Muslims Don't Have Free Time

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Sometimes we go about our daily routine and never for a minute think that we are going to return to our Creator until something happen that reminds you of death, "I will die one day!" What if that one day is today? Are you prepared to face the angel of death and meet Allah? When you die, no matter how much people love you, they will bury you in a grave. What happen in the grave is a foretelling of your eternal life. And you should be afraid.

When ‘Uthmân ibn 'Affan stood at a grave he would weep until his beard was wet. So it was said to him: "Indeed you make mention of Paradise and Hellfire and you do not weep, and you are weeping at this?". He replied, "Indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Verily the grave is the first abode of the Hereafter, if one is saved from it then what follows is made easier for him. And if one is not saved from it, then what follows is more severe". He also (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "I have never seen a sight more horrid than the grave." (at-Tirmidhî, Ibn Mâjah)

Recognize that every moment of your life is precious. Don't waste time. Don't procrastinate. Stay away from useless conversations, talks and activities. The world of technology and social media network and apps have made it easy for people to indulge in useless conversations, talks and activities. Useless conversations, talks or activities happen when people have a lot of free time and they are not concerned to better themselves and become productive.

Muslims don't have free time because they are busy in the worship of Allah. Worship is everything one says or does for the pleasure of Allah. It can be obligatory or otherwise and include everyday mundane acts.

The most dangerous thing for people is having free time. This is how Shaytan will start tempting you towards shamelessness and doing haram. If you find yourself having free time, start memorizing Qur'an and if you made the intention to memorize the entire Qur'an and start memorizing but die before you can memorized the entire Qur'an, inshaAllah you will be rewarded as if you have memorized the entire Qur'an.

Narrated Abdullah ibn ‘Amr that the Prophet ﷺ said: “It will be said to the companion of the Qur’an: Recite and rise in status, recite as you used to recite in the world, for your status will be at the last verse that you recite.” [At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood]

The differentiation in status in Paradise will depend on how much was memorized in this world, not how much one will recite on that day as some people imagine. This clearly points to the virtue of someone who has memorized the Qur’an, but that is subject to the condition that he memorizes it for the sake of Allah, not for worldly purposes or financial gain. Otherwise the Prophet ﷺ said: “Most of the hypocrites of my Ummah are among those who have memorized Qur’an.”

Even if you are pious, don't think you don't have to worry about temptations. When Allah is talking about believers of high caliber (عِبَادُ ٱلرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ), He does not fail to mention this problem because our iman (faith) is always under threat.

Allah Almighty says,

وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْ‌ضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلْجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُوا۟ سَلَـٰمًا ﴿٦٣﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَ‌بِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَـٰمًا ﴿٦٤﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَ‌بَّنَا ٱصْرِ‌فْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَ‌امًا ﴿٦٥﴾ إِنَّهَا سَآءَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّ‌ۭا وَمُقَامًا ﴿٦٦﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَنفَقُوا۟ لَمْ يُسْرِ‌فُوا۟ وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُ‌وا۟ وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ قَوَامًا ﴿٦٧
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ‌ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّ‌مَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا ﴿٦٨﴾ يُضَـٰعَفْ لَهُ ٱلْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِۦ مُهَانًا ﴿٦٩﴾ إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورً‌ۭا رَّ‌حِيمًا ﴿٧٠

And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace, (63) And those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer] (64) And those who say, "Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell. Indeed, its punishment is ever adhering; (65) Indeed, it is evil as a settlement and residence." (66) And [they are] those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate (67) And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. (68) Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated - (69) Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (70)

[Qur'an, Al-Furqan 25:63-70]

May Allah increase our iman and help us implement the wonderful away of His Book and the Sunnah of His beloved Messenger ﷺ.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihin wassallam

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam