بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Table of contents:
3. Loop of mindless consumption
4. How to value time? Practical advices
Time is a the biggest asset Allah has given us, but why a majority don't even value it? Instead of using it for good, we waste it.
1. Lack of knowledge
We value stuff only when we know how great it really is. For that, having knowledge about it is extremely necessary.
Ibn al-Jawzi said,
Don't let the days of your life waste away in distraction, for the prize of every moment is paradise.
Ikram, the sayings of Ibn al-Jawzi.
Just like Ibn al-Jawzi, other scholars and philosophers of our past extremely value time. Such profound state linking the connection of time with paradise is nothing but a reflection of speaker's own self. And such self is achieved obviously by knowing the worth of time.
Even non-Muslim personalities value time to such an extent that it is hard to compare for an average modern individual.
Benjamin Franklin once said,
Don't squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.
2. Uncertainty of future
One who is convinced that death may come smiling at any moment in his life will be mindful of his acts, such that not just avoid wasting it, but even spend bare minimums scarcely on himself, like eating, sleeping, chit-chatting, etc. The intellectual holds the true importance of time, they don't even socialize much, but are found working towards their purpose, but the majority just waste their life away, and it's not that death will come on a specific day, but that time which has passed is already with death.
You are dying continuously. With the passing of every second, minute, hour, day, a part of you is leaving this world.
One of the scholars of the past said,
O son of Adam, you are nothing but a number of days. Whenever a day passes, a part of you is taken away.
A similar statement was said by Seneca in one of his letters to Lucilius, that,
"What man can you show me that who places any value on his time, who reckons the worth of each day, who understands that he is dying daily? For we are mistaken when we look forward to death. The major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years are behind us are in death's hand."
3. Loop of mindless consumption
If I were given to specially highlight one point as one of the major, then it would be mindless consumption. From endless scrolling to yapping about stupid stuff, all this is a part of greater evil.
I am not talking about recreation. Recreation is extremely necessary to prevent burnout.
But the majority, instead of actually giving rest to their body, they fall for the pleasure bait offered by various platforms or agencies.
Instead of going for a walk, they will scroll on social media.
Instead of taking a nap, they will consume music.
Instead of eating healthy, they will eat junk food.
A majority of stuff are itself a time-consumer till you use them, No doubt, but looking deeply, a major effect is what follows afterwards.
A study by Gloric Mach at the University of California showed that after a distraction, it takes about 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain full focus. This leads us to our final topic.
4. How to value time? Practical advices
If you had read the full blog, you would have already realized the value of time, and with this intention to use our time for mindful consumption and purpose, here are a few tips.
- Set up a routine. You can take inspiration from some leading figures like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Huberman. Don't copy them, but learn to make your own framework.
- Better delete social media if you are not using it for business purpose. Otherwise, use blockers to block distracting stuff on them, like reels, home feed, etc. You can use Regain app available on Play Store.
- For YouTube, block scrolling by Regain app, and for videos, just save some productive or even refreshing content to your Watch Litter section. And then when you open the app, instead of scrolling or mindless consumption, you will be redirecting yourself to the saved videos you watched earlier.
5. Conclusion
Time is our most valuable asset, yet many fail to recognize its worth due to ignorance, uncertainty, and the trap of mindless consumption. True wisdom lies in understanding that every passing moment is a part of us that we can never reclaim. Islam, alongside great thinkers of the past, teaches us to guard our time fiercely and spend it with purpose. By setting clear routines, minimizing distractions, and prioritizing meaningful activities, we can break free from time-wasting habits and lead a more fulfilling life.
اللهم مُصَرِّفَ الْقُلُوْبِ صَرِّفْ قُلُوْبَنَا عَلَى طَاعتِكَ
O Allah! Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Your obedience
Ameen.
Comment down any question or dought you have regarding islam and its doctrines. Future blogs will inshallah include the solution to them ☺️
Fiqh & hadith related doughts will be explained by ule
ma of the specific fields inshallah
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