BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
Free time is a blessing which few have. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace said: There are two blessings that many people fall short in benefiting from--health and free time.
We work, study, take care of family and social responsibilities and these take a toll on our time. When we are finally free of these at the end of the day, we must acknowledge this favor from Allah, the One Who created us and sustains us in every breadth we take. We pray and pray more--pray the sunnah connected to the obligatory prayers, the various sunnah prayers, the mid morning prayer, the night prayers, read the Qur'an everyday, do the dhikr of Allah and send blessings upon the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, much. Don't run to your computer, to friends at yahoo messenger or facebook or CNN or Al-Jaziera or email before you have these worship incorporated in your daily lives. This is the way to show gratitude to your Generous Lord who give you the free time and your health. Don't get this idea that we can save the world while our relationship with Allah is still iffy. The problems in the world are not going to change if we haven't changed our attitude towards Allah. Islamic civilization was great back then because the Muslims were strong in their iman and in their worship. Allah gave them victory because of their taqwa and complete submission to Allah.
So first thing first, use our free time to take care of our own connection with Allah before anything else. In the day of judgment, the first thing Allah is going to ask you is about your prayers, not whether or not you have saved the world. So, use your free time to be close to Him.
Narrated Aisha, Allah be very pleased with her: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to offer prayer at night (for such a long time) that his feet used to crack. I said, "O Allah's Messenger! Why do you do it since Allah has forgiven you your faults of the past and those to follow?" He said, "Shouldn't I love to be a thankful slave (of Allah)?' When he became old, he prayed while sitting, but if he wanted to perform a bowing, he wound get up, recite (some other verses) and then perform the bowing. (Bukhari)
The greatest desire of those close to Allah is Allah Himself. They desire His pleasure, His closeness and to be granted works pleasing to Him. You cannot achieve any of these without tawfiq from Him. So, ask Him. Allah says, "and towards your Lord then state your desires." Qur'an Expansion 94:8
May Allah make us among His grateful slaves. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
