com
by
TRA N SLATED B Y
Yusra al-Ghannouchi
AW AKENING
0^0
CO N TENT
FOREWORD IX
PREFACE XIII
THE VALUE OF TIME I
NOTES 81
nmusba.wordpress.com
S H A Y K H CA B D A L -F A T T A H A B O G H U D D A H was born in
Syria in 19 17. O ne o f the outstanding M uslim scholars o f the 20th
century, Shaykh Abu Ghuddah was a leading scholar in the field
o f hadith and Hanaf! school o f fiqh. H e studied in Syria and Egypt
specialising in Arabic language, hadith, sharfah, and psychology.
H e had many prominent teachers, among them Shaykh R agh ib
al-Tabbakh, Shaykh Ahm ad ibn M uham m ad al-Zaraqa, Shaykh
cIsa al-Bayanunl, Shaykh Ahm ad al-Kurdl, and the renowned
Ottoman Scholar Imam al-Kawthari. H e taught usul al-fiqh, HanafI
fiqh and Comparative fiqh at the U niversity o f Damascus. H e also
taught at the K in g Saud U niversity and Imam M uhammad ibn
Saud Islamic University. H e was buried in al-Baql’ cemetery in
Madinah 1997.
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FO REW O RD
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for this book and illuminate the precious examples from the past.
The aptitude w ith w hich he brings to life those great scholars and
works o f the past succeeds in bringing history to life and filling us
again w ith invigorating and inspirational thoughts.
The book provides vivid insight into a subject o f great im
portance, not only for students and scholars, but every human
being w ho regards time as a valuable gift from G od and is keen
to appreciate this gift. I cannot imagine that w e w ill ever have a
more profound portrait o f the value o f time and its appreciation
b y earlier M uslim scholars. This is a pioneering w ork in the sense
that according to m y knowledge, it is the first study that is exclu
sively devoted to the value o f time.
In particular, the book highlights the value o f time in the field
o f knowledge and its people. It teaches us how to appreciate this
invaluable gift and blessing from God, and how to benefit from
it. It reminds us o f the need to manage our time well, and avoid
falling into excessiveness in speech, food, gatherings and meetings.
B y doing this w e can achieve the most eminent legacies, and the
best and most lasting o f deeds.
T h e shaykh reminds us how the pious predecessors and early
scholars, w ho are for us a model o f all good deeds and an example
for every virtue, valued this immense gift, and ho w every moment
o f their lives was calculated to be spent in the pursuit o f know l
edge.
The Shaykh him self exemplified devotion to the service of
knowledge and the treasuring o f time. E ven while travelling he
w ould keep him self busy in reading or writing. O nce while he
was at the airport in Karachi, the flight was delayed, and rath
er than waste time he read A nw ar Shah Kashm iri’s al-Tasnh bi
Ma Tawatara f l N uziil al-Masih to his students M ufti ShaficI and
Maulana Y u s u f Binnauri w ho w ere there to see him off. I re
m ember w hen he came to England on the occasion o f the Sultan
o f Brunei prize cerem ony in his honour. I was at the airport with
Foreword
XI
PREFACE
XIII
THE VALUE OF TIME
x iv
T H E V A LUE O F T IM E
This short title contains w ithin it many different meanings and is
sues, all o f w hich merit discussion. For the value given to time by
philosophers is unlike that given to it by merchants, w hich is yet
different from the value given to it by farmers, craftsmen, soldiers,
politicians, young, old, and is yet valued differently by the stu
dents o f know ledge and scholars.
I am only concerned— in this book— with the value o f time
to students and people o f knowledge, in the hope that this will
spur on the spirits o f our young students o f knowledge in these
days, w here the resolve o f students has weakened, and the indus
trious students have becom e negligent, and where it has become
rare to find a student burning with desire to acquire knowledge.
