Article Surah 103 · Ayah 1

Time Is Not Money (The Muslim's Duty Regarding Time)

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Islam encourages Muslims to care for time, to utilize it and not to waste it. Besides, it holds them responsible for their time. The Righteous Salaf were aware of that responsibility, so they acted accordingly. Describing their care for time, Hassan Al-Basry said, "I saw those people and how they were more careful about their time than about their Dirhams and Dinars [i.e. their money]." [Abdullah Ibn-Al-Mubarak, "Az-Zuhd" (Asceticism), p.51.]
An important requirement for a Muslim's life is to be careful about time, to invest it wisely and to benefit from it. In this regard, Ibn-ul Qayyim says, "The highest, most worthy and most useful of reflection is what is intended for Allah and the Hereafter. There are various forms of reflection intended for Allah. One of them is reflecting on time duty and function and focusing entirely on it, for the knowledgeable one is the breed of his time. If he wastes it, all his interests are wasted, for all interests arise from time. If he wastes his time, he can never regain it." Also, Imam Shafi'i said, "Out of my company with Sufis, I benefited only two things, one of which is their saying: like a sword, time will cut you if you do not cut it. ..." In other words, if you do not spend time doing something useful, you are the loser by wasting it.
As expressed by Imam Hassan Al-Banna, "Time is life itself." This reflects Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah's saying: "One's time is in fact his age. It is the material of his eternal life either in everlasting joy or painful torture. It passes more quickly than clouds do. It is only the time one dedicates to Allah that constitutes one's real life and age. The rest does not count; the life he leads in it is only animal life. Compared to a life of indulgence in appetitive activities, false aspirations and negligence of Allah's remembrance - and at best in sleep and being idle - death is a much better alternative."
Time is considered a vehicle for work. According to Ibn-ul-Qayyim, "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 Allah 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."
Such is the Islamic view of time, and such were the ways of the Salaf ways with it. How do we compare with them now?! Obviously, there is a big gap between the way they cared for time and the way we are wasting it. The sad and painful thing about us now is that "our nation has been improvising ways of wasting time at the public and the private levels. As a result, the world is already proceeding to the future without us, as if we were the 'orphans of history'. If such improvisation is not directed to investing and utilizing our time properly, the gap between us and the future will widen further, and we will remain importers and consumers of cultural products. Eventually, our survival will be entirely dependent on the producers of those products." [Khuldun Al-Ahdab, "Reflections on the Value of Time"] Therefore, Muslims must unite their efforts to identify weaknesses for treatment, and must give time its due attention as demanded by Islam.
The following are some of the most important duties demanded of Muslims:
⦁ Ensuring benefiting from time
⦁ Utilizing leisure time
⦁ Racing for good deeds
⦁ Learning from the passage of time
⦁ Seeking the superior times
⦁ Planning and organizing time
⦁ Fulfillment of time commitments
⦁ Necessary awareness of time wasters
Source: Reference Link

⦁ Understanding the Value of Time

It is a common practice in most Muslim countries that women allocate the afternoon for receiving or visiting friends, with some differences in the manner of the visits – they may be organized on a regular basis or spontaneous. Whatever the case may be, during the visit a veritable state of emergency is declared at home where extraordinary preparations are made which exhaust one's efforts and wealth and waste time. The day of the visit turns into a virtual competition between families, each trying to offer the most lavish hospitality and appear the most immaculate.

If you ask the majority of women about the goal behind the visit, the most likely answer would be: We meet for entertainment, to kill some time and get rid of boredom.

This answer is surprising, because time is nothing but a person's allocated age, for which he will be questioned. And when will that questioning be? It will be on the Day of the Great Terror. It is the Day when a soul will not possess the power to do anything to benefit itself or anyone else; and the command, that Day, is entirely with Allah The Almighty.

