As revealed by Almighty Allah in the words, “…Remembrance of God is greater still …” (Surah al-‘Ankabut, 45), the most auspicious talk for attaining the Hereafter is talk of God. All talk other than that intended to earn God’s approval, mercy and Paradise is foolish and hollow, and will therefore represent a waste of time. The way that believers should behave when empty talk is going on is described thus in the Glorious Qur’an:
“When they hear worthless talk they turn away from it …” (Surah al-Qasas, 55)
Time wasted thinking one has a lot of time
Another point that generally misleads people is the way that they put off worship and other virtuous deeds by thinking, “I am young, and I have plenty of time for worship later.” Since these people regard death as something far-off and remote, they see no harm in spending their days in pointless and empty activities.
Examples include people who spend hours online for no purpose, who spend more time on domestic chores and sports than they need to, who sleep more than the seven or eight hours a day the body needs, who read the same news stories over and over again in newspapers and magazines, who waste hours watching TV and who literally lose themselves while shopping.
Some people regard going on holiday or the weekends as an opportunity to do nothing and think about nothing: In fact, it is much better to engage in good works in the place one goes to on holiday and to think about the signs of Allah’s creation that can be seen there.
Let us be like someone traveling through this world
It is very important to know the value of time because someone who wastes that time will never think properly and will be unable to properly appreciate death, Paradise and Hell. Yet everyone is invariably heading toward death; believers know this and act in the knowledge that everything in the world is created as a test. They reflect on their own weaknesses that God shows them during the day and turn to matters that will draw them closer to Him.
In one hadith our Prophet (pbuh) says this of the importance of our time in this world:
Ibn Umar relates: “The Messenger of God (pbuh) took my shoulder and said, ‘Be like a stranger or traveler in this world.’ Ibn Umar said. ‘Do not wait for morning when it is evening, and do not wait for evening when it is morning. Be prepared for sickness when you are healthy. And be prepared for death while you are alive’.” (Bukhari, Rikak 2; Tirmidh,, Zuhd 25 (2334))
Let us not forget these valuable words of our beloved Prophet, and let us remind everyone of them. In the same way that someone on a journey does not waste any more time than necessary on comfort stops but carries on straight ahead to his destination, let us act in the knowledge that this world is indeed nothing but a temporary abode.
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