The Sunday Mail
IN the Holy Qur’aan, Allah Almighty declares very emphatically: “By (the token of) Time (through the ages)!
UMARI STAMBULI
Verily mankind is in loss, except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.” (Ch 103 : v 1 – 3). This is a short chapter which clearly conveys the great significance of time – why man will face loss and what time should be used for.
We must realise that . . .
Time is the creation of The Almighty and He has declared, “He who made the sun a shining brightness and the moon a light, and ordained for it phases that you might know the computation of years and the reckoning [of time]. Allah did not create it but with truth; He makes the signs manifest for people who have knowledge.” (Ch 10 : v 5)
Time is the measure of life, it is literally a trust yet also a gift from the Creator and its use or abuse will determine our outcome for eternity.
We are born in time, live in time and die in time – time is the ambit within which we operate. So in essence, what we do with time is what we do with our lives.
Each one must realise that every moment that passes by is an opportunity gone, used or abused; never to return. Soon time will be up and we’ll have to leave this physical world and give account for our lives.
The more we remind ourselves of the responsibility of the present, the better we get at living the present moment and the better will be the consequences for the future.
There are among those who believe in the popular saying as “Time is money.” Time in Islam is more than money or any precious material thing in this world for that matter! Islam guides mankind not only to the importance of time but also how to value it.
Allah The Almighty and His Messenger, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), very clearly tell us the value of time, why we must not waste it and how we can make use of our time wisely to develop and increase our Faith and thus attain success, especially eternal success in the life of the Hereafter.
The characteristics of time
We are to bear in mind that time has certain characteristics, amongst which are the following:
1. Time passes quickly;
2. Time that passes can never return, nor can it be compensated for, for time is irretrievable;
3. Time is the most precious thing that man possesses.
Our attitude towards time indicates our attitude towards the value of the capital of life. If we want to purchase something, we require financial capital; and if we want to do something in life, we require the capital of life: “TIME”.
That is why in the Holy Qur’an, The Almighty exhorts us to value the time we have before life is up: “And spend (in charity) of that which We have provided you before death comes to one of you and he says, ‘My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while, then I should give charity and be among the righteous (doing good deeds)’.” (Ch 63 : v 10)
Our attitude towards the future influences our mindset towards the rest of life. Being positive about life ahead is among life’s greatest motivators.
Hope is the best attitude one can harbour towards the future; this realistic expectation that something good or better could or will happen if only we continue doing the best we can. Remember that today well-lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Wise are the words of the one who said … “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
(…to be continued next week.)
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars
Publications Department
P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax: 04-614003
e-mail: [email protected].