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Burdah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "A slave's two feet will not move on the Day of Judgment until he is questioned about four (things): His youth, how he spent it, his knowledge, how he acted upon it, his wealth, how he earned it and how he spent it and his body, how he used/wasted it." [At-Tirmidhi]

And who will the questioner be? He is the Lord of the Worlds who created the Jinn and mankind in order to worship Him, not for diversion and entertainment. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {Had We intended to take a diversion, We could have taken it from [what is] with Us -- if [indeed] We were to do so.} [Quran 21: 17]

What will we say to the Lord of the Worlds when He asks us about wasted time? Even if such time is used in deeds that do not include impermissible words and deeds, it inevitably includes vain talk and idle chatter which was dispraised by the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who said:
"The most hateful to me and farthest from Me on the Day of Judgment will be the ostentatious chatterers, transgressing ranters and arrogant loudmouths."

A person who wastes his time has wasted an irretrievable part of his life. The person who does this will have great regret. Does the woman have a free hand and a right to waste her time as she wants? Where are the rights of the husband and the children? When will she fulfill the rights of her community and the Muslim Ummah (nation)?

To whom will she entrust her responsibility if her only concern is going out of her home and partaking in insignificant diversions? One of them could answer claiming that she has fulfilled her rights, believing that her task is restricted to cleaning her house, satisfying her husband, and giving birth to children, and her interest in bringing up her children does not go beyond feeding them, clothing them and helping them to be successful in their studies.

No, O Sister!

You are the one who nurtures future Muslim generations and the one who provides the Muslim community with its pillars: righteous women and men. Your duty (and the duty of every Muslim woman) is to provide our children with a guided upbringing and prepare them through Islamic teachings which will enable them to bear the trust, serve the Ummah and build the long-sought noble Muslim community.

If we neglect our children and interest ourselves only in entertainment, our children will truly become orphans while their parents are still alive.

Even the orphan who loses his parents may find those who treat him with affection and take care of him. However, a child whose parents are preoccupied with means of entertainment can never find those who treat him mercifully treat or feel his suffering. A woman who is always busy with herself will not find enough time to supervise her children, direct them towards goodness, follow them up and enjoy their company, while these duties undoubtedly help her fulfill her mission and satisfy her Lord.

It is true that this world, the venue of tests, is full of troubles and hardships and such meetings are intended for entertainment and amiability. Nevertheless, is entertainment the goal of the woman who feels that she guards one of Islam's forts and is keen that Islam is not attacked through this fort? Or is it the goal of vain women? While entertainment is necessary from time to time, this should not be at the expense of other women and their time.

We often complain about the intellectual invasion perpetrated by our enemies and the fact that we are subject to destruction and infighting. Have we made preparations to face them? At the very least, have we sufficiently protected ourselves against them spiritually and intellectually, that we have the free time to seek entertainment?

Our current suffering entails that we deal with our reality according to the fundamental teachings of Islam in order to rise from our dormancy. Otherwise, our hopes will remain a mirage and our wishes will remain mere dreams that we hope will be materialized one day. How strange it is that we expect our dreams to materialize without putting in work, efforts or striving continuously towards realizing them! Allah The Exalted Says (what means):
{And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.} [Quran 29: 69]
The sole reason behind the punishments that afflict the Muslim Ummah (nation) is our decline in supporting our religion and negligence of our duties. Inadvertently, the Muslim woman has contributed to the defeatism which has afflicted us by restricting the scope of her responsibility to a bare minimum and neglecting her duty in raising and educating her children.

This painful truth calls upon us to utilize our time in fulfilling our duties, for which we will be questioned on the Day of Judgment. In a Hadith (narration), the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:
"A woman is a guardian in her husband's home and is responsible for those under her guardianship." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Let us fulfill our duty in raising the men and women of the future and then look for entertainment. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, guided us how to drive worry and grief away from our souls, through strengthening our relationship with Allah The Almighty, rushing wholeheartedly to do acts of obedience and making the Hereafter one's primary concern. Worries and grief are nothing but the result of hankering for the pleasures of this perishable abode.

