By Asma bint Shameem
For some people, the beginning of the new year is marked by excited countdowns, popping of firecrackers, partying till the wee hours of the morning and dancing.
And for some, it is a time for somber thoughtfulness and self accountability.
Instead of celebrating, they are worried and scared.
Instead of partying, they think and reflect.
Their hearts tremble and their skins shiver.
Why?
Because each year that passes means a year LESS from their lifetime.
Each year that passes by is bringing them closer and closer to that Ultimate meeting with the Lord of the Heavens and the earth, when they will have to stand in front of Him and answer regarding all that they did.
These people know that each passing year, each passing month, each passing day, and each passing second is actually a LOSS, a DEPLETION of the valuable time they have on this earth.
They are aware that whatever time has passed will never come back.
And, they know that if they did not make the most of their time, and use their time wisely in the obedience of Allaah, then surely, they are the losers.
Allaah says:
🍃 By Al-'Asr (the time).
Verily! Man is in loss
Except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth .”
(al-Asr:1-3)
Let us REFLECT on this Surah.
I know we've read it a thousand times!
But this time, read it with the eyes of your HEART.
Just THINK about what Allaah is telling us.
With every moment that passes, realize that we are at a LOSS.
We are LOSING PRECIOUS TIME, except those of us who are using this time to do good deeds, and trying to live a life of OBEDIENCE to our Creator.
How can we be partying when we realize that another year of our lives is gone?
How can we be celebrating when we know that we have to ANSWER to Allaah how we lived our life and how we spent our time?
🍃The Prophet ﷺ said:
"The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about 5 things: about his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he spent it, about his wealth and how he earned it and what he spent it upon, and what he did with what he knew."
(at-Tirmidhi; saheeh by al-Albaani)
You see, your life is like the pages of a calendar.
As the months go by, you flip its pages, that will never come back.
Similarly, as the days and weeks and months of your life go by, they too, will never come back.
That is why the righteous were so careful about their time and how they spent it.
They made sure that no time, however short it was, passed without doing something useful, like acquiring useful knowledge, doing good deeds, helping others, or advising someone.
They took ACCOUNT of themselves at the end of the YEAR,
and at the end of the MONTH,
and at the end of the DAY.
They were not heedless of the passage of time.
They were conscious of every second of their lives and how important it is to spend it usefully.
🍃 Describing the Salaf's care for time, Hasan al-Basri said:
"I saw those people and how they were more careful about their time than about their Dirhams and Dinars (meaning, their money).
🍃 Regarding Imaam Hammad ibn Salamah, it was said:
"It is unbelievable! I have never seen Hammad laugh at all.
He was always busy explaining hadeeth, praying, reading or praising the Lord.
This is how he spent his day."
" If you were to tell Hammad, 'You are going to die tomorrow', there would be nothing he could add to what he is already doing."
Subhaan Allaah! What consciousness of the value of time!
🍃 Ibn al-Qayyim says:
"The year is like a tree, months are its branches, days are the branch sticks, hours are its leaves, and the breaths are its fruits.
Therefore, if one's breaths are in obedience [to Allaah and His Messenger], the fruits of his tree are good. If they are in disobedience, his fruits are bitter.
The harvest is on the Appointed Day, when one's fruits are found out to be either good or bitter."
🍃 The Prophet ﷺ 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." (Saheeh al-Jaami')
This Hadeeth not only shows the value of time, but it also tells us the importance of the proper utilization of time.
It urges us to take the initiative, and not to delay good deeds.
🍃 Imam Ahmad said:
"Whatever good you are able to do then do it- perhaps you will not be able to tomorrow.
And do not postpone today's deeds for tomorrow, perhaps tomorrow will come and you are deceased."
So, instead of partying and celebrating, let us reflect on how we spent this past year.
Let us think about our deeds and our actions.
Were they in obedience to Allaah?
Or were they lacking?
Were they in accordance with our purpose here in this dunya?
Or did we waste yet another year of our lives?
So let us VALUE our time here in this world and appreciate what time really is.
It is our chance to earn good deeds and make a place for ourselves in the Aakhirah.
Each second that passed away is an opportunity LOST, and NOT something to celebrate about.
Let us leave behind those people who move aimlessly in their fake pleasures; let us ponder over a better and sublime competition;
a race towards the Pleasure of Allaah and Jannah;
a competition of righteous deeds.
If Allaah has blessed you with another day, another week, another year, SEIZE the opportunity and make sure it's well spent in His remembrance and obedience.
🍃 "Therefore, RACE for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden as wide as heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allaah and His Messengers.
Such is the Favor of Allaah; He gives it to whom He wills. Allaah is the Owner of GREAT FAVOR." (al-Hadeed: 21).
And Allaah knows best.
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