Author: Abdul Hameed Gurgij
The Afflictions of the Vanguard Generation (Part Three)
1. The importance and value of time for Muslims and the righteous predecessors
The Prophet (MABH) and his companions, inspired by the Holy Quran, drew the attention of Muslims and believers to time in a very clear and lucid manner, encouraging them to make optimal use of it, and they truly placed a great value on their own time and the time of others. Where the Quran swears by time and certain parts of the night and day, and when the most important duty of man before his Lord (which are the rituals and rites of worship) must be performed at specific times and places, the Holy Prophet of Islam (MABH) said: «لن تَزُولَ قَدَما عَبدٍ يومَ القِيامَةِ حَتَّى يسأَلَ عَن أَربَع خِصَالِ: عَن عُمرِه فيما أفناهُ وَ عَن شَبابِهِ فيما أبلاهُ وَ عَن مالِهِ مِن أينَ إكتَسَبَهُ وَ فيما أنفقَهُ و عَن عِلمِهِ ماذا عَمِلَ بِهِ» Translation: “On the Day of Judgment, no person will be able to take a step forward to answer these four questions: How did he spend his life? How did he use his youth and physical strength? How did he earn his wealth and how did he spend it? What did he do with his knowledge and wisdom? Did he act on it or not?” [1]
Yes, the faithful companions of the Holy Prophet (MABH) had this important saying in their ears. Any act of worship and righteous deeds, any remembrance and contemplation of the existence and its Creator, as well as efforts to discover the laws and secrets of the world in order to conquer and optimally utilize nature, take place over time. It may be said that the difference between innovative and creative people and ordinary people, successful and prosperous people and those who have failed and are left behind in the caravan, and the growth and progress of developed countries and nations and backward and underdeveloped countries, is nothing but planning, continuous work and effort, and one of the characteristics of successful people is their persistence and pursuit. In both planning and perseverance and hard work, the element of time and its optimal use play a major role.
The righteous predecessors correctly understood the value and importance of time and knew that time passes quickly and ends and never returns, and cannot be compensated; because for those who want to be people of work and action and not words and hopes, every time has its own special work and action.
It is stated in the authentic hadith that: “Allah has not left any excuse or pretext for someone who has completed sixty years of his life (but still does not have a record of his positive deeds recorded in it).”
The life of a Muslim, as depicted by the Quran and the Holy Prophet (MABH), does not have a single empty space that a person can fill with useless and futile deeds and useless words. A look at the obligatory and voluntary prayers, supplications and Remembrances that a Muslim person is required to perform or utter if they have the opportunity and ability, will confirm this claim.
Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (MABH) says: “I have never been more regretful and depressed than when a day has passed and my life has been shortened by the setting of the sun, but I have not been able to do a useful and righteous deed.”
It is said: “Hazrat Umar bin Al-Khattab (MABH) used to beat himself with a whip (and blame and calculate himself) and say to himself: Here! What have you done today?” [2]
One of our predecessors said: “Whoever spends a day of his life without fulfilling its right, or fulfilling a duty, or establishing greatness, or earning praise and admiration, or doing good, or acquiring knowledge, has certainly not fulfilled the right of his time and has wronged himself.” In short, a person’s true lifetime is not the number of years that pass from birth to death, but rather, his true lifetime is the amount of righteous deeds, worthy behavior, and good deeds and words that are recorded in his savings account with Allah. Indeed, 10 years of a person’s life spent in charity, helping others, and serving the community is equal to fifty years of a person’s life spent without doing good deeds, serving creation, and worshipping Allah. The world was also made by men and women who have calculated and exploited every moment of their lives; not by people who spend their days and nights without knowing what they are in, how much time has passed since their death, and what they have sown in the land of life and the opportunity of time.
The Vanguard generation must consider their life as a trust that can be reclaimed at any time. They must value and consider it a means of their dignity and honor, and plant in it the seeds of goodness, the seeds of love and philanthropy, and the seedlings of faith and godliness. They must plan for every moment of their lives, and not only do they not have enough extra time and opportunity to indulge in fun and games, but they also catch and throw time into their nets!
2. Engaging in fun and games
Engaging in trivial and insignificant matters is the second form of demagogy. Ordinary people, rather than thinking about their “personality,” are thinking about a part of their personality, or rather, they are thinking about their “person.” Instead of thinking about their faith, they are thinking about a very small part of their worship and morality. Instead of thinking about preserving the essence of the Islamic Ummah, they are thinking about defending a specific religion or even a pseudo-religion. Instead of trying to serve the servants of Allah, they are thinking about saving their people and tribe, and instead of freeing all of humanity from the yoke and captivity, they are thinking about defending a specific race, color, and language. The demagogues give more importance to Navafel (optional acts) and Sunnah than obligatory acts and consider the branches more important and prominent than the principles. Such people would burn a kingdom for a handkerchief.
They consider a carpet more important than the peace of their family in their daily lives, and argue for hours over a childish and unnegotiable issue. Imagine a husband and wife who talk, argue, and get their nerves worked up over how similar their children are to their ancestors, or how to name them, or how salty their food is, or how well they decorate and furnish their home. This is a clear example of the concern and preoccupation with worthless and insignificant tasks that the common people are obsessed with.
A person who is like this is usually a detail-oriented person who does not see the whole picture and does not consider the priorities of things. He is satisfied with very small and insignificant results; like a student who only thinks about getting a passing grade, even if it is 10. These people do not have great ambition and big ideas; as a result, they will not achieve much success. Their horizons are so limited and short that they cannot imagine anything other than the current situation, and they are always worried and fearful that if the current situation changes, people will become miserable and wretched! They consider what they have at hand and are busy with as the only option, and they are so attached to it that they do not believe in any pleasure other than this.
Continues…
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[1] – Al-Targhib wal-Tarhib, vol. 4, p. 298, its chain of narration is authentic (isnaduhu sahih).
[2] – Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 7, p. 96, Book of Al-Zuhd, Words of Umar ibn Al-Khattab…, Hadith number: 34459.