It was narrated on the authority of Anas ibn Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:
"If a man’s sole concern is the Hereafter, Allah will make his richness within his heart, grant his reunification and the worldly life will be forced to come to him. If a man’s sole concern is this worldly life, Allah will make his poverty between his eyes, inflict him with disunity and will not have from this world but what was predetermined for him."
Indicating the extent of distress and the depressed life that the negligent one who turns away from the remembrance of Allah The Almighty experiences in this worldly life, in addition to what is prepared for him in the Hereafter, Allah The Exalted Says (what means):
{And whoever turns away from My remembrance -- indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind." He will say, "My Lord, why have You raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?" [Allah] will say, "Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten."} [Quran 20: 124-126]

So, let our goal be the satisfaction of Allah The Almighty and our way to attain this be following His Sharee'ah (Islamic legislation). When we do that, we will not feel that our spare time is an unbearable void which brings forth worries and sadness. Rather, our time will be filled with the remembrance of Allah The Almighty, obedience to Him and our whole life will be filled with worship through words and deeds which bring one closer to Allah The Almighty. This conforms to the Hadeeth (narration) where the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:
"Take benefit of five before five: your life before your death, your health before your sickness, your free-time before your preoccupation, your youth before your old age and your wealth before your poverty." [Muslim]

Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, wondered at the manner in which people of his time used to waste their time and said,

I see most people trying to push time [to make it move faster, i.e., waste time]. When they remain awake during the night, they waste it in insignificant conversations or reading a book for entertainment; during the daytime, they sleep; and at the end of the day they are either on the coast of the Tigris or in markets. We liken them to those who are talking aboard a ship which is sailing fast with them while they are unaware. I see a few people who realize the meaning of existence and they prepare the provisions for departure. Nevertheless, they are different in this aspect [only] due to the extent of knowledge that is available at their place of residence.
When Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said this about the people of his time, then what should we say about the people of our time? Mindless entertainment has become the essence of many people's lives, and boredom is a major cause of psychological ailments, while worry and fear of the future have become specters that chase people with weak characters and faith.

Today, most people spend most of the night watching various TV programs, then sleep until noon and spend the rest of the day pursuing the pleasures of this worldly life. Excessive sleep is the habit of idle and imprudent people. Serious and diligent people are careful with their time just as a niggardly person is with his money, or even more than that. It was narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:
"There are two favors (of Allah), and in them most people are deceived: good health and spare time."

Source:Reference Link
Reference Link

Leisure Time or Lost Time?

Do we consider how much time we spend on activities that are not truly beneficial? Do we consider how much time we spend on activities that are not truly beneficial? On the issue of how one benefits from one’s free time, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “There are two blessings whose profit [or reward] many people lose: good health and free time.” [Al-Bukhari]

«نعمتان مغبون فيهما كثير من الناس: الصحة والفراغ»

One may ask, “What, from the Shareeah point of view, is the problem with, for example, watching a football game for three hours?” It is not just a question of “what is the problem with it?” The issue for a Muslim is:
do I really have that time to spend wherein I am not benefiting myself at all? Can I afford to lose that time which I will never get back again? When I stand in front of Allah, can I really feel that I have used that free time, which is a bounty from Allah, in an acceptable fashion? When the goal and purpose of a Muslim’s life is clear in his mind [to please Allah and achieve Paradise], he will not waste a lot of time in doing things that do not benefit him in achieving that goal and purpose. All his activities will be focused on the idea of moving him toward his goal—neither away from it nor in a static position with respect to it. Of course, there is nothing wrong with rest and relaxation when needed. Indeed, it is a necessity. However, it could be argued that there are some ways that are simply non-beneficial or perhaps even harmful.
Source: "Purification of the Soul" - Jamaal Din M. Zarabozo

Source: Reference Link

⦁ Do Not Waste Your Time!

Both the Quran and the Sunnah emphasize the importance of time in the life of a Muslim. Allah swears at the beginning of many Surahs (Chapters) by time or moments in time, for example, Allah Says (what means):

“By the dawn and the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Thul-Hijjah)...” [Quran 89: 1-2]

Allah also Says (what means):
“By the night when it covers, and by the day when it appears...” [Quran 92:1]

Another verse reads (what means):
“By the morning brightness and by the night when it covers with darkness...” [Quran 93:1]

Also, Allah Says (what means):
“By the time...” [Quran 103:1]

When Allah swears by something of His creation, it is evidence of its importance, and this directs our attention to the benefit of that thing. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, also emphasized the value of time in many authentic hadith. For example, Mu’aath bin Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: “A person will not move on (on the Day of Judgment) until he has been asked about four things: his life and in what he spent it, his knowledge and what he did with it, his wealth, from where he acquired it and on what he spent it, and his body and how he wore it out.”