Thus, genius qualities have disappeared and idleness and lethargy
prevail, and failure and backwardness have becom e apparent in
the ranks o f the people o f knowledge and the works that they
produce.
T h e blessings and favours bestowed by Allah upon His slaves
are infinite in number, and no human being is capable o f enumer
ating nor understanding them, due to their number, permanence,
ease, and the continuous manner in w hich Allah bestows them,
and the different levels o f appreciation that people have for them.
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Thus, Allah has granted His creation the blessings o f day and
night, w hich are the blessing o f time that w e elucidate, and in
w hich w e elucidate, and through w hich this w orld passes from its
beginning to its end.
Allah, most Exalted is H e, says illuminating this highest o f
blessings in a second verse: A nd He has constrained the night and the
day and the sun and the moon to he of service to you, and the stars are
made subservient B y His command. Surely in this there are signs for peo
ple who reflect, 3 Thus Allah indicated at the end o f the verse that in
these blessings are indeed pow erful signs for those w ho reflect and
deliberate.
A nd H e, the most Glorified, said:
A n d We appoint the night and the day as two signs. Then We make
dark the sign o f the night, and We make the sign o f the day sight-giving,
that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the
computation o f the years, and the reckoning; and every thing have We
expounded with a clear expounding.4
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And Allah the most Glorified said: A nd o f His signs are the
night and the day and the sun and the moon. Prostrate yourselves neither
to the moon nor to the sun; but prostrate to Allah Who created them, if it
is in truth Him Whom you worship,s
Allah extolled H im self as the Lord o f time and space and
whatever exists in them: “ U nto H im belongs whatsoever rests in
the night and the day. H e is the Hearer, the K n o w er.” 6
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that Allah has rem oved any excuses he might cite and he w ill have
no possible excuses, for Allah had granted him such a long life
time.
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That was some o f what was written in that noble book about the
value o f time and ho w it is one o f the fundamental and most im
portant o f blessings.
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Events are short-lasting, they pass like the passing o f clouds, and
time w ith what is w ithin it passes, and all that remains is its effect.
H ence choose for yourself what w ill remain w ith you o f your
time, for the effect w ill surely remain, and thus to the happy ones
it w ill be said in Paradise: Eat and drink to your heart’s content because
of what you did in days gone by .'9 A n d it will be said to the wretched
ones in the Hellfire: [You have met thisfate] because you exulted in the
earth ivithout right and because you were insolent.20
most o f his time in sleeping and idleness, then the death o f such a
person is better for him than his life. A nd i f one has o f on e’s prayer
only that part in w hich one was conscious, as in the hadith, then
similarly what counts o f one’s life for one is only that w hich was
spent for Allah and w ith Allah.
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died in 170 ah, m ay Allah have m ercy on him, used to say: ‘The
most burdensome time for me is w hen I must eat.’ ” It is indeed
amazing to what degree he was devoted to knowledge! A nd how
precious his time was to him!
This is indeed the w ay o f the scholars and imams, for they say:
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can be regained!”
A n d I w ill not regain w hat I have missed
T h ro u gh “ H ad I,” “ I w ish ” or “ I f on ly” !
cUbayd ibn Ya clsh Fed by His Sister for 30 Years so that He May
Write the Hadith
Al-H afiz al-Dhahabl narrates in Siyar A clam al-Nubala’ [Biographies
of the Prominent Nobles] in the biography o f the great scholar o f
hadith cU bayd B in Y a cIsh the shaykh o f al-Bukhari and Muslim,
the following: “ H e is the great scholar o f hadith, Abu M uhamm ad
cU bayd B in Y a cIsh al-Kufi al-M aham il! al-cAttar. A l-Bukhari
narrated on his authority concerning the raising o f the hands,
and M uslim in the Sahih, and al-Nasa’I, Abu Z arcah, al-Razl,
M uham m ad ibn A yyub al-B ajall... and many others. 'A m m ar ibn
R a ja ’ said: “ I heard cU bayd ibn Y a cIsh saying: For thirty years I
never had time to eat at night, m y sister used to feed me while I
wrote hadith.”
