✍ Written by: Maqbool Ahmad Salafi – Islamic Da’wah Center, Masrah, Ta’if
Among the countless blessings of Allah ﷻ, time is one of the most precious — a resource upon which life itself depends. The moment time runs out for a person, his worldly life comes to an end and he transitions to a world from which there is no return.
The brief life of this world is in reality an opportunity to prepare for the Hereafter. Blessed is the one who spends his time in righteous deeds and remains focused on improving his Hereafter. And regrettable is the one who fails to understand the value of time, neglects the purpose of life, and immerses himself in sin, thereby destroying his eternal future.
A Muslim must understand that the purpose of human creation is to worship his Lord. Therefore, it is essential that he dedicates a portion of his time, even amidst worldly engagements, to the worship of Allah ﷻ and continue striving in righteous deeds as much as possible.
It is astonishing to see people claiming they don’t have time to worship, and even more surprising when Muslims publicly admit:
“We are so busy with worldly matters that we don’t find time for worship, learning knowledge, participating in religious efforts, or engaging in good deeds.”
To such people, we say:
When Allah afflicts you with a trial —
When He disables you —
When He tests you with illness —
When your physical strength fades —
Then you will have plenty of time.
But at that moment, you will not be able to offer the excuse of being too busy. That time will be filled with helplessness, not productivity.
One should remember the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ in which five valuable opportunities are highlighted:
اِغْتَنِمْ خَمْسًا قَبْلَ خَمْسٍ: شَبَابَكَ قَبْلَ هِرَمِكَ، وَصِحَّتَكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ، وَغِنَاكَ قَبْلَ فَقْرِكَ، وَفَرَاغَكَ قَبْلَ شُغْلِكَ، وَحَيَاتَكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ
“Take advantage of five things before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death.”
Among these, one advice is especially relevant:
“Value your free time before you become busy.”
Take for example the COVID lockdown — a time when most people had no work. It was an excellent opportunity. But should such free time be wasted on excessive sleep, gaming, or pointless activities? Absolutely not.
Use free time wisely by:
✔ Benefiting yourself: Seek knowledge, perform additional prayers beyond the obligatory (nafl), engage in sincere repentance and istighfār.
✔ Benefiting others: Teach religion, encourage righteous actions, and help the weak to the extent of your ability.
One must understand that excuses like “I’m too busy for worship” will not be accepted by Allah ﷻ. Worship is the primary goal of life, and time must be made for it — just as we make time for other worldly tasks like eating, sleeping, and going to the hospital when we are sick.
If we can find time for worldly needs, we certainly can find time for religion — and this is a critical obligation.
It is up to us to strike a balance between worldly responsibilities and religious obligations — so that neither our religion is lost, nor our livelihood harmed.
If we neglect worship, we will face the consequences in both worlds:
In a Ḥadīth Qudsī, Allah ﷻ says:
يَقُولُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ تَفَرَّغْ لِعِبَادَتِي أَمْلَأْ صَدْرَكَ غِنًى وَأَسُدَّ فَقْرَكَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ مَلَأْتُ صَدْرَكَ شُغْلًا وَلَمْ أَسُدَّ فَقْرَكَ
“O son of Adam! Devote yourself to My worship and I will fill your heart with richness and remove your poverty. If you do not do so, I will fill your heart with distractions and will not remove your poverty.”
This narration is enough to open our eyes and bring clarity to our lives. It teaches that we must prioritize worship and righteous deeds over worldly distractions. If we don’t, Allah will afflict us with worldly entanglements and remove barakah from our wealth, making us feel poor even in abundance.
May Allah protect us from such a fate.
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ﴾
“O you who believe! Let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that — it is they who are the losers.”
[Sūrah al-Munāfiqūn: 9]
① Every person must make time for worship — no matter how busy he is.
Only then can he fulfill the purpose of his creation and obey the command of his Lord.
Neglecting worship due to worldly occupations is a form of disobedience, and its consequences will be seen both in this world and the next.
② If someone has free time, they must seize it and benefit — as the Prophet ﷺ emphasized in the hadith about five blessings.
Unfortunately, many people, even educated ones, squander their free time in useless or sinful activities such as watching films, excessive social media usage, and other distractions.
Even a few moments of free time hold immense value in a believer’s life. Within a few minutes, one can:
✔ Recite Qur’an
✔ Engage in dhikr
✔ Make a du‘ā
✔ Teach one verse or one hadith
✔ Visit a neighbor
✔ Give charity
✔ Perform any small act of kindness
All of this depends on one’s intent and desire.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إِنْ قَامَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَفِي يَدِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَسِيلَةٌ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ لَا تَقُومَ حَتَّى يَغْرِسَهَا فَلْيَغْرِسْهَا»
“If the Hour (of Resurrection) is established while one of you has a small palm shoot in his hand, and he is able to plant it before it happens, let him plant it.”
This hadith shows the importance of even the briefest opportunity and encourages us to perform righteous deeds without delay — even moments before the world ends.
So imagine: If planting a tree seconds before the end of the world is encouraged, how much more should we strive for good deeds today while we still have time and ability?
We ask Allah ﷻ to make us among those who dedicate time for His worship, and grant us the ability to extract religious benefit even from the smallest opportunities in life.
آمين
❖ Time: A Divine Blessing Dependent on Life
Among the countless blessings of Allah ﷻ, time is one of the most precious — a resource upon which life itself depends. The moment time runs out for a person, his worldly life comes to an end and he transitions to a world from which there is no return.