Youth is considered the peak stage in human life, because young people have the capacity and energy to accomplish many good deeds, but when they get older, they cannot do so. These are stages of development as mentioned in the Quran; for example in Surah Ar-Room (The Romans), Allah Says (what means):
“Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair ...” [Quran 30:54]

If we do not use our time effectively for something good, then we will definitely use it for something bad, which destroys our reward and our lives. For example, if you do not praise and mention Allah, you will be saying something else, perhaps backbiting or talking about your children, your work, your neighbors, your friends or your enemies. What counts for you is using the time for something useful, doing good deeds and saying good words.

Try to hold your own self into account at the end of each day. Ask yourself: What did I do today? What did I do that was bad today? You should repent for the bad things that you have done and said, and be sincerely determined not to do them again. As regards the good deeds that you did, then be determined to do them again, probably more often, and do them in a better way.

Our lives are judged according to what we did, and not according to how many years we lived. Life is very short. Death awaits us. We do not know when we are going to die, so we have to make sure that we do as many good deeds as possible before we pass into the next life. Once dead, we are unable to return to this life in order to repent from our bad deeds, or to do more good deeds. Time passes very quickly as Allah Says (what means):
“The Day they see it, (it will be) as if they had not tarried (in this world) except an afternoon and a morning.” [Quran 79:46]

Allah also Says (what means):
“And on the Day when He shall gather (resurrect) them together, (it will be) as if they had not stayed (in the life of this world and graves, etc) but an hour of a day.” [Quran 10:45]

Time is very precious; if it goes by, you cannot make use of it again. YESTERDAY can never become TOMORROW. A time that has passed will never come back again.

When it is time for a person to die, he asks that his life be extended in order to do more good deeds, as Allah Says (what means):
{“And they will cry out therein, "Our Lord, remove us; we will do righteousness - other than what we were doing!" But did We not grant you life enough for whoever would remember therein to remember, and the warner had come to you? So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper.” [Quran 35:37]

We say that we are so busy with our work and our children, but Allah warns us against this saying (what means):
“O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers. And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous." But never will Allah delay a soul when it’s time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” [Quran 63: 9-11]

Many people before us used their time effectively by performing good deeds, teaching, doing something for the benefit of the Muslims, their families and their relatives, or by advising others to be good, and calling others to Allah and Islam, etc. They considered every day that passed which they did not use effectively for the sake of Allah as denying the favors of Allah.

Today we have those who “kill time.” People gather to talk about things that are of no benefit to them, things that are not related to Islam or to the affairs of the Muslims. They spend their time in idle talk, in backbiting and so forth. TIME IS PRECIOUS. IT SHOULD BE PRESERVED.

The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:
“There are two blessings concerning which many people are cheated: health and free time.”[Al-Bukhari]

People underestimate the value of these two favors, and thus, they are cheated. This is like a person who has a house that he wants to sell. Someone comes and offers him 50,000 dollars for it. He isn’t sure of its value, so he hesitates. Finally, he agrees and sells it for that amount. Later he finds out that his house was actually worth a million dollars. Imagine how cheated he feels; imagine that feeling that if he had only known beforehand what it was really worth, he could have gotten more!

It is the same with our time. We underestimate its great value, and once it is gone, we feel that we have been cheated because we didn’t get everything out of it that we could have. But just as the one who sold his house for less than its real value, he cannot get it back and sell it at its real value. It is the same thing, we cannot go back and do more with the time that is already gone. At the end of our lives, we will not be able to go back and live our lives over again. We will not be given more time to do good deeds and try to make up for the time we wasted.

So, we must organize our time wisely, being very careful about what we use it for. We must consider the free time that we have, in which we could do good deeds, as a precious resource, guarding it against waste or misuse.TIME IS PRECIOUS. WE SHOULD PRESERVE IT.
Source:Reference Link

⦁ Value of Time
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5- year old son waiting for him at the door.
"Daddy, may I ask you a question?" "Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the man. "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?" "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily. "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" Pleaded the little boy "If you must know, I make $20 an hour." "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I please borrow $10?" The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard every day for such this childish behavior." The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: May be there was something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep, son?" He asked. "No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy. "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man "It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10 you asked for." The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father. "Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied. "Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you." Share this story with someone you like.... But even better, share $20 worth of time with someone you love. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family & friends we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives

