Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.) said that not a servant of Allah shall move as much as his foot before he is asked about five things on Resurrection Day. He will be asked: his age and how he passed it; his youth and how he spent it; his wealth and how he used it; and how he spent his wealth, and about his love of Ahl-ul-Bayt.

What we are concerned with here are the first two on the list, that is, how he passed his time as man and youth. How much time is wasted uselessly with such activities as hanging around chatting, or gazing endlessly at shop windows, or seeing friends for hours on end, or sitting before computers for unlimited periods - sometimes to the extent of addiction. A look at the lives of great men and women, past and present, shows us one thing they all had in common, the one secret of their success: they all invested their time wisely, not one moment was wasted. Imam Ali (a.s.) said:

"The believer divides his time into three units: the period when he is in communion with Allah (s.w.t.); the period when he manages his livelihood; and the period when he is free to enjoy whatever is lawful and pleasant."

These three periods can be adjusted to one's personal needs, but organized in such a way that they do not overlap or use up all the time so that some actions are only half performed or not per- formed at all.

What is important is that there should be a balance between these units of time in a way which does not cause us to forget the deeds relating to the Hereafter; the wise amongst us make all their actions, even worldly ones, as an obedience to Allah. However, he who sits down before a computer without previously deciding how much time he should spend there, is bound to find himself still sitting there entranced, after many hours have passed by.
Similarly, he who always opens the door wide to his friends, will find that one subject leads to another and so on, and what was intended as a short visit turns out to actually take more than a couple of hours! As Muslims, we should, and surely must be, familiar with the organization of time; from the schedules of prayer, to the appointed times of fasting, and the appointed days of pilgrimage. Organizing our time gives us the following benefits:

Next Page