EPIC Masjid, Imam Gyazi Meckenzi, Value of Time

Khutbah: The Value of Time

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

Verily, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in ourselves and from our sinful deeds. Whosoever Allah guides, no one can mislead. And whosoever Allah allows to stray, no one can guide. And I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. He is One, having no partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and Messenger.

The Value of Our Time

To proceed — during our spring breaks, summer breaks, and times in which we have an abundance of time, it is important that we use these occasions to reflect upon the value of our time. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us throughout the Qur'an, in many places, that in our reflection of time, there is much — many lessons for us to learn. For Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Allah says: Allah causes the night and the day to succeed each other. Truly, in these things is indeed a lesson for those who have insight.

So throughout our lives, we are told and reminded of how precious, how valuable our time is, and not to waste it. In our homes, our parents tell us that our time is precious. From a young age, do not waste your time. When we go to school, our teachers tell us that time is precious — respect time, do not waste your time. We go to our workplaces, and when we get older in life, our bosses tell us that time is precious — manage your time, do not waste your time. So throughout our lives, we are told that we have this thing that is very precious and we should not waste it.

Yet, surprisingly, one of the most common excuses that is provided by people is the excuse of time. So when a child is told, "Have you done your chores?" — "Not yet, mom. I was going to. I didn't have enough time." When a project is due, whether it's a professor or a school teacher, you hear, "Can I get a little bit more time? Can I have more time? I didn't have enough time."

And we're told in the Qur'an in many places that even on the Day of Judgment, mankind will continue to present this excuse of time. They will ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for more time — time to go back and make things right. And in the latter part of this khutbah, insha'Allah, we'll hear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's answer to those who make the excuse of time.

We can get away with it sometimes — many times. That's why we make this excuse many times. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us what will be His reply to those people who view time as their excuse.

So what I want to do today is simply remind us of something that we all agree upon — something that humanity all agrees upon — and that is that our time is precious. And that we need to keep being reminded of how precious our time is.

Time Represents Our Lives

Let me begin by first saying — starting with the obvious — that time represents our lives. So once it comes to an end, so too do our lives. And perhaps the greatest evidence that our time is precious is the fact that it is short. It is the fact that it is short, even though we many times foolishly think that we have less time remaining. So we need to be cautious of wasting our time because we have so little of it. 65, 70 years, or what have you — even if it's 100 years — as we know, this is a short period of time.

And even a playwright of Allah told us to be aware of killing time, of wasting time. For wasting time is more severe than actually dying. When you die, it severs you from your loved ones, from your possessions, from this dunya — and no doubt, that is a painful experience that we experience, meaning the ones who are left behind. But he continues to say: when you waste time, you are severing yourself from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the hereafter.

The Hadith of Two Blessings

And perhaps the most important point of this khutbah today is a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ that the majority of us have probably heard. In it, the Prophet ﷺ tells us of the nature of time. And it's amazing that there are so many ahadith and so many ayat in the Qur'an that talk explicitly about time.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, tells us — and he heard the Prophet ﷺ tell us about the nature of time — when he said:

The Prophet ﷺ said that there are two blessings — two things that are good things Allah blesses us with — but that many, many people are being deceived by. Many people are falling prey to. Many people are not benefiting from. That is good health and free time.

And we see all around us, especially during spring breaks, especially during summer breaks, we see many people just wasting their time. And nowadays we hear about people just playing video games to the point they pass out and die. This is a scary hadith. And a lot of things are scary about time when we really think about it. One of those things is that this beautiful blessing that we get, many, many people are not benefiting from. As a matter of fact, they're becoming a victim to it. As a matter of fact, it will be a proof against them.

So even though we're told this frightening hadith, there is a remedy. There is a way not to fall victim or prey to time, and that is to function as if you always have little time remaining. If you get to this level, then insha'Allah you'll be from the minority of people in which time becomes an asset and a resource. Of course, the Prophet ﷺ tells us that the best amongst us are those who live the longest and do good deeds. And those who are the worst amongst us are those who live the longest and do the worst deeds. Hence, the determining factor of the best and worst amongst us is how and what we do with our time.

The Mystery and Uncertainty of Time

And another evidence that our time is precious — not just the fact that it's short, but also the fact that we do not know when our time will elapse. When and even where our time will finish. And this is something else that makes us uncomfortable about time — time is mysterious. That we don't know when our time will finish. And one of the greatest secrets is when the time of humanity will finish, meaning the Day of Judgment.

So because we don't know when our time will finish, we must function as if we have very little time remaining. If I were to tell you that you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and that you only have three months to live, I'm sure you would not be the same person. You would be a totally different person. Because now you're functioning with the mindset that you have little time remaining. It would be easy to get up at night and pray your prayers. It would be easy to kick those bad habits. You would quit smoking overnight.

But if we could get to this level — and this is not a fairy tale — there are people, I'm sure many of us know people or have been told about people, who if you were to tell them that tomorrow will be their last day, they could make no alteration in their lives. Because they already reached that level that we've been encouraged to reach. They already live as if today is their last day.

And importantly, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes the believers as constantly in competition. They are constantly conscious of the shortness of their time and the reality of life. For example, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

It is these — meaning the believers — who hasten, who race for the good deeds. And it is they who shall win the race. It is they who are foremost in doing these good deeds. Hence, the believers are ahead of everyone in doing good deeds. They are constantly competing in the real arena — the arena of good deeds.

And besides, not only is our time precious because it is short and because we are uncertain of its continuance, but also, we have no control over our time. We can't push it forward or delay it in the slightest. As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

When their turn is reached, neither can they delay it nor advance it a moment. Hence, when death comes, when time finishes, it is all over. So Allah is telling us throughout the Qur'an: take heed now. The opportunity is now. Utilize your time. And it is said that opportunity is something that is quick to vanish and slow to return.

Time Is Irretrievable

Additionally, time is deemed precious because it cannot be recovered. It is irretrievable. Once it is gone, you can't go back and fix it. Unlike many things that are valuable — if you have authority, if you have money, it may take much resources, but you can retrieve it. If you lose an iPad, you can get it back, or another one, something better. If you crash your car, all these things that are valuable, we can get them back or something similar. But with time, it doesn't work that way. Once it is over, it is over. Again, that is telling us our time is precious and we must utilize each minute wisely.

The Excuse of Time on the Day of Judgment

And interestingly, as I mentioned in the opening of the khutbah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us on the Day of Judgment — He gives us glimpses of what will unfold — when people are to face Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and answer for their deeds, many people will present this excuse of time over and over. Allah tells us about people presenting the excuse of time — people who did not take heed. And unfortunately, this will come to pass. People who just kept on saying, "Tomorrow I will become the Muslim I should be," or "Tomorrow I will repent," or "Tomorrow I will do this," or "Next year." There are unfortunately too many people who are caught up in this trap of procrastination, and time runs out for them.

And Allah spends much time telling us about these people — about those who will ultimately lose, and will be failures, and will be in the Hellfire. And they will ask for more time. Allah says:

Allah says: In their end, they will be shouting, screaming out to their Lord: "Our Lord, take us out. We shall work righteously, not as we have been working." They will say, "Give us another chance." And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will respond by saying: "Did We not give you long enough life so that whosoever was going to take heed would take heed? And moreover, the warner came to you." So taste — for the wrongdoers, there is no helper.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us that He has given us all enough time to get ourselves together. The warner came to us. The proof has been established. And not only that — Allah says more explicitly in many verses that even if the impossible would happen, even if Allah were to send them back and give them another chance, they would go right back to what they were doing. And it may be in their minds — they are guilty of the worst of states — that they are lying to themselves.

So this tells us that we must be careful. We must get ourselves out of this mentality, this psyche of saying, "Tomorrow I will kick this bad habit. Tomorrow I will do this good deed. Tomorrow I will repent." Because we can get into this mindset and never change. We just keep giving tomorrows and tomorrows until our time is up. And we never change.

And these verses also speak to the believers. Don't think that this is just for non-believers. The believers are the ones who are really reading the Qur'an. Allah has given us these stories so we can take heed, and so that we won't become a victim of time. And Allah tells us explicitly that Muslims, that believers will also have regret. They will also wish that they had spent more of their wealth to help out the underprivileged — the disadvantaged, the poor, the weak. And so even the believers will have regret.

Isn't It About Time?

And lastly about time, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes a very beautiful and powerful statement. This verse is so powerful that many people of significance became righteous just from hearing it. If you look up the story of Malik ibn Dinar — and these were scholars who didn't have the most honorable past before they became scholars — but this verse shook them up. And so too should it shake us up. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us very explicitly:

Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by this reminder of the Qur'an and that which has been revealed of the truth?

So Allah is telling us: isn't it about time for us to get ourselves together? Isn't it about time for us to be the Muslims that we promised we were going to be? Isn't it about time for us to get our lives together? Has not the time come?

Accountability for Our Time on the Day of Judgment

Additionally, Allah's Messenger ﷺ tells us that this remarkable gift of time comes with great accountability. The Prophet ﷺ tells us that no person's feet will be able to move on the Day of Judgment until they are asked about five things:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2417)

How he spent his life. How he utilized his youth. How he earned his wealth and how he spent it. And what he did with his knowledge.

Of these five things, two are dealing with time. So Allah will ask us how we spent our time. How we spent this beautiful blessing of time. What we did — whether it was in front of Netflix or Xbox or whatever it will be in the future. Of course, it is permissible to spend some time with those things as long as they are halal in nature and you are not wasting your time. But the point is that you will be asked about your time.

And interestingly, you will be asked specifically about your youth — when you were full of energy, when you could do so many good things. When we are older, some of us are not able to stand for long in prayer, not able to do some of the things. And that is nothing upon us. But we will be asked about that time when we had energy, when we didn't have these obstacles. So we are accountable for this time. This is something that is also frightening about time when you really think about it.

Observe Five Before Five

And the Prophet ﷺ was blessed with concise and comprehensive speech. And one of those pieces of advice the Prophet ﷺ gave was:

(Shu'ab al-Iman, al-Bayhaqi, Hadith 9767; also reported in Mustadrak al-Hakim)

Observe five things before five others: Use your life before your death. Your good health before your illness. Your leisure time before your busy time. Your youth before your old age. Your days of wealth before your days of poverty.

So the Prophet ﷺ tells us this advice — five things to be careful to observe. Of those five things, three deal with time. He tells us to use our life before our death, our youth before our old age, and our free time before we get busy.

The Five Pillars and Time Discipline

And lastly, I want to end with just two messages. If we truly reflect upon the five pillars and the things that we're commanded to do, then it will help us become more disciplined with time and help us respect time a little more. We notice that when we pray, we have to pray within a certain time frame — so it teaches us every day to respect time and to be conscious of time. Likewise, when we perform Hajj, it comes at a certain time. Our Zakah at a certain time. Ramadan at a certain time. All of this showing us and teaching us how time is precious and how to be disciplined with it.

Surah Al-Asr: A Timeless Reminder

And of course, in talking about time, we close with one of the most potent surahs of the Qur'an — a chapter in which Imam al-Shafi'i, rahimahullah, said that if it was the only surah to be revealed, it would be sufficient. Surah al-Asr — in which Allah swears by time, either the time of Asr or the time that humanity is given. He swears by time.

It starts off with something that shakes us up — something that is somewhat frightening. Allah begins by swearing that indeed mankind is in loss — somewhat doomed. And we see that when we walk out the doors, when we turn on the TV — we see so much loss, we see how mankind is in loss.

So Allah is saying that all of mankind is lost — except for those who do good things with their time. They spend their time in faith. They spend their time doing good deeds. They spend their time advising each other to the truth. And they spend their time advising each other to be patient.

So I ask Allah to make us of those who are constantly reminded that our time is precious, and of those who utilize their time properly, and of those whose time will be a great asset for them on the Day of Judgment.