TIME MANAGEMENT IN A MUSLIM LIFE

The tasks are more than the time at our disposal. Hence, assist another person in benefitting
from his time. If you have any important affair, be brief in accomplishing it.(Imam Hassan al – banna)

I regret nothing other than over a day which when it’s sunset, reduces my lifetime but add
nothing to my good deeds. (Ibn Mas’ud)

“To waste time is worse than death. This is because time wasting cuts you way from Allah and
the hereafter, while death cut you away from the world and its inhabitant. (Ibn Qayyim)

Going by the quotation from the scholars above, it evidently show that a second passing by a human
without positive implementation is a total waste in this life and hereafter. For purpose of clarification,
this topic shall be discussed under three basic perspectives:

1. Time value
2. Time planning
3. Time concentration
TIME VALUE
The first step to take in benefiting in time is to know its value, just like appreciating the value of
life leads to its profitable use. Time is a free natural gift bestowed on all creatures of Allah across the
globe. However, it now depends on individuals how his/her time is being implemented. It is on this
aspect that the best of mankind, Mohammad ibn Abdullah (S.A.W) urged his Ummah (followers) to seize
the period of time before other periods.

The period goes thus:

1. Utilize your youthful stage positively before your old age
2. Utilize your wealthy period positively before your poverty period
3. Judiciously utilize your healthy period before your illness stage
4. Productively utilize your free time before you become occupied/busy
5. Use your life period very well before the death period comes

The wisdom in the saying is to highlight the importance of judicious use of life stages in
reference to time consciousness.

TIME PLANNING
An adage says: perfect planning/preparation prevent poor performance. Planning is like a
foundation which holds the whole infrastructures. The moment there is any lapses in the planning stage,
definitely the structures build on it will collapse.

For an effective planning, there are certain stages or steps that need to be follow. Among the stages are:

 Defining the objectives

  Scheduling the activities within the plan
 Definition of a time – based programmes i.e. specification
 Gathering of every necessary resources (both human and non human resources)
 Implementation

While defining the objectives, the objectives to be selected must have the following feartures:

 Be realistic
 Be measureable
 Be ambitious
 Be ordered base on priorities
 Be specific
 Be devoid of ambiguities i.e. be clear

An individual has to support the objectives with the determination to succeed on its actualization.

On scheduling the activities within the plan, daily schedule is the last stage of planning and the
commencement of implementation. If planning is well made and the daily schedule is similarly drawn
out, the implementation will sound and the result will be pleasing.

Steps in designing a daily schedule include:

 Start in the name of Allah

 Place a weekly schedule of your activity before you
 Allocate a definite time daily for you to design a schedule
 Discover your peak performance period to important duties of top priorities
 Combine similar activities together. E.g. calls, email, visitations etc
 Allocate time for rest and relaxation
 Do not be negligence concerning being organized
 Review your daily activities
 Your responsibilities should not be delegated to others
 Make constant remembrance of Allah
 Pray as if everything belongs to Allah and work as if every work belongs to you

After a successful daily schedule of activities, the next thing is to gather every necessary resource
(both human and non human resources). Information is the key to life. Anyone that lacks vital
information would be easily deformed.

“O son of Adam! Your day is a visitor to you, so, be nice to it. If you are nice to it, it will go with
praises for you, but if you are bad towards it, it will go with blames on you. The same goes for your
night.” (Hassan Al – Basri)

Procrastination must be totally avoided after a successful planning. Among the reasons for
procrastination are:
  Laziness
 Shying away from big tasks
 Fear of failure
 Idleness
 Expectation of a pleasant time

A scholar said: “I admonish you on the fear of Allah. Then, beware of destructive procrastination.
Indeed, those who came before you were destroyed by procrastination. (Ibn Qayyim)

Bits of advice on implementation of scheduled planning goes thus:

I. Put God first and others ]should follow

II. Handle big tasks well
III. Attach light physical exercise
IV. Set out and start with determination to succeed
V. Difficult tasks should be done at the period of peak performance
VI. Deal cleverly with time wasters (avoid unnecessary visitations, phone calls, lots of meeting, and
the likes)
VII. Utilize waiting times
VIII. Beware of boredom/tiredness
IX. Adhere to your commitment/appointments
X. Be well organized
XI. Be resourceful

In conclusion, “an ambition is an integral part of human life. But its attainment is subjected to the
will of Almighty God. Therefore, I urge my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters to define a specific
direction in life. For Allah (SWT) said in Qur’an 3:191 that all creatures were not created for fun. i.e. they
were created for a particular purpose(total submission to Allah’s will), and in submission to His will, the
“TIME” the time must be properly managed.

All goodness from this article is by Allah’s guidance and the omissions are from my nonentity. Allah
is the best knower of everything.

Akintoye Abd - Azeez