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ing hadith].” Abu Hatim al-R azl said: “ I f you see an inhabitant o f
Baghdad loving Ahm ad ibn Hanbal, then know that he follows
the Sunnah, and i f you see that he dislikes Y ah ya ibn M acIn, then
kn ow that he is a liar.”
Ibn M atin’s Saying: If Yon Write, Collect W hat You Write, and
If You Narrate, Search
Y ah ya ibn Ma in is the one w ho set a great m ethodology in seek
ing and spreading knowledge. H e made the statement w hich be
came the rule o f all scholars o f hadith in seeking knowledge and
narrating: “ W hen you write, collect [everything you hear], and
w hen you narrate, search and investigate.”
Ibn Ma 'in, the One who Rejected Lies About the Prophet
W henever Y ah ya ibn M a in w ent on Hajj, he used to go to
M akkah via Madlnah, and on his w ay back from M akkah he
w ould return via Madlnah. W hen he went to Hajj in 233 ah , he
entered Madlnah before Hajj at the end o f the month o f D h u’l-
Q icdah, and fell ill, and died seven days before the end o f the
month. People heard o f his arrival and his death, and the tribe o f
Banu Hashim brought out the bed on w hich the Prophet was
washed, and used it to prepare him for burial. People attended his
funeral prayer and buried him in al-BaqIc (where the Prophet and
prominent companions are buried), and the people said: “ Here is
the man w ho used to defend the Prophet o f Allah from lies fabri
cated about him .”
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the value o f time and his great desire to seek knowledge and attain
certainty, his racing to benefit, his avoidance o f delaying the op
portunity to learn and benefit, and his fear o f any sudden interrup
tion o f life.25
Through this short story, w e can see how Imam Y ahya ibn
M acin valued and gained time, and w e can understand ho w he
was able to write a million hadith by hand, and to travel around
many countries, to learn from scholars and narrate what he learnt
to thousands o f scholars and students.
Imam Y ah ya ibn M acin is not unique in this regard, and one
can say the same o f Imams cAli ibn al-M adlni, Aham d ibn Hanbal,
al-Bukhari, M uslim , Abu Daw ud, al-Tirm idhi, al-Nasa’i and oth
ers like them.
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A s for Ism a'il ibn Ishaq al-Q adi, I have never seen him w ithout
finding him w ith a b o o k in his hand, or lo o k in g through books
searching for one to read, or dusting the books.
The Servant of Ibn Suhniin Feeds Him Dinner But He Does Not
Notice Because of His Engagement in Writing
Al-Qadi cIyad in his Tartib al-Madarik w rote in the biography o f
the M alik! scholar o f fiqh and hadith M uhammad ibn Suhun o f
Qayrawan, born 202 ah, died 256 ah, may Allah have m ercy on
him:
A l-M alik l said: “ M uham m ad ibn Suhnun had a servant called
U irnn M udam . O n ce he was in her house, and he was busy w rit
ing a b ook until the evening. W hen it was tim e for dinner, she
asked perm ission to serve dinner, but he replied: ‘ I am busy at
the m om ent.’ A fter w aiting for a very lo n g time, she started feed
in g him his dinner until he finished eating, w hile he continued
w orking. H e then continued to w rite until the tim e o f the call
for D aw n Prayer. H e then said: ‘Last night I was too busy w ith
m y w ork , O U m m M udam ! B rin g that w hich yo u h ave.’ She re
plied: ‘B y Allah, I fed it to y o u .’ H e said: ‘I did not n otice!’ ”
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Tha clab Dies After Being Run Over by an Animal While Reading
[According to Khallikan], the cause o f Th a'lab’s death was that he
left the mosque on Friday after zAsr Prayer, and he had hearing
difficulties. H e had a book in his hand that he was reading while
walking. H e was hit by a horse w hich pushed him into a hole. H e
was carried hom e in that state, suffering from severe head pains,
and died the follow ing day, may Allah have mercy on him .26
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reduced it to the same length as the tafsir, and com pleted edit
in g it on W ednesday, three days before the end o f the M on th o f
5
R a b c al-A kh ir in the year 303 ah.
