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Time is one of the greatest blessings bestowed on us by Allah. He, the Almighty even swears by time because of its importance and blessings.
Almighty Allah says, “By (the Token of) Time (through the ages),
Lo! man is in a state of loss,
Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.” (Al-`Asr: 1-3)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Make the most of five things before five others: life before death, health before sickness, free time before becoming busy, youth before old age, and wealth before poverty.”
Have you ever seen the man who sells ice? On a hot day, he is so worried about his goods that he hurries to sell them quickly. Indeed, with every passing minute more and more of the ice simply melts away and is gone forever. We can liken this to time – it is always melting away and will not be found again.
We should look after our ‘capital’ which is our good health and free time. This is similar to the passage where Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
[Shall I guide you to a trade that will save you from a painful torment?] (Al-Saff 61: 10]
Since time is so important, a Muslim should always be busy performing acts of worship or doing good deeds. Anything the Muslim does with the intention to gain Allah’s pleasure is counted as worship and there is a great reward in it. Mu’aadh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I get up and I sleep, and I hope for the same when I sleep as I hope for when I get up” (Bukhaari).
If we don’t take a proactive approach to maintaining our imaan (faith), we might lose it. May Allah save us from that.
Especially in the summer we should take care of the company we keep. Our friends can either make or break our deen (religion). If you find yourself hanging out with non-Muslims who are drinking, smoking, and such things, you should not be surprised if your imaan is weaker by the summer’s end. On the other hand, if you keep company with knowledgeable Muslims of strong faith, or even older and wiser Muslims, then you will benefit immensely.
Take a moment to think about your friends. Are they a positive influence on your imaan? If they are, stick with them. If you have friends that are less concerned with their imaan think of ways to bring them stronger into the deen. At the same time don’t subject yourself to a large group of them for any length of time. It’s best to concentrate your daw’ah efforts on one at a time. When you are spending time with this friend show them that Muslims can have fun but not at the expense of Islam.
Be punctual in performing Prayer. If you are playing sport or doing something with your friends and the time for Prayer arrives, gather them together and Pray. Find out about the activities going on in the local masjid (mosque) and join in. It is also good to reflect upon the meanings of the Qur’an by working on your Arabic or simply reading a reliable translation of its meanings. Finally, be consistent in your morning and evening adhkaar (remembrances of Allah) even if it’s only for 5 or 10 minutes.
Keep busy! Time is running out!
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