COMSATS University Islamabad, Virtual Campus

HUM110 Islamic Studies

Assignment # 3 (Project)
Fall 2018
Name: Usama Tariq
Registration N0: FA17-BEE-049

As per instruction of our semester project, we have to pick up a challenge that is being
faced by us and discuss its solution. The project is based on main topic “Current Social, Moral
and Political Problems and Challenges of Muslims and their Solutions in the Light of
Islamic Teachings”. So, I choose

Importance of Time in Islam

Causes of wasting time and solutions

Time is very precious. So currently Utilization of time is one of major challenges being
faced by Muslim Ummah. Here I will firstly discuss its importance in the light of Islam then
major causes of wasting time and how to overcome that causes.

The worlds life and its wealth are temporary. Every person here has to endure his life
after the end of his appointed term, a permanent and eternal place. As a Muslim, our belief is that
death is truth. If we believe in this belief then it would be surprising that we are living such a
negligence life. Remember the time we are spending in form of this life; its each moment is very
valuable. Time is something you cannot buy for any currency. This is a safe investment of man
that gives Isaac profit in the world and Hereafter. If a man in the world loses a precious thing, it
is hoped that things may be found again and sometimes, but time is something that passes once
again, it can not return. As there is a common phrase “The passed Time never returns”.
 As a Muslim, we should appreciate time more than those who believe in other religions,
because we know that life is like a farming for the next world (Akhirath). We will cut it into the
Hereafter as we sow in this world. If we appreciate our time in this life, only doing good, then
tomorrow we will be rewarded salvation.
As Allah (SWT) mentioned in the Quran:
“Eat and drink in
satisfaction for what you put forth 1615
in the days past.” (69:24)

On the contrary, if time is not given the true value in this life, and if it is spent in
negligence, cheap and infertility, doing evil doings, then it will be only result in frustration.
Allah (SWT) mentions in the Quran:

And they will cry out therein, “Our Lord, remove us; we will do righ- teousness -
other than what we were doing!” But did We not grant you life enough for whoever
would remember therein to remember, and the warner had come to you? So taste
[the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper. (35:37)

This is the basic philosophy which has emphasized the significance of time in
Islam. Every aspect of wasting it is discouraged. The writing on this topic is also to emphasize
the value and importance of time within us should be highlighted and enable us to utilize every
hour in its best way so that we can observe its worth in the world and the Hereafter.

Importance of time in the Light of Quran:

Allah (SWT) has sworn in various places on different aspects of time, which
reflects the importance of time, because Allah (SWT) has never sworn by any value-less thing.
Allah (SWT) has sworn the time of Fajar and ten nights in Surah Al-Fagar as:
“By the dawn
And [by] ten nights” (89:1-2)
Similarly, Allah has sworn by the day and the night:
“By the night when it covers.
And [by] the day when it appears” (92:1-2)
Similarly, Allah has sworn by the dawn as:
“By the morning brightness
And [by] the night when it covers with Darkness” (93:1-2)
And finally, He (SWT) sworn by time in Surah Al-Nissa as:
“By time” (103:1)

In all the verses mentioned as above, Allah (SWT) has sworn by fajar, morning, dawn,
night and day. Allah has the sunnah that he always sworn by something unusual. Therefore, in
these verses which He (SWT) has sworn in different times, it is not a minor matter but in fact, we
are mentioned that we should not consider the times of our life as a minor and not desperate. You
would be answerable to each and every moment of time you spent.
Importance of time in the Light of Hadith:

In Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) the importance of time is being mentioned

thoroughly to emphasize its quality utilization.
Hazarat Abbas (R.A) has narrated through Prophet Muhammad (S-A-W) that
“Most people are in debt for two delights: health and leisure. “

Allah Almighty gives human beings with the blessings of physical health and well-being, so
often they understand that these blessings are always to be done, and they never fall apart, even
though they are devil sorrows. The one who gives these great blessings to the universe can
snatch them away at any time, so that man should do value these blessings by utilizing them in
its correct way.

Hazarat Abu-Hurrera (R.A) narrated that at the time of day of judgment Allah (SWT)
will ask four things from His slave (Human Being) that
-How he lived his life.
-How much he acted upon his knowledge.
-From where he earned and where he spent.
-In which activities he utilizes his body.
Now the question is that are we ready to answer questions about our life, knowledge,
wealth and body in the presence of Allah Almighty? Are we paying the right to these blessings
given by Allah Almighty? To respond to these questions, each of us will have to look at our own
life and then come to the accuracy. In this case, we will be able to avoid being ashamed in the
day of Resurrection.

Similarly, Hazarat Anas (R.A) narrated that Prophet Muhammed said that If the day of
Resurrection is established and there is a small palm in your hands, if you are able to put it
before you stand for a calculation, then you must make it. Imagine how much the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) emphasizes upon time and importance of actions to the scholars of their
people, that if the Akhirat is established and the one who is able to do something good, he will
not show any negligence in that and will do that at instant.
Even after knowing that thoroughly if a Muslim performs negligence and spend his day
and night playing sports, waste gossip, eating food, hoteling, tourism, rotating and sleeping,
nothing can be said but pity. Someone has a beautiful said a piece of wisdom that
“Day and nights are acting upon you,
You should act upon them.”