Source: Reference Link

⦁ Ensure Benefiting From Time

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Khaled Al-Jeraisy
It is absolutely necessary for Muslims to be careful about time. The Muslim is required to utilize and invest his time in what benefits him in this world and the Hereafter. In this regard, he can follow the good example set by the Righteous Salaf. They were so careful that in less than a century they were able to make radical changes in the societies into which they introduced Islam.
The Righteous Salaf made sure that no time, however short it was, passed without doing something useful, such as acquiring useful knowledge, doing good deeds, helping other Muslims and serving or advising the Ummah (nation). Remarking Imam Hammad Ibn-Salama Al-Basry's [a grammarian] meticulous care for time, Musa Ibn-Ismaeel said, "It is unbelievable! I have never seen Hammad laugh at all. He was always busy explaining the Hadith, praying, reading or praising the Lord. This is how he spent his day. Abdurrahman Al-Mahdi [Abdur rahman Ibn-Mahdi Ibn-Hassan Ibn-Abdurrahman, a critic and an able reciter; he was considered a good model for knowledge and work. See: Shamsuddeen Adh-Dhahabi, ”Biographies of Noble Scholars”, 9/192-193.] said: "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." [Abu-Hajjaj Yusuf Al-Mizzi, “Tahdheeb Al-Kamal fi Asma' Arrijal”, in Arabic, investigated by B. A. Ma'ruf, 1992, Vol. 7, p. 265.]
Regretting the time he spent eating, Shumait Ibn-Ajlan [Abu-Naeem Al-Asbahani, “Hilyatul-Awliya'wa Tabaqat Al-Asfiya'“ (The Pious Friends' Ornaments and Classes of the Pure), in Arabic, investigated by Mustafa Abdul-Qadir Ata, 1418, 3/149] said, "By Allah, the time I hate most is that which I spend eating." How conscious of time! [Ibid, 3509, 3/151]
Once a wise man said, "If you spend one day on other than carrying out justice, performing obligatory worship, achieving some gain, praising the Lord, establishing something good or acquiring knowledge, you have been ungrateful to your day and have wronged yourself." [Abdurra`uf Al-Minawi, “Faidh Al-Qadeer bi Sharh Al-Jami` Assagheer”, 6/288]
Source: Reference Link

⦁ A time for strengthening the family bond

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “No one who severs the ties of kinship will enter Paradise.” [At-Tirmidhi]
The religion of Islam places great importance on maintaining the ties of kinship between family members. All Muslims are to show kindness, generosity, and respect toward both their nearest and most distant relatives, whether they are Muslims or not. Allah Almighty places such importance on maintaining the ties of kinship that whoever cuts off the ties of their family, Allah Almighty cuts them off from Him. And the Quran goes as far to say that the one who cuts off the ties of kinship will be cursed.
Allah Almighty Says in the Noble Quran (what means):
{But those who break the covenant of Allah after contracting it and sever that which Allah has ordered to be joined and spread corruption on earth – for them is the curse, and they will have the worst home.} [Quran 13:25]
These days are an excellent time to mend burnt bridges and reach out to family members that you may have not seen in a long time or that you are at odds with.
These blessed days serve to open our hearts and minds as we humble ourselves before our Creator in sincere worship. Take the first step in reconnecting with your kin for the sake of Allah Almighty and to strengthen your family unit.
Take the first step
Regardless of how much time has passed since you have seen a family member or whatever transgression has made you keep your distance, use this time to reach out to a relative that you have been estranged from.
It's as easy as picking up the phone and inviting him or her to your home for a get together. The worst that can happen is that they turn you down or hang up the phone on you. At least Allah Almighty will know that you tried to fulfill your obligation of maintaining family ties.
But the best that can happen is that your desires for renewing the relationship will be reciprocated.
Forgiveness is key
There is no need to rehash the past once your estranged family member is in your presence. Forgiveness is the key to re establishing your bond. So let bygones be bygones, even if in the innermost recesses of your heart you still feel that your kinsman wronged you.
A perfect exemplar can be found in Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Word came to him that his very own cousin, whom he had been giving much financial support, had publicly slandered his beloved daughter ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, immediately stopped giving him charity. Regarding this issue Allah Almighty then revealed the celebrated verse (what means):
{And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 24:22]
No sooner did Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, hear this than he resumed his cousin's financial assistance, and, indeed, increased it over what he, may Allah be pleased with him, used to regularly give his cousin.
United we stand
A family that stands together is far stronger than one splintered into factions. So even if you are not at odds with one of your kin, you might know of family members who are not preserving their ties of kinship. You can do your part as a Muslim by acting as a mediator to reunite them under the same flag of Islam.
It might be difficult at first, especially since human emotions like pride and anger get in the way. But remind your family members that it is really Satan stoking the flames of discontent and that they must make peace against all odds to maintain the family bond. Should you find the situation too volatile to handle on your own, contact your local Imam or someone in your community known to offer good help in counseling to assist you in your endeavor.
Watch the garden grow
A family that is content with its members is like a garden that bears the most beautiful fruit and flowers that the human eye has ever beheld. As the discontent and anger melts away between kin, you will start to see the flowers in your family's garden blossom to reveal the beauty that Allah Almighty intended.
To keep that garden flourishing, weed out problems before they take root and nip familial discord in the bud. Most importantly, water your garden with lots of blessings from Allah, the All-Powerful, to keep your family together.
Trust in Allah Almighty and supplicate Him for assistance to keep your family thriving for many years to come.