The brief life of this world is in reality an opportunity to prepare for the Hereafter. Blessed is the one who spends his time in righteous deeds and remains focused on improving his Hereafter. And regrettable is the one who fails to understand the value of time, neglects the purpose of life, and immerses himself in sin, thereby destroying his eternal future.
❖ The Purpose of Life Requires Dedicating Time for Worship
A Muslim must understand that the purpose of human creation is to worship his Lord. Therefore, it is essential that he dedicates a portion of his time, even amidst worldly engagements, to the worship of Allah ﷻ and continue striving in righteous deeds as much as possible.
It is astonishing to see people claiming they don’t have time to worship, and even more surprising when Muslims publicly admit:
“We are so busy with worldly matters that we don’t find time for worship, learning knowledge, participating in religious efforts, or engaging in good deeds.”
To such people, we say:
When Allah afflicts you with a trial —
When He disables you —
When He tests you with illness —
When your physical strength fades —
Then you will have plenty of time.
But at that moment, you will not be able to offer the excuse of being too busy. That time will be filled with helplessness, not productivity.
❖ Five Blessings to Seize Before They're Gone
One should remember the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ in which five valuable opportunities are highlighted:
اِغْتَنِمْ خَمْسًا قَبْلَ خَمْسٍ: شَبَابَكَ قَبْلَ هِرَمِكَ، وَصِحَّتَكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ، وَغِنَاكَ قَبْلَ فَقْرِكَ، وَفَرَاغَكَ قَبْلَ شُغْلِكَ، وَحَيَاتَكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ
“Take advantage of five things before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb: 3355
Among these, one advice is especially relevant:
“Value your free time before you become busy.”
Take for example the COVID lockdown — a time when most people had no work. It was an excellent opportunity. But should such free time be wasted on excessive sleep, gaming, or pointless activities? Absolutely not.
❖ How to Use Free Time Wisely
Use free time wisely by:
✔ Benefiting yourself: Seek knowledge, perform additional prayers beyond the obligatory (nafl), engage in sincere repentance and istighfār.
✔ Benefiting others: Teach religion, encourage righteous actions, and help the weak to the extent of your ability.
One must understand that excuses like “I’m too busy for worship” will not be accepted by Allah ﷻ. Worship is the primary goal of life, and time must be made for it — just as we make time for other worldly tasks like eating, sleeping, and going to the hospital when we are sick.
If we can find time for worldly needs, we certainly can find time for religion — and this is a critical obligation.
❖ Balance Between Religion and Worldly Affairs
It is up to us to strike a balance between worldly responsibilities and religious obligations — so that neither our religion is lost, nor our livelihood harmed.
If we neglect worship, we will face the consequences in both worlds:
- In this world, Allah will keep us preoccupied to the point of forgetfulness,
- And in the Hereafter, loss and punishment await.
In a Ḥadīth Qudsī, Allah ﷻ says:
يَقُولُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ تَفَرَّغْ لِعِبَادَتِي أَمْلَأْ صَدْرَكَ غِنًى وَأَسُدَّ فَقْرَكَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ مَلَأْتُ صَدْرَكَ شُغْلًا وَلَمْ أَسُدَّ فَقْرَكَ
“O son of Adam! Devote yourself to My worship and I will fill your heart with richness and remove your poverty. If you do not do so, I will fill your heart with distractions and will not remove your poverty.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 3331
This narration is enough to open our eyes and bring clarity to our lives. It teaches that we must prioritize worship and righteous deeds over worldly distractions. If we don’t, Allah will afflict us with worldly entanglements and remove barakah from our wealth, making us feel poor even in abundance.
May Allah protect us from such a fate.
❖ The Qur’ān Warns Against Being Distracted by Wealth and Children
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ﴾
“O you who believe! Let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that — it is they who are the losers.”
[Sūrah al-Munāfiqūn: 9]❖ Two Critical Lessons
① Every person must make time for worship — no matter how busy he is.
Only then can he fulfill the purpose of his creation and obey the command of his Lord.
Neglecting worship due to worldly occupations is a form of disobedience, and its consequences will be seen both in this world and the next.
② If someone has free time, they must seize it and benefit — as the Prophet ﷺ emphasized in the hadith about five blessings.
Unfortunately, many people, even educated ones, squander their free time in useless or sinful activities such as watching films, excessive social media usage, and other distractions.
Even a few moments of free time hold immense value in a believer’s life. Within a few minutes, one can:
✔ Recite Qur’an
✔ Engage in dhikr
✔ Make a du‘ā
✔ Teach one verse or one hadith
✔ Visit a neighbor
✔ Give charity
✔ Perform any small act of kindness
All of this depends on one’s intent and desire.
❖ A Profound Prophetic Example on Seizing Small Opportunities
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إِنْ قَامَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَفِي يَدِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَسِيلَةٌ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ لَا تَقُومَ حَتَّى يَغْرِسَهَا فَلْيَغْرِسْهَا»
“If the Hour (of Resurrection) is established while one of you has a small palm shoot in his hand, and he is able to plant it before it happens, let him plant it.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Adab al-Mufrad: 371
This hadith shows the importance of even the briefest opportunity and encourages us to perform righteous deeds without delay — even moments before the world ends.
So imagine: If planting a tree seconds before the end of the world is encouraged, how much more should we strive for good deeds today while we still have time and ability?
❖ Conclusion & Supplication
We ask Allah ﷻ to make us among those who dedicate time for His worship, and grant us the ability to extract religious benefit even from the smallest opportunities in life.
آمين