Hazrat Abdullah (R.A) narrated that while advising someone Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
said that
“Understand five things before five things: your youth before your old
age, health before the disease, wealth before poverty, free-time before
your preoccupation, and life before death.” (Hakim)
The Hadith narrated that after giving special indication of four things of life, health,
hunger and free-time, all life has been placed against death. The way in which you grow up after
birth, there is a disease associated with health, richness with Amiri is immersed and afflicted
with adolescents, thus man is also facing death after worldly life. Now it is in the power of
human beings that how does he live in his life all the time of youth, health, skill and wealth? All
these moments of life make a deep impact on the coming person's coming. If we do only in
positive activities and good deeds, it is essential that our world and religion will be better, Our
world and belief will be better, but if we do not value the time, we will definitely have to face the
consequences.

Importance of time in the light of our Ancestors:

If we go through the lives of Companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), their

companions and so on, we can surely realize that how they all value time in its true meaning
and this is the reason that despite of passing centuries they are still alive in history. Let us Look
at some of the great values of the great figures on the importance of time.
Hazrat Abdullah (R.A) said
“Of course, I hate the person who does not care about any worldly and lasting act.”

Man takes pleasure in holding his birthday on the passing of his life, that he has been
twenty years, forty years or sixty years but he does not know that passing of it is nearing him to
death. After the year passes the one will have the right to celebrate it, who has been living the
whole year by considering his life as Ammanath of Allah (SWT), otherwise those who live
unaware of life should regret at the end of the year. They should repent in front of Allah (SWT).
The defendants should be worried about the loss of life, but we are wasting the years of the year
and also celebrate the happiness.
Hazrat Hassan Bassari (R.A) said while describing the situation of Muslims as
“I found the time of people, each of them preferred the time of their (the worship and
worshiping) life in comparison to Darman and Dinarar.”

We should try to appreciate our life that our every hour shoud be better than the last hour.
Improving hours like this will improve the minutes and better for minutes will improve hours
and better for hours will improve days, and better days will improve week and better weeks will
improve months and better months will improve years. So, every hour of our lives will be based
on goodwill
The famous scholar and historian of Imam ibn Jawzid-ul-Rahman (R.A) used to say
“The time is the precious item you have been responsible for protecting, but I am seeing
that this is what you are wasting very easily.”

A few examples of Salaf Salehin are recorded so that after reading them the willpower of
a person progresse. When man studies the life of these astonishing and knowledgeable persons,
how they have left such impressions in worship, dedication, revelation and knowledge in their
short and fascinating life and left the patterns of knowledge which will be followable for every
coming person, everyone with kind heart will want to follow them inadequate.
We can easily describe after studying the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), that after
He (SAW) bestowed with the Nabu’wat how he made the whole Arab bow in front of Allah
(SWT) and convey the message of Islam in only short time of 23 years. We can look at the
period of Khulafaiy Rashidin (R.A) that how in little time they fought against different Fitnas
like Fitna-e-Nabu’wat, Fitna-e-Irtadad, Fitna-e-Khwarij etc but also did the great acts of
compilation of Quran, Strengthening the skills, knowledge and economy, as well as training
Islamic groups on patience, spread far away Islamic boundaries across Europe, Africa and Asia,
continents in the same short time.

Time a great Blessing:

Time is a great blessing of Allah (SWT). It is a valuable investment. Its each second and
minutes are so valuable that the entire world cannot even pay it, but today we do not value the
time and waste time on wasteful things.

One elder says that I had got a great lesson from a snow salesman, he said, 'O people! Have
mercy upon me, I have an investment which ends a little by little. Our condition is same that
every moment a little a bit ends like ice. Think about selling it quickly before melting it.

Once a student came to Mufti Muhammad Al-Hasan, asking about the game, Mufti
Saheb asked that why did you play? He replied that to pass the time, he said, come here to pass
the time, I will tell you the way to spend time. The book will be given to you to remember its
specific passage and after that He said, "The time is the great blessing of Allah, to throw it out as
a dust is a great unappreciative, it is like the pile of the coins is in front of someone and one pick
it up and throw it one by one.

Causes for wasting time and how to overcome:

Many people complain about shortness of time or worry due to irregularity of their
routine work. So, we can categorize people in to two types. One is those who complain about
shortness of time. They are well aware about the importance of time and also want to get benefit
from it but they are wasting time in ignorance which will be discuss further. The second type of
people are those who are worried due to irregularity of their routine. Basically, it is due to their
own indolence. This is because they don’t have any difference between important and non-
important things. They spent equal time on all type of activities due to which they spent their
precious time in unnecessary things.