Source: Reference Link

Your Time During Ramadhan

Time is the essence of life, and man’s life is but the seconds and minutes he/she lives. Every hour we live through in this life takes us that much closer to our destiny in the Hereafter.
Even though time is the most precious item in our lives (or at least it should be) and we should be guarding it with all the power we possess, it seems to be the easiest thing that we can squander!
One would never allow anyone to steal his wealth, but when it comes to our time, it is disgraceful that we seem to have no problem in allowing others to rob us of what they wish of it - and we might at times even help them do so! This is indeed a grave calamity because wealth can be recovered while one can never retrieve even a second of his lost time, regardless of the efforts he would spend in doing so.
This is why the Prophet, , described the one who wastes his time as a loser. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, , said: “There are two blessings in which many people incur loss. (They are) health and free time.” [Al-Bukhari] The one who uses his merchandise (in this case being his time and health) carelessly, gaining worldly profit while he wastes it, will be a loser on the Day of Resurrection. The vast majority of people do not take proper care of both these matters, with the result that they waste their time in useless activities and spend their physical strength and energy in the disobedience of Allah. They will have to face the stern consequences of this on the Day of Resurrection when they will be brought to account for everything.
The great importance of time is magnified during virtuous seasons and blessed times, such as the great season of the blessed month of Ramadan. It is a great opportunity to gain multiplied rewards and accumulate tremendous profit. Therefore, it becomes compulsory upon one to utilize his/her time carefully during this month.
A regrettable phenomenon which has become noticeably widespread among people is that they spend their time during this month wastefully in social gatherings, shopping, or watching satellite television channels. Many years may pass while the months of Ramadan during which they would have lived through would have had no impact on many Muslim sisters. No mistakes would have been corrected. No new virtuous deeds would have been adopted and practiced, and no misconducts would have been changed.
Every sister should reevaluate her situation and the strength of her faith if she truly wishes to please Allah and hope for His reward in the Hereafter. She must be firm with herself and determined to improve and reform herself by utilizing every minute of this coming month in things that would yield fruitful results for her and bring her closer to her Lord.
Many people do realize the importance and value of time. However this knowledge often does not go beyond the knowledge stage and is never translated into action. The implications of such knowledge that affects the behavior, worship and conduct of the person, is very often not realized. Thus, we are requested to move to the next step and transform our knowledge into real life actions which would be manifested in our daily practice. The following are some tips on how sisters can utilize their time during the month of Ramadan:

