They Say “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky”

If you are a big fan of old songs or 70’s rock bands, you must know Kansas – that American rock band. A song titled Dust in the Wind has a lyric which is actually beautiful, yet if we just see it through a surface comprehending, we could just deny it. They say “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky,” but why? Both earth and sky belong to the line of time and space, but how could time be limitless?

Time is limited, so is ours.

That lyric of the song I have quoted was just a prologue to the main topic I would love to share in this writing. It is about time according to Islam.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an about the importance of time: “By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” (Al-Ashr 103: 1-3). These verses explain the worth of time for a Muslim. By this, He also declares that time is a great measure of one`s life, whether it would lead one to success or to a failure. Also, just like speech or materialistic things like diamond or coal, the most precious things are the ones that cannot be replaced or renewed. Once it has lost, it lost. Once it has passed, it passed. Therefore, it is so important to make use of it while we have it.

Now for you who love Nasheed genre of songs, you might know Raihan – a nasheed group from Malaysia. The nasheed group made a song – in Melayu – with the title “Demi Masa” (By the Time), telling us one of Prophet Muhammad’s saying about time. The hadith itself is “Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth before you become old; your health, before you fall sick; your wealth, before you become poor; your free time before you become preoccupied, and your life, before your death” (Musnad Imam Ahmad). There are many other hadiths talking about time besides this one. So how about what we should do?

The Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, “O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the messenger, and make not vain your deeds!” (Muhammad 47:33). In another verse, “I have only created genies and men that they may serve Me. No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me. For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance, Lord of Power, Steadfast forever.” (Az-Zariyat 51:56-58). From these two verses, we can conclude that we just have to devote our lives to serve Him, The Creator of all.

By those of the mentioned above, followings are the most important duties of Muslims:
1. Ensuring benefiting from time
2. Utilizing leisure time
3. Racing for good deeds
4. Learning from the passage of time
5. Seeking the superior times
6. Planning and organizing time
7. Fulfillment of time commitments
8. Necessary awareness of time wasters

Allahu a’lam. May He guide us all.