contact: yahyalyolawi@gmail.com