In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
(I swear) by time, that surely mankind suffers loss,
except for those who believe and do good deeds,
and they enjoin Truth and they enjoin constancy.
- Surah Asr (Time)
The self-help time
management advice books, websites and speakers are part of a million
dollar industry as an increasing number of individuals are searching for
ways to organize their time and become more productive. This is not a
recent phenomenon and even educational institutions, work places and
Mosques are inviting speakers to address their audiences about managing
their time. The jury remains out on the effectiveness of self-help
books, videos and websites that seem to offer only short-term solutions
to an established chronic and universal issue. The weakness of these
publications and programs stems from their focus on the individual's
success. Clearly, human beings aren't always after their own success and
need a more systematic approach towards accountability. Hence, the need
for religion in our lives becomes apparent.
Islam is thus not a
set of rules we must adhere to only regarding prayer and fasting, but
also concerning our interaction with others, our use of time, and
personal productivity. A substantial number of advice books hold merit
in their own respect and should not be disregarded completely. However,
it behooves us to become familiar with time-management in Islam
according to the Prophets and Divinely-sent leaders because our actions
should emulate their lifestyle and excellent qualities.
Time Is Not Ours to Waste
Who decided time
was ours to spend at our whims? How can it be that we are from God and
to Him is our return, yet the time we waste is ours? Everything we have
in this life is from God's kindness and mercy and just as we have to
return to God, so does the gift of time. A lack of correct allocation of
time leads us to fall short in various areas of our lives –
academically, professionally and in our personal relationships. Most
importantly however, as the workload piles, the first thing we begin to
neglect is the most important relationship we have: with God, the most
Glorious.
Lazy Towards the Hereafter
The happiest
among us are those who have put effort towards building their lives
around Islam, rather than building Islam around their lives. It is among
Satan's attempts to steer us away from God and our obligations as
Muslims by telling us we simply don't have time for prayer on busy days,
or that it is acceptable to hasten prayers so that we can return to
work. These are symptoms that unconsciously make us negligent towards
the Hereafter.
There are plenty
of distractions that make us lazy towards our religious and personal
duties. From social networking to merit-less television programming,
from harmful gossip and conversations that have absolutely no benefit to
excessive sleep and procrastination, we have become proficient at
wasting time. The implications of being lazy during our personal time
have profound effects on our worship. Imam Baqir (peace be upon him)
warns of the consequences of laziness in this world: "I hate for a man
to be lazy in his worldly affairs, and whoever is lazy in his worldly
affairs will be lazier in his affairs of the Hereafter." (Al-Kafi)
If we consider
that each day we are blessed with 1440 minutes, and then further examine
how we put them to use we would find that rather than "not having
enough time" as most of us complain, we just make a series of negative
choices as to how we spend our time. The ability to put off doing small
things, such as making a phone call or completing a relatively small
task enables us to put off bigger and more significant actions such as
reforming our worship or engaging in self-growth and development.
Organizing our Time Around Islam
It's common for
each of us to put things off for later; the to-do list slowly grows to
the point that it becomes undo-able, and Satan presents us with numerous
obstacles and excuses. However, we can look at Islam's principles
concerning ethics and self development and gain advice and key steps
that will keep us away from the lazy lure, allowing us instead to become
more effective Muslims and individuals.
1. Plan Ahead and Divide Up Your Day:
It's important to maintain consistency in our lives, and we can look to
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) for the perfect
example in how to do so! The Holy Prophet stated, "I have divided my
time into three equal parts – one part for worship, one for my family
affairs, and the last part I have further divided into two, one for
social engagements and one for rest."
2. Count Your Prayers: It's important to plan our day around our five daily prayers and not vice versa. The Holy Prophet said, "Prayer (
Salat) is the first deed for which men will be called to account." (
Nahjul Fasahah) In Imam Khomeini's
Adab al-Salat,
the significance of prayer is further reiterated: "The first thing
about which the servant is questioned is the Salat; if it was accepted
his other (worshipping) acts would be accepted, and if it was returned
to him, his other acts would be returned to him (too)." We all know that
a busy life makes prayer harder, but how often do we remember, if at
all, that our prayers will make a busy life easier? Set your alarm or
laptop to alert you when it is time for prayer. If you're on the go,
make sure you have the prayer times written down for the day. A great
resource is
PrayTime, and if you have an iPhone, be sure to install the application alQibla!
3. Watch Your Promises:
It's important to know our limits, and everyone has a different point
at which they can't do more. Naturally, when others ask us for favors,
we wish to help them out and while this admirable, it can also cause a
dent in our daily or weekly plan. The Imams have spoken extensively
about keeping promises and the negative effects of breaking a promise.
If you simply cannot have a task done in the time frame someone is
requesting, politely let them know rather than disappointing them and
placing yourself under more stress. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says,
"Do not make a promise that you are not confident of fulfilling." (Ghurar al-Hikam)
4. Where Does Your Time Go?
It's important to look at and criticize where our time goes every day.
Each person has a different level of productivity and efficiency. Make a
list of the biggest time wasters for you and think of creative ways to
eliminate them. One avenue to consider is technology; although created
to make us more efficient, technology has also become a substantial
distraction in our lives.
Upon reading the
many self-help books concerning greater time management, one will
discover that the "tips" are actually very Islamic in nature. They seek
to help individuals become more balanced physically, mentally, socially
and emotionally. Islam has, from its advent, sought to allow human
beings to reach their maximum capability while reminding them of their
obligation to God, their fellow human beings and of course, to
themselves.