Planning:
Plan what you want to do during the entire month as well as what you wish to accomplish. Set clear objectives to achieve these and establish a plan of action with a timetable for each task you wish to perform, as well as every objective you hope to achieve. Plan every day and night: when you will go to bed and when you will wake up, and everything in between. Make a schedule for reciting the Quran and praying Taraweeh. Set aside an amount to be spent in charity.
Remember! If you do not set clear goals, you will end up wasting a great deal of your precious time during this month and a lot of hours will pass uselessly.
Set your priorities:
You must decide when you want to do things, and which objective should be accomplished first. Make up your mind on what is more important and what takes the highest priority. It is important to spend time doing things that are beneficial, but what is more important is to prioritize and spend time doing the more important of these beneficial things. This is because one of the plots of Satan is to busy the person with something beneficial with a very low priority in order to waste his chance of accomplishing what is more important.
Preserve your time:
You must stay away from anything that wastes time or leads to it, such as talking on the phone purposelessly, frequent visits, going out of the house too much, or watching TV for long periods. Also, we must get others who know us to respect our time and privacy. People should know that they must have an appointment before coming to visit, and that visiting is not an open issue to be done any time and any day.
You must be realistic when trying to utilize your time. Many sisters get carried away and overload their time with tasks to be accomplished, only to be surprised later on that the time allocated was not enough to accomplish these tasks. This usually has a negative impact on the sister’s zeal and could lead to disillusionment.
Choose the right time to do things:
Things that do not require close and deep concentration can be done in any part of the day. For example, while you are cooking you can busy yourself with mentioning Allah, glorifying and praising Him or listening to lectures or Quran cassettes (or CDs). On the other hand, there are things that necessitate concentration on the part of the sister, such as praying and reciting the Quran. You must do things at their proper times according to what they require from you.
Do not delay things:
Be keen to not delay things to later times, because you may be struck with death at any moment and would therefore never get around to doing what you have delayed. Delaying is one of the worst mistakes man can make and is one of the most lethal weapons the devil uses against us. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-‘Azeez was told once to delay the work of a day to the next due to his exhaustion, to which he replied: “One day’s tasks overburden me, so how would I be able to handle the load of two days together?”
Finally, intend to do things sincerely for Allah and seek His help and support in accomplishing your goals during this blessed month. Be in the company of those who have the zeal to work and fruitfully utilize their time. Always remember that if time is not spent righteously, it will be spent otherwise. Know that every minute has its own task, so make proper use of your time and spend it in things that would benefit you in this life and the Hereafter. Fill your record of good deeds with as much reward as you can before the month slips away.
Source: Reference Link

⦁ Time Management From Islamic And Administrative Per pective.

⦁ Importance of Time in the Glorious Qur'an

The Qur'an stresses the value of time in a variety of ways and contexts, in relation, for instance, to deeds and their means, to administration and organization, to the universe and creation, and to God-man relationship with regard to faith and worship. The following are some illustrations.

⦁ Time as a Basic Blessing
According to Islam, Allah's blessings are countless. The Qur'an says,
“... and if you would count the bounty of Allah, you cannot reckon it. »»(22) [20]
One of the greatest and most valuable of those blessings is time. It is considered one of the basic blessings. It is described as "the span of life, the scope of man's existence and the arena of his presence, survival, usefulness and gain. There is in the Qur'an reference to the greatness of that basic blessing of time; it’s great value, high status and immense significance are reiterated in several Qur'anic Ayahs."
For example, Allah says, “ And maketh the sun and the moon, constant in their courses, to be of service unto you, and hath made of service unto you the night and the day. And He giveth you of all you ask of Him, and if you would count the bounty of Allah you cannot reckon it. Lo! Man is verily a wrong-doer, an ingrate.”
Thus, “Reminding man of His great blessings to him, Allah mentions that of day and night, i.e., time, about which and at which we are speaking and through which this huge world is passing from its very beginning to its very end.”
In another Sura, Allah - may He be exalted - says, “And He hath constrained the night and the day and the sun and the moon”.

⦁ Importance of Time in the Sunnah
The issue of time is given a great deal of attention by the Sunnah literature. Let us explore what the Sunnah says about time.
⦁ Time as a Great Blessing
The Sunnah reiterates what the Qur'an says about time. Time is a blessing from Allah, and people are instructed to preserve it and are held responsible for it. The Prophet says,
“Health and leisure time are two blessings on which a lot of people are cheated.”
The Hadith implies:
“Only a few benefit from those blessings. For example, some people are healthy, but are not occupied with earning their living. Others want to be rich, but are not healthy enough to work for it. If they do not have the health or the desire to seek wealth, they are absolute losers.”
Such losers are compared to one who buys at a price much higher than that of the market price, but sells at a price much lower.