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for the fact that he used his time beneficially and knew how to
manage it and use it effectively.
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tioning all o f their titles and topics, some o f w hich have survived
to this day. These are an eternal reminder o f him more so than
any number o f sons or grandsons could ever be, for they w ould
eventually disappear into the past and be forgotten, w hile these
writings remain a lasting legacy, after 1,10 0 years o f his death.
Imam Ibn al-jawzl was right w hen he said: “ T he scholar’s book is
his eternal child.”
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The scholar o ffiqh A b u ’l-Hasan All ibn cIsa al-W alwalijl said:
I visited A bu al-R ayh an w h ile on his deathbed, in his last m o
ments, at the age o f seventy-eight, and he said to me w h ile in that
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Ibn 'Aqtl and Ibn al-Jawzl, the Ultimate Examples in Good Use
of Time
A t the highest position in the list o f those w ho valued time and
appreciated its importance and preciousness, and w ho w ere deter
mined to fill it with good deeds, to make use o f all moments, by
writing, thinking, remembering and reminding, are the two great
scholars o f Ha.nbn\l fiqh, w ho ranked among the greatest imams o f
the Muslims:
Imam A bu’l W afa ibn A q il al-Hanball, the student o f al-
Khatlb al-Baghdadl, and Imam A b u ’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzl, his stu
dent, may Allah have m ercy on them. I include here some details
o f their lives:
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Ibn cAqtl Chooses Hard Cnist Softened with Water Rather than
Bread to Save Time
And I seek to shorten m y meal times as m uch as possible, to the
extent that I choose to eat hard crust m ixed w ith water rather than
bread, because o f the difference in ease o f chewing, in order to
save time for reading or w riting something that may be o f ben
efit. For the greatest profit made in the eyes o f the wise people,
by consensus o f all scholars, is time, for it is a treasure in w hich
opportunities are used. For indeed duties are numerous and times
are fleeting.
Shaykh Ibn al-Jawzi said: Imam Ibn cA qil was always busy
seeking knowledge, searching for explanations o f ambiguous is
sues and for the essence o f things, and he made his book know n as
“A l-Funun” (The Arts) a collection o f his thoughts and observa
tions.
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telling stories about the rulers and about the rise and fall o f pric
es, and so on. I discovered that Allah, G lorified be H e, did not
guide people to the realisation o f the nobleness o f time and the
im portance o f times o f health, except the successful ones w hom
H e blessed and guided, A nd no one will be granted such goodness ex
cept persons o f the greatest good fortune.10 W e ask Allah, Praised and
G lorified be H e, to guide us to k n o w the value o f tim e, and to
enable us to use it.
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The Great Resolve of the Scholars of the Salaf and the Excellence
of their Writings
The determination and self-discipline o f the early scholars were
high, w hich is reflected in their writings, w hich w ere the essence
o f their lives, despite the fact that most o f their writings have been
lost. This is because the ambition and determination o f students
had weakened, such that they became only interested in summa
ries, and were not motivated to write lengthy works, and they
m oreover became content with studying a few books, leading to
the loss o f many books that w ere not copied!
T h e path to be followed by the student o f knowledge seeking
perfection is to read the various books, and he should read much,
for thus he w ould be inspired and stimulated by the knowledge o f
scholars and their great feats, w hich w ould motivate him to un
dertake arduous w ork. M oreover, no book is devoid o f some ben
efit to be acquired from it.