Now I will discuss the various causes for wasting of time and their remedy as well.
1. Over interaction with relatives:
In this matter people are at distant ends. Some are totally ignoring this type of
interaction due to which Islamic relations affect and some are too much involve in this
interaction that they ignore their responsibilities. We should follow the path that is in
between them.
To contact friends and relatives is a best way to refresh relations. When a Muslim
meets with another Muslim, he gets the nearness of Allah (SWT). But the point is that in
order keep relations refreshed we don’t have meet each and every one daily. According to
this point Imam Ahmad (R.A) said that
We have those brothers to whom we meet them once a year but we have more love with
them than those with whom we meet daily.
Each Muslim look into his self how much time he spent while meeting other. He should
be aware weather his important responsibilities are not affected by this habit. For
example, if he spends about an hour daily while meeting his friends and relatives, he
 wastes more than a whole day per month. So he has to discontinue his routine of meeting
others aimlessly and should spend his that time aimful activities.

2. Outing and tripping:

No one can talk against the importance of tripping rather it is considered as
most important for sound body and mind. But it should be in suitable time and suitable
situation. If a person goes for it in any time he wants or his friends ask him to go out, it
would be injustice. The same is there that he may lose his time for important works. He
would not be able to give time to his family as well and he will suffer a lot.
The best way to utilize this time is to take part social welfare programs. In
this way we will get the blessings of Allah (SWT) and moreover inner peace.

3. Routine works:
If someone does not gain any advantage while doing routine work, we can say
that the time he spends is being wasted. Normal routine works include the time of eating,
during traveling, home or office tasks etc. If we give a complete time to these things and
don’t do any other task during them then we may say that this time is also wasted. If try a
little bit then we may be able to perform many tasks simultaneously. For example, while
eating we may use to listen some useful audios regarding our social and religious
problems, similarly while traveling we can read some useful books and make our time
useful. In this way we can make our time useful that we spend on daily routine works.

4. Invalid use of Technology:

Technology includes computer, internet, mobile phone and television. These
are very useful things as they have connected whole world and make it very feasible to
connect to any one any where in the world. Where these things are useful, there
disadvantages are also there. There invalid use is quite injurious to our society.
Especially for students these technologies are turning to be very injurious.
The biggest disadvantage of these thigs are wastage of time. Now a days in our home’s
films, dramas, music, video games are running commonly. These things are devaluing of
society and are acting as a great source of wastage of time.
These are the responsibilities of our parents to keep check on their children.
But here the matter is that they are the main source for providing these harmful things to
their children in form of video games, cable and internet. They are the one who are
slowly poisoning their children. As poison digested the body similarly these technologies
are poisoning our moral social values. In this way we getting away from our main
purpose for sending us to this word.
Despite of viewing films and dramas we should built up a habit of reading
books and watching beneficial documentaries. We should not waste our time while play
video games rather we should take part in some physical and mind games so as to make
our mind and body sound.

5. Bad Company:
Our company matters a lot as it actually represents us that what we are.
Maximum time we spend is with our friends in type of college or university fellows or as
our colleagues. So, if our company is bad then we will be considered among bad persons.
 Bad company is an important factor in wasting of time. When we gather with our bad
friends, we talk rubbish, discuss filthy things, do sins and so on. So basically, we are
wasting our precious time.
If one cannot live while meeting his friends then he should be in good company.
While he is in good company, he will always get knowledge, will discuss on important
topics so as to develop moral values. In this way time will be utilized beneficially and he
will be in good words of others.

6. Unawareness of your internal abilities:

Normally one is unable to recognize his internal abilities, efforts and hard work.
So, in return he believes in himself that whatever he will start will be proved good for
him. Even he doesn’t have enough knowledge of what he is going to start, so he cannot
end it up successfully. Even he is unable to reach to the middle of his destination and at
the end he ends with just wasting of time.
Sometime a person is capable of going some thing but due to his fear remain unable to
identify his abilities. So, he believes in others about that thing and remain unaware of his
abilities. So, he also wastes time and in return get nothing.
So, one has to take part in different activities so as to uncover his abilities and could be
successful in a little time.

7. Unawareness of importance of Time:

The major factor of wasting of time is that we are unaware of importance of time. We
don’t know that our biggest wealth is time. Who has wasted his time, actually he wasted
everything he owes. Allah has assigned a specific duty for every moment of our life. If we
miss that moment then we won’t be able to perform that duty because the time that come has
its own duties and responsibilities. So, the duty that is missed will be forever. If someone
tries to perform that duty it would be impossible to do that without missing another duty.

Conclusion:
At the end I would like to conclude that time is the greatest blessing of Allah which is
being wasted. This is a loss which is unrecoverable. So, the passed time will never return. So,
the best solution is that any time which is available should be utilized beneficially. One should
neither start condeming past as it will return, nor should he dreaming of the future because
dreams cannot be fulfilled without action. As action needs a suitable timing and a suitable way.
To miss the present time so that it can be utilized tomorrow by missing the time for some other
work is insane. We should be at distant from those who sit idle and waste time. We must look at
the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and utilize time so as to please Allah (SWT)
and would be considered the best utilization so time.