Time Usage

To read the previous part: Time Is Relative

By Dr. Ahmad Adam

When we are faced with the situation that we simply do not have the time to do the important work, we should reflect and decide which activities we can reduce, so that we are then left with more time to spend on the important areas of our life.

For example:

The average person spends 15 hours per week on TV.
+ Add to this half an hour a day on newspapers = 3 hours
If the time spent on TV and newspapers is cut in half, this gives a saving of 9 hours per week. Nine hours per week can be translated as follows:
= 468 hours per year
Or
= 28,000 minutes per year
Or

= 77 minutes extra per day.

77 minutes = 1155 breaths = 5544 heartbeats

What we can do with 77 minutes extra per day:

In 77 minutes, one can recite 77 duroodon Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

    * In 77 minutes one can recite Surat Al-Ikhlas 77 times.
    * In 77 minutes, one can pray, study, assist in volunteer work, teach someone, spend time with loved ones, cook a halal meal for the family instead of buying in a questionable TV meal, visit a sick friend, ponder over ideas to earn an honest living, give charity, teach a skill to someone, fight poverty, learn how to use a computer, etc.

The point is, is that we only have a limited amount of hours every day. We have to sacrifice our time to do certain activities. We have to decide what is important, and which activities can be considered “sacrificial” blocks of time. If we allow frivolous activities to overshadow our important activities, we could end up losing the race in this life.
When we plan to go for a holiday, we plan well in advance, pack our bags and our tickets and clothes (depending on the season, winter or summer) etc. It therefore makes common sense that we have to make preparations for our journey to the hereafter. The only problem is that our ticket (death) is already booked, but we do know the date and time of our “flight.”

When we are called, we cannot say, “we are not ready.” Furthermore, we do not know whether we will go to a very hot place or a very peaceful one — the only provisions that we take with us are our deeds, both good and bad; our deeds are the currency of the hereafter; the scale will then determine our ultimate abode, either in Paradise or in
Hell.

To read the next part: Action Plan