I seek refuge from the lives o f these contemporary people,
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Allah blessed him w ith a lo n g life, until he repeated all his narra
tions m any times. H e was sought by students o f kn ow ledge from
all countries. H is times w ere preserved, his w ords counted. N o t
a a single h our passed w ithou t recitation o f the Q u r’ an, dhikr,
tahajjud, o r teaching. H e w ould forbid people from unnecessary
and unbeneficial talk or backbiting in his gathering. H e left his
house only to attend congregational prayer, E id or funerals, and
did not attend the com m on gatherings o f the people.
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ished 80. H e w rote al-Muhadhdhab f i ’l-K uhl and Sharif Qaniin ibn
Sina in m any volum es, and other books on m edicine.
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o n e’s clothes, and asked for a pen, in k and paper, and started
w ritin g a paper until he finished it. T h e n he w ent back inside and
finished his bath. H e was a generous man, never keepin g from
benefiting others w hether b y day or night. A num ber o f princes,
as w ell as M uhadhdhab al-D ln ibn A b l H ulayqah, the c h ie f doc
tor, Sh araf al-D ln al-Saghlr, the most prom inent physician, and
people from various classes used to attend his gathering at his
house. U n d e r his authority and that o f cIm ad al-D ln al-N abulsI,
physicians graduated in E gyp t and in C airo, w here he had built a
house. D u rin g his last illness after w h ich he died, som e o f his fel
lo w physicians advised him to drink som e w in e, holding that his
illness w ou ld be cured b y it, but he refused to drink any and said:
“ I w ill not m eet Allah w ith some w in e inside m e .” H e did not
m arry. H e left his house, his books, and w ealth as an endow m ent
for the M an$uri hospital.
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A t the same time as he was learning from his shuyiikh and teaching
his students, he was also answering fatwa enquiries from the people
o f San'a’ and other towns for twenty years. H e was then appoint
ed jud ge o f Sanca’ in 1229 ah for twenty years, until his death. H e
died, may Allah have m ercy on him, having written 114 books,
many o f which he mentioned in his autobiography.
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His tafsir is a rare marvel among the books o f tafsir, and it is suf
ficient to bestow prominence, excellence and knowledge on his
legacy. H e had written it by night as m entioned above, and it has
been said:
A n d m ake most o f the nighttim e for yo u r wishes
F or nighttim e is the day o f the shrew d ones
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A l-H afiz ibn Shahln has a tafsir by use o f liadlth w h ich is 1,0 0 0
volum es long. A l-Q ad I A b u B ak r ibn al-cArabl has a tafsir entitled
Anwar al-Fajr, w h ich is around 80,000 pages, and it is k n ow n to
exist in ou r lands— that is, the libraries o f Istanbul and T u rk e y—
but I have not succeeded in finding it despite m y lo n g search for
it. Ibn al-N aqib al-M aqdisI, one o f the shuyiikh o f A b u H ayyan
had a tafsir w h ich was around 100 volum es long, som e o f w hich
can be found in the libraries o f Istanbul.
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The Numerous Works of Ibn H azm and Ibn Abu Hatim al-R azl
Imam Abu M uhammad cAll ibn Hazm left behind 400 volumes o f
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W hen that Tarikh becam e w ell kn ow n , our shaykh and scholar al-
H afiz Z a k iy y al-D ln A b u M uham m ad cA b d u l-cA zim al-M undhiri
the scholar o f [tadith o f E gypt, said: “ I believe that this m an made
the intention to w rite this b ook w h en he was mature enough to
think, and began to gather inform ation from that tim e, for other
w ise life is too short fo r one to w rite such a b o o k after b ecom ing
preoccupied w ith teaching and narration.”
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H e learnt from m any people, and the num ber o f his scholars
reached 1,3 0 0 shuyukh and over 80 shaykhat [w om en scholars].
