Time Management

The Islamic Way

Mdm Salmiah binti Mat

What is Time?
It is a measure of the passing away of life So,
Time is Life!
It is a precious resourceWe have only 24 hours
in a day
It is irreplaceableTime, unlike wealth, once
lost,
cant be gained back
It is something you cant have enough of
It is something to be respected... Not only your
own time, but also other peoples!

In Surah Al - Asr
Allah (s.w.t) says:
By the time, Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have
Faith, And do righteous deeds, And (join together) in the
mutual enjoining of Truth and of Sabr (patience &
constancy).

Hadith
Ibn Abbas (r.a.a) narrates that the Prophet (s.a.w) said,
There are two blessings which many people lose. (They
are) health and free time for doing good (Bukhari)

Hadith
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: On the Day of
Resurrection the feet of the son of Adam will
not move away till he is questioned about five
matters:
1.On what he spent his life
2. In doing what he made his youth pass away
3. From where he acquired his property
4. On what he spent it (property)
5. What he did regarding what he knew.

Hadith

Allahs Messenger (s.a.w) said: Grasp five things

before five others: your youth before your old age,
your health before your illness, your riches before
your poverty, your leisure before your work and
your life before your death.
Tirmidhi

Hadith
Abdullah bin Umar (r.a.a) said, Allahs Apostle (s.a.w) took
hold of my shoulder and said, Be in this world as if you
were a stranger or a traveler.
Ibn Umar (r.a.a) used to say, If you survive till the evening,
do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive
till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening and
take from your health for your sickness, and take from your
life for your death.
(Bukhari)

Abu Bakr Siddiq (r.a.a) used to pray:

O Allah, do not leave us in the dark (i.e. under the
wrong impression about things) and do not make us
one of those who are careless about time.

Umar Farooq (r.a.a) used to ask Allah for

Barakah (abundance & blessings) in his time
(to do more in less time) and to enable him to
use it for the right purposes.

Sh. Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddi said:

The people who do not value time and

waste all their spare time are truly
deprived and at a great loss. A persons
life will pass away in the twinkling of an
eye and he will be left truly emptyhanded.

Making the maximum use of their time..

Ibn ul Jawzi wrote about 1000 books in his lifetime.
Ibn Jarir Tabari used to write 28 pages every day & not
waste a single moment of his day.
In Jahiz Ibn Rashids life, there were only 2 nights he did
not read.
Ibn ul Jawzi said, I feel sorry for those people who are
busy in play and amusement, roaming around without any
specific purpose, sitting in the market-place staring at
every passer-by and debating & giving their opinions on
the rise and fall of nations.

FROM THE QURAN,

THE SUNNAH OF THE PROPHET
(S.A.W), & THE PRACTICE OF
THE SAHAABAH (R.A.A)
WE LEARN HOW TO PRIORITIZE,
PLAN, ORGANIZE & ALLOCATE
OUR TIME TO USE IT IN THE BEST
POSSIBLE WAY.

Communicate with Allah

The Prophet (s.a.w) said: It is incumbent on every

intelligent person that he should spend some part of his
time talking to his Rabb.
This can be done in prayer, Quran, Dhikr, while alone and
amongst people. Share your feelings and thoughts with Allah.

Quran (59:18) :
And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow and
fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do.
DO A REGULAR CHECK & REVIEW OF YOUR ACTIVITIES
- What am I doing for my tomorrow (my Hereafter)?
- What are my duties & am I doing them (worship, etc)?
- What are my dealings with people? Am I giving them their
rights?
- What is my character, manners & habits like?
- Have I stopped lying, backbiting, telling tales, aimless talk,
sarcasm and doing activities which waste time?
- Where is my wealth coming from & how am I spending it?

No Concept of Free Time in Islam

A believer is never free; he does not have

excess time because there is too much to
be done. If you have time left over from
your duties, help others. If you are already
doing this and still have time, do some
more.

Remember that in your spare time

You can do Dhikr Remembrance of Allah
So when you have finished (your duties) then
stand up (for worship) and to your Lord direct
(your) longing. Quran 94:7,8

Don't waste other people's time

The Prophet (saw) used to forbid

Qil and Qal (idle, useless talk or
that you talk too much about
others)

Why do we waste time?

Laziness

Lack of focus or identifying what one wants

Too engrossed with ones own personal problems
Lack of self-control or self-discipline
Ego in thinking oneself indispensable
Leaving things half done
Taking things & peoples criticism too personally
Demands of society & excessive time spent on social
events
Not realizing the importance & value of time

How to manage your time?

- Identify your goals
- Make a list of these goals making sure you balance your different life
roles
- Prioritize and make a list of things to do
- Make time-tables & stick to them
- Be focused on what you are doing for ex. active listening saves time
- Set realistic targets (monthly,weekly,daily) plan & achieve them
- Review & amend as necessary
- Train people to respect your time & schedules
- Ask for Allahs help in being constant

Most Importantly
- Find out the ways of doing things correctly.
- Knowledge will stop you from wasting time in making mistakes
- Be determined to succeed. Develop a winning attitude
- Do not impose limitations on yourself. Do things confidently
- Be honest with yourself & be realistic

AND REMEMBER . . .
Prayer is the best training (physical &
mental for us in learning to be punctual,
focused, single minded, self-disciplined
& goal oriented. So pray the right way,
with the right movements, humility and
concentration.

And lastly...
Paradise is not cheap

You have to pay a high price

and make sacrifices for it.