Al Wasillah (In The Footsteps Of The Prophet PBUH)

Your Free Time Before You Become Busy

4: Take Advantage of Your Free Time Before You Become Busy

The fourth blessing is the free time that we have. In fact, it is a great treasure that all of us have to some degree or the other. We must make use of our free time before we become too busy or preoccupied. How much free time do we have and what do we waste it on? Think about it. Think about the free time all of us have been blessed with. Let us not waste our free time. Perhaps the greatest wasters of time are the television and the internet. I am not referring to the time which is utilized in getting something useful and beneficial from these devices; something which is productive. What I mean to say is that very often, we gain no benefit after being glued to the TV or internet for hours on end—benefit, neither for this world, nor for the next. And we'll be lucky if after wasting time, we come out without committing any sin of watching lewd and obscene images or listening to vulgar music or both.

When we have some free time, we should take advantage of it. The greatest thing that we can do in this free time is to engage in the remembrance and worship of Allah (SWT). And one of the greatest acts of worship is to seek knowledge. We should do whatever we can to increase our knowledge—any knowledge that benefits. The Prophet (SAW) used to make a du'a:

اللَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِى بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنِى وَ عَلِّمْنِى مَا يَنْفَعُنِى وَ ارْزُقْنِى عِلْماً يَنْفَعُنِى

"O Allah! Benefit me with what you taught me and teach me what will benefit me, and provide me with knowledge that will benefit me."

  Spending free time wisely does not necessarily mean engaging in religious activities only. One way to spend time is to visit one another; visit the sick, for the sake of Allah (SWT). Time could also be invested in learning a trade or skill that can benefit us and others in this world. In fact, all acts done for the sake of Allah and to seek the pleasure of Allah are transformed into acts of worship. Of course, there are religious deeds that need to be done. Besides the compulsory ritual prayers, we should pray some extra prayers as well; a few sunnahs or the nawafil, if not the continual sunnahs that the Prophet (SAW) used to pray. Each one of us should recite the Qur'an every day, even if it's only for five or ten minutes. It is very important to have relationship with the Qur'an. There are many acts that can be rewarded if ourniyyah—our intention is to do them for the sake of Allah. This is the fourth of the five matters: "take advantage of your free time before you become busy."