H e traveled to Iraq, then M ecca, then M edina, then he traveled
to the lands o f the non-Arabs. H e studied in Isfahan, N isapur,
M arw , T ib riz, M ihana, Y ab haq , K husrujird, Bistam , D am ighan,
A rrayy, Zanjan, H am adhan, Asadabad, Ja y y , Herat, B aw an , Bagh,
B ushang, Sarkhas, N u qan, Sim nan, A bharm M arand, K h u w ay,
Jarbazaqan, M ushkan, R u zraw ar, H ulw an, Arjish. H e also stud
ied in Anbar, R afiq a, R ah b a, M aridin, M akisin and other cities in
m any lands, traveling far and w ide, not tiring from the length o f
the jo u rn e y , alone, except for his taqwa w h ich he took for a com
panion, and a determ ination w h ich aspired to the highest o f goals
as a precious prize.
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ness, high quality o f w ritin g and teaching, and the seal o f this
field.
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These were glimpses from the life o f this eminent imam: al-Hdfiz
ibn cAsakir al-Dimashqi, in w hich I perceived amazing marvels
and entertaining wonders. Had it not been for his conservation o f
time, and good use o f minutes and seconds, he w ould not have
been able to write those great huge beneficial works, w hich aca
demic institutions are incapable o f printing today, let alone write
their likes. Thus, dear readers, let us all use every moment o f our
time, for it is the treasure o f blessing and goodness.
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As for the best places, then they are upper room s rather than
lo w e r halls, and any place that is far from distractions, w here the
heart is em pty from anything that m ay distract it and occupy it,
or overcom e it and prevent it from m em orising. It is not recom
m ended to m em orise near plants or greenery, nor near rivers, or
on the sides o f the road, fo r such places are seldom free from
things that prevent concentration and peace.”
His advice regarding places is different from that o f Abu Nasr al-
Farabl.37 A l-Q ad l ibn Khallikan w rote in his biography in Wafayat
al-A^yan: “ H e was a solitary man, not m ixing w ith people. During
his stay in Damascus he was mostly near rivers, or gardens, where
he wrote his books and received his students.”
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stay away from people and noise, because solitude facilitates clar
ity o f thinking, and w hen the mind is clear and understanding is
correct. T h ey are seeing knowledge through the balance o f the
intellect, and this balance is extrem ely fine, and is affected by the
least o f desires or distractions, m aking it deviate from its proper
state. Thus in seeking specific and difficult matters o f knowledge
one must give careful consideration to the time and place, so that
comprehension may be achieved and conception and judgem ent
may be correct.
T h e Imam o f hadith and fiqh, Abu Sulayman Ham d ibn
M uhammad al-Khattabl, al-Busti, born in 319 ah and d ie d in 388
ah, may Allah have m ercy on him, said:38
W h en I am alone, m y m ind is clear, and I find
Thoughts as bright as lightening in the darkness
W h ile w h en m y ear is distracted by the clam our
O f the shouters, I becom e unable to articulate m y thoughts.
Some know ledge is o f little consequence, has minimal benefit, is
superflous (who absence is not considered a deficiency), has little
benefit, and the need for it is even less. Tim e should not be spent
on seeking such knowledge, nor should minds be preoccupied
with it. For preoccupation with the less-preferred things prevents
obtaining what is preferred and the better, and causes one to con
sume time and energy and prevents one from achieving one’s
goals and wishes. Salih ibn cAbd al-Quddus w rote:39
I f you seek kn ow ledge, then k n o w that it is a burden,
H ence take care o f w hat you carry
A n d i f you find som ething better than it, then
Preoccupy yo u r heart w ith that w h ich is better.
The wise man must devote [his] keen mind and precious time to
better actions and the higher aspirations, in order to attain what is
most excellent and useful.
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then Caliph al-M a’mun, in his precious advice w hich I wish to in
clude here fully for the deep insight and eloquent expression con
tained in it.
