The Nature of Time

Time is longest, yet it is the shortest. It is the swiftest, yet is the slowest. All of us neglect it. All of us regret it. Nothing can be done without it. It eats away what is small. It builds up all that is great. This is the nature of time.

Time is longest because it lasts forever; it is the shortest because none of us has enough time to finish life’s work. It is the swiftest for those who are happy. It is the slowest for those who suffer. Life is made of time. Time, therefore, is not gold or money; it is life.

Time lost cannot be recovered. We cannot store it. Time lost is never found. We all have the same supply of time: twenty-four hours a day but we use it differently.

Allah’s Messenger (Pbuh) said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: health and leisure time.”

[Al-Bukhaaree]

The Arabic word “ghabn”, used here as “lose”, actually means buying something at a far higher price than its actual price or selling it at a far lower price than its actual price, which clearly shows a great loss. This hadeeth likens a morally responsible person to a trader and likens health and leisure time to capital, the money used for starting a new business. If someone puts his money to good use, he will get excellent returns on it; otherwise, he will lose it and experience devastation.

This hadeeth also urges us to benefit from our health and leisure time to get closer to Almighty Allah; we should do righteous deeds while enjoying these blessings before we lose them.

Leisure time is the time when you are not working or doing other duties.

Each weekday you get between four or five hours of free time. At the weekend, you get another twenty-four hours or so. Some of your free time will have to be spent doing your homework, so what do you spend your time doing? Do you have enough time to do everything you want?