Also, in that Hadith,
"The Prophet compares the case of the Muslim's religious responsibilities to those of the businessman. The businessman has some capital for investment in trade. He wants to make profit and keep his original capital secure. To achieve his objectives, he has to be sure of whom he trades with, has to prove himself trustworthy and has to be clever enough to avoid being an absolute loser. Similarly, the Muslim's capital is health and time, and in his business with Allah, he has to trust in Him completely, resist his own temptations as well as Satan's so that he can gain the benefits of this world and of the Hereafter.”

⦁ Time Management from an Islamic Perspective

⦁ Time Management in the Glorious Qur'an
In what follows, the functions of time management will be defined with reference to relevant Quranic verses.
Planning
In Surah Yusuf, the Glorious Qur'an provides a good example of planning. Allah says, " And the king said: Lo! I saw in a dream seven fat kine which seven lean were eating, and seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry. O notables! Expound for me my vision, if you can interpret dreams. They answered: Jumbled dreams! And we are not knowing in the interpretation of dreams. And he of the two who was released, and (now) at length remembered, said: I am going to announce unto you the interpretation, therefore send me forth,(And when he came to Joseph in the prison, he exclaimed): Joseph! O thou truthful one! Expound for us the seven fat kine which seven lean were eating and the seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry, that I may return unto the people, so that they may know. He said: You shall sow seven years as usual, but that which you reap, leave it in the ear, all save a little which you eat. Then after that will come seven hard years which will devour all that you have prepared for them, save a little of that which you have stored. Then, after that, will come a year when the people will have plenteous crops and when they will press (wine and oil).”
The above verses show how Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) - may Allah's blessings be upon him - planned for future years, and how planning does not contradict faith, but is a legitimate measure for dealing with problems.

⦁ Time Management in the Sunnah

Being the head of the newly emerging state in Madinah, the Prophet practised management. His Sunnah, in word and in deed, reflected management functions. In what follows, the management functions will be examined in the light of the Sunnah, with particular reference to time management.
Planning
The study of the Prophet's biography during the Makkan period reveals two types of planning. In modern terms, they are described as long-term or strategic and short-term or executive. It is during the Madinah period, when the Islamic state was formed under the leadership of the Prophet, that planning clearly took shape. Let us examine, in the following sections, certain planning elements of the Sunnah that are relevant to time management.
Goal Definition and Prioritization
Goal definition and establishment of priorities are an important element of management and investment of time. This element is clearly reflected in the advice the Prophet gave Mu’ath Ibn-Jabal before dispatching him to Yemen on a mission to invite Yemenis to Islam, According to Ibn-Abbas's report, the Prophet said, “You will come to the people of Scripture, and when you reach them, invite them to testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is His Apostle. And if they obey you in that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers to be performed every day and night. And if they obey you in that,then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them sadaqa (zakat/obligatory alms) to be taken from the rich amongst them and given to the poor amongst them. And if they obey you in that then be cautious! Avoid their best properties ,and do not invite the curse of the oppressed person ,as there is no between his invocation and Allah .”

⦁ The Muslim's Responsibility for Time

⦁ Towards a Better Approach to Effective Time Management

In the light of what has been said so far about approaches to time management and the status of time as an element of the management process, the present study's concept of effective management will be investigated through integration of two things:
(a) the manager's ability to perform the functions of the management process effectively;
(b) the manager's ability to take positive measures to control time wasters.

Since the term “management” has been frequently repeated, let us elaborate it further. Even though it includes several individuals in the organization, they are not equal in terms of duties and responsibilities on the one hand, or in terms of authority or decision-making on the other. In fact, management has three commonly recognized levels: top management, middle management and lower management.
The common denominator of those levels is that their practice of management involves the functions of planning, organizing, directing and control as well as decision-making. However, the functions vary in terms of allocated time in accordance with the relevant level of management, “Time is the manager’s dilemma”. Charles ferderber emphasizes the functions of planning and organizing by saying: “Bad planning and bad organizing give the wrong impression that time is short and insufficient.”

Sources : Reference Link