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in eating, the time he saved through his fast reading, writing, and
w alking w ould be wasted through the length o f the time spent in
eating! Thus he w ould not know ho w to manage his time well,
nor how to benefit from the above advice.44
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Thus, seek to gain time and benefit from it, by organising your
self and managing your times and tasks: as a student or teacher,
w riter or reader, listener or reciter, or as a worshipper. A nd do not
w rong yourself by killing time, wasting hours o f your life and m o
ments o f your existence, w ronging yourself and being wronged,
seeking rest and laziness, and leaving noble deeds and elevated po
sitions.
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The Value of Time
M otivation may slacken and some time may be wasted, but when
encouraged it is revived, and motivation stops only because o f
lack o f determination and ambition. For w henever amibition is
high, it cannot be satisfied with little.
I f one is high he w ou ld aspire to attain the highest summits
W h ile those w h o are lo w are content w ith w hat is low est
But one must strive, and each w ill have that for which he was
created for facilitated for him, and Allah, G lory be to Him , is the
G iver o f Aid.
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THE VALUE OF TIME
Time is Life
T h e righdy-guided teacher and adviser Hasan al-Banna, may
Allah have m ercy on him, said: “ W hoever knows the real val
ue o f time knows life itself, for time is life.” T h e jurist and poet
cUm arah al-Yam am , w ho died in 569, may Allah have m ercy on
him, said in a poem , quoted in his biography in Wafayat al-Acyan
o f Ibn Khallikan:
I f yo u r capital is you r life, then bew are
O f spending it in w hat is not necessary,
F or betw een the alternation o f night and day
Is a battle, the arm y o f w h ich brings w onders
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The Value of Time
exert yourselves while you are young, for I believe action is only
during youth.” 46
Imam al-N aw aw i w rote in his valuable introduction to his
important book al-Majmuc: “ T he seeker o f knowledge must seek
to learn during times o f leisure and vitality, and in a state o f youth,
physical strength, aptitude o f mind and freedom from preoccupa
tions, before the symptoms o f incapacity.”
A long life shortens day after day, yet you often forget that it is
fleeting and will not return, so you do not use it and benefit from
it, and you think it is ever-long, lasting, slow, while the truth is
far from that. Imam Ahm ad ibn Hanbal, may Allah be pleased with
him, said: “ I only likened youth to something I had in m y sleeve,
then it fell!” 47 And he lived 77 years. For youth, even i f extended,
is little, and life, even i f prolonged, is short. M ay Allah bless him
w ho said:
T h e adhrn is made in the baby’s ear at birth
W h ile the prayer is delayed till his death
A sign that his life is short
Ju st like the tim e betw een adhan and prayer
Another said:
A n d betw een the b o y ’s birth and his death
I f one is honest w ith oneself— is a lifetim e
F o r w hat com es is like w hat has passed
A n d it is but yo u r little short time
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THE VALUE OF TIME
sures have become a goal for them, such that they have no time
left for studying and seeking knowledge. Their state has com e to
resemble that refered to by Imam Ahm ad ibn Faris al-R azl, the
philologist bom in 329 ah, died 395 ah, may Allah have mercy on
him, w hen he said:
I f yo u are harm ed b y the heat o f sum m er
A nd the dryness o f autum n and the cold o f w inter
A nd yo u are distracted by the beauty o f springtime
T h e n tell m e: w hen w ill yo u seek knowledge?!
