As Ramadan comes to a close and the remaining few days fly over our heads, many of us wonder at where it disappeared. We dust off our Qur’ans and gun our engines to catch salaah at the masjid–Taraweeh, Qiyam al-Layl, or just the daily five.
All of us acquire a certain sensitivity to time. Suddenly, every day, every hour counts. We think twice about spending two hours here or half an hour there on things we normally just do. (And university students experience this at midterm and exam time; workers experience this when deadlines loom.)
But remember what Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said in the Qur’an:
Translation: Every soul shall have a taste of death. And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception. [Surah al-Imraan, verse 185]
That’s right–you’re going to die one day, and you’ll have to answer for everything you did and didn’t do. The angels will descend to administer the final exam. Will you spend today watching TV, or preparing for that final exam? Chilling with your buddies and “killing time”, or preparing for that final exam?
And subhanallah, you already know how to manage your time. You’ve done it before–for an exam, or an interview, or a project, or a job.
I’ll close with a statement of one of the early generations: about the companions of the Prophet, he said: “They were a people more stingy with their time then you are with your wealth.”
Think about that for a minute. Ever go to the masjid during a fundraiser? And when they ask you for as little as $20, Shaytaan whispers “noo, don’t do it, it’s too much moola!”, you actually listen? The companions were more sensitive to wasted time then that! Subhanallah!
May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) give us all the ability to use our time in the best manner and for the best deeds, ameen.