You will often hear the statement 'time is money,' and without a doubt, for most people it's true.
Let's take our parents and grandparents for example. Being second or third generation Muslims in the West, most of us watched our parents rise hours before the sun did and head to work every single day.
Consistently. Without fail.
Back then, if you combined that with a tight-knit community everyone on the street was doing well. Well enough to put food on the table, enough to pay the bills, and enough to keep the kids happy. As children we didn't understand. But now, I'm in my early twenties, I can slowly see myself becoming the same person I once looked up to.
That generation traded their time for an income in order to keep the home we had from turning into a house.
Today we trade our time for an income so that we can spend it on matcha and memberships that are never used.
Nevertheless our time is always being traded for something.
Lost in the noise, we forget our time is worth far more than that banknote or gram of gold. It is actually indispensable, and that's the clear cut difference between money and time.
Life in the West pressures us to throw our īmān and leave it at the doorstep, while we are left to navigate the trials of the town. But on the day of judgment everything will be taken to account, and people will regretfully say:
يَـٰلَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ ٱلْقَاضِيَةَ. مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّى مَالِيَهْ
"I wish that death had been my end. My wealth has not benefited me" (Surah Al-Haqqah)
So when you wake up from the intoxicated slumber of what you call a busy life ask yourself, how much time did you give to what actually matters?
Were you too busy for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, or were the prizes of this world worth more than the gates of Jannah?
تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ
You desire the good of this world, but Allâh desires (for you) the Akhirah. And Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. (Al-Anfal:67)
There's no harm in wanting better, better for your family. A bigger house, nicer car, maybe a fancy bag. But at what cost are we willing to sacrifice to get what we want? Where do we draw the line?
As the poet Abu Ishaq Al-Ilbiri says in Ta'iyyah:
وَتَدْعُوكَ الْمَنُونُ دُعَاءَ صِدْقٍ أَلَا يَا صَاحِ أَنْتَ أُرِيدُ أَنْتَا
And death calls you with a truthful call: “Oh companion, it is you I want, it is you."
أَرَاكَ تُحِبُّ عِرْسًا ذَاتَ خِدْرٍ أَبَتْ طَلَاقَهَا الأَكْيَاسُ بَتَّا
" I see you love a bride who is veiled and secluded, yet the wise have firmly decided to divorce her."
So who is this bride? She is the dunya.
Beautiful yet divorced with certainty. Dazzling from a distance, yet disappointing is her reality. The more we desire it, the more deceptive it becomes.
The one that is wise knows nothing can equate to what is waiting for him in Jannah, so he abandons the tasteless fruits of this world.
Now this isn't a call to sit at home and abandon our responsibilities. Rather it is a reminder. Time is also a currency. Every minute has a value attached to it. So before you think about replacing your job or education, let's turn to screen time and distraction. Moments that keep slipping before our eyes.
If you died tonight, how does your story end?
Your Brother, IbnFarooq.
Sheikh Ibn Baz رحمة الله 🌹