During Old Age, One is Busier and Weaker Than During Youth
Som e imagine that their days w ould be less busy in the future, that
there w ould be few er problems and obstacles, and that they will
have more free time than during the past youth. H ow ever, expe
rience shows quite the opposite, dear reader, so let me quote to
you from the one w ho experienced that and concluded:
T h e older yo u get, the greater you r responsibilities w ill be, the
m ore relations yo u w ill have, the m ore restricted yo u r time w ill
be and the lesser y o u r energy. T im e is m ore restricted after youth,
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The Value o f Time
Some even stress the lack o f days o f happiness and the abundance
o f days o f hardship:
T h e y say life is all tw o days
O n e is pleasures and one is hardships
T h e y w ere not truthful, for life is one day o f happiness
A n d m any days full o f hardships and surprises
Youth is the Time of Striving and Pleasures, and Old Age is the
Time of Weakness and Problems
Action, striving, strength, glory, achievement and pure pleasures
are sought during the time o f youth, not during old age, w hich is
the time for illnesses, worries, troubles and problems, as the poet
said:
Y o u th w here glory is achieved, in it w e find pleasure
W h ile there are no pleasures for the old
W hen old age and its illnesses affected Abu cUthm an al-Jahiz, the
famous author, he used to recite these two sad verses o f poetry
about the incapacity, weakness, and illness o f old age:
D o yo u hope w h en you are old to be
A s you w ere during the days o f youth
Y o u r soul has deceived you
N o used garm ent is like a new one49
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THE VALUE OF TIME
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The Value of Time
the realm o f finance is the same as that in the realm o f books, for
there too one finds the same satisfaction w ith litde, contentm ent
w ith the easy, stagnation and contentm ent w ith clerical w o rk and
jo b s that do not require any effort or use o f m ind. T h in k in g and
effort are for foreign w orkers w h o are energetic and k n o w h ow
to use their time.
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THE VALUE OF TIME
People w ould feel that it is their duty to nourish their minds just
as they nourish their bodies, and that w ithout such nourishm ent,
they can have no life, and that such nourishm ent is impossible
w ithou t conserving time, gaining it, and optim ising benefit from
it. Society and all people w ould then prosper, in terms o f envi
ronm ent, intellect, industry, production, contribution, and ben
efit.
T hus a little tim e dedicated every day for a specific task may
change the course o f yo u r life, and m ake you m ore upright and
elevated than you could imagine.
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The Value o f Time
Thus, those most affected by loss and failure are the heedless!
M any are the jinns and men We have made fo r H ell: They have hearts
u/hereivith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears
wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle, nay more misguided: fo r
they are heedless J *
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THE VALUE OF TIME
T hus, O dear brother, m ake use o f tim e, for time is like a sw ord.
Abandon saying, “ I w ill,” and then delaying, for there is nothing
m ore harm ful than this, and ask Allah for guidance and success for
accepted deeds and beneficial time.
80
°Sp
NO TES
I. Q u r ’an, 14 :3 4 .
4- Ibid, 1 7 :1 2 .
5- Ibid, 4 i : 37 -
6. Ibid, 6 :13 .
9- Ibid, 74 : 33- 34 -
10 . Ibid, 8 1 : 1 7 - 1 8 .
ii . Ib id , 8 4 :16 - 17 .
12 . Ib id , 8 9 :1- 2 .
13- Ibid, 93 : i - 2 .
14 . Ibid, 1 0 3 :1 - 2 .
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THE VALUE OF TIME
15 . Ibid, 9 3 :1 - 3 .
16 . Ib id , 1 0 3 : 1 - 3 .
17 . Ib id , 3 4 :5 1- 5 2 .
18 . Ib id , 34 :5 4 .
19 . Ib id , 69:24.
20. Ib id , 4 0 :75.
82
Notes
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THE VALUE OF TIME
35. Q u r ’ an, 5 3 :3 2 .
36. Ibid, 9 3 :1 1 .
40. A b u ’l-Q a sim U b ayd u llah Ibn M u h am m ad al-A sad l a l-M u 'ta z ill, a
m an o f letters, a linguist, a ph ilo logist, and a scholar o f p o e try , died
in 38 7 a h ; fro m his b io g rap h y in M u cjam al-U daba’ o f Y a q u t al-
H a m a w i, 12 :6 2 .
84
Notes
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THE VALUE OF TIME
m e rcy o n him .
5 1. Q u r ’an, 7 3 :2 0 .
52. Ib id , 7 :17 9 .
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