A Muslim’s first source of guidance in life is the Qur’an, and
so we turn to the Book of Allah for our initial inspiration in time management.
Surah Al-Asr
Most
of us have committed to memory the beautiful, short surah: Al-Asr (Quran
103:1-3). Admittedly, we often choose to recite it in our salah
because of its brevity rather than for its profound meanings. And yet Imam
Shafi’i asserted that if Allah had revealed only this surah, it would have been
enough for the guidance of all humanity!
Allah begins the surah by taking
an oath – ’Wa al-‘Asr’ – which means
‘by time’. Anything that Allah the Most High swears by in the Qur’an is a
tremendous matter – such as ‘Wa al-Fajr’ (by
the dawn) or ‘Wa al-Shams’ (by the
sun). In the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace),
beginning with an oath was a method to draw the attention of the listener. Time
is a concept that fascinated and awed the Arabs then, and it still fascinates
Muslims now.
Inna al-insaana la fi khusr (Verily man is in a state of loss). The
second verse starts by describing the general state of humanity – a state of
loss, failure and a life which is a waste of time. However, the third verse
starts with a glorious exception: Illa-allathina aamanuw (Except
those who believe). Here then, the Qur’anic paradigm gives us, as Muslims,
immense hope. No matter how lazy, inefficient, unproductive, mediocre or
powerless we may be as individuals or as a community – as long as we live and
die as Muslims – our life will not be a complete waste of time.
Conversely, no matter how busy, productive, efficient,
successful and powerful non-Muslims may appear to be in this world – as long as
they die rejecting Islam – none of their work is accepted. This reminds us of
the timeless principle of Islam: innama al-‘amaalu bi in-niyyat (Actions
are judged by intentions); any work or skill, be it running a company, serving
the community or time management in general, must be acceptable to Allah for it
to have any lasting benefit. For example, if we intend to set up a soup kitchen
for the homeless and the whole project flops, as long as we intended it for
Allah, we will be rewarded as if the project was the stunning success we hoped
it would be. Yet if we succeed in building a massive corporate empire, we will
gain nothing but regret in the next life, if we intended other than Allah’s
good pleasure.
Even outwardly pious actions such as building masjids or helping
other people or praying could even be punished if our intentions are to show
off. So the Muslim’s first rule of time management is seeking acceptance from
Allah – checking our intentions – which Surah al-Asr so
succinctly reminds us.
Of course a Muslim is never complacent, relying only on belief
for success. There must be work. And no other community can equal the
Muslim ummah in terms of striving for both dunya and akhira – not
neglecting the rights of Allah or the needs of fellow man. The second half of
the last ayah explains why: wa ‘amilu-saalihaati (and
do righteous deeds). Such good deeds include all the great acts of worship in
Islam which encompass every possible beneficial use of one’s time: prayer,
supplication, pilgrimage, charity, helping the poor, defending the weak,
excellence in dealings and so on.
The last words of the surah provide
one of the most important examples of such good works – good counsel: watawaa saw bi al-haqq Watawaa saw bi is-sabri (and
enjoin upon one another truth [i.e. the beliefs and practices of Islam] and
enjoin upon one another patience [from committing acts of disobedience]).
Hasan al-Basri, one of the greatest scholars in Islamic history
from the blessed generation after the Sahaba (Taabi’een), is reported to have had the following
inspiration about Surah al-‘Asr.
On a sweltering hot day, on a street of Baghdad, he heard an ice-seller
exclaim, ‘O people! Have mercy on one whose capital is melting away.’ Sheikh
al-Hasan made an immediate connection with time. Just as the ice-seller would
make a loss if his capital melted away, man in general will make a loss in the
business of life, if we allow our capital to melt away. Our capital is time and
Allah reminds us in Surah al-‘Asr that
if we waste our capital (time) solely for the dunyathen we
make al-khusr (tremendous loss).
It is not unusual for Allah to use the metaphor of business to
describe the life of this world and our purpose in it. One of the most powerful
verses of the Qur’an talks of Allah ‘purchasing’ our lives:
Indeed Allah has purchased from the believers
their very lives and their wealth, promising them Paradise in return (Qur’an 9: 111)
What an excellent transaction this is! So I pray that the
readers and this needy author may benefit from the meanings of Surah al-‘Asr; that we may recite it during salah
with full concentration and that we live our lives according to it – thereby
following a massive principle of Islamic time management: believe and do good
deeds for Allah alone. Only then will we not waste our life.
http://productivemuslim.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment