Have you ever found yourself celebrating the end of a stressful week saying things like “Finally, it’s Friday!” or “This year can’t end fast enough”? It’s something we all do. We rush through our days, mark off calendars, and count down to holidays, birthdays, or deadlines.
But have you ever paused to wonder what exactly are we celebrating?
The passing of time may bring relief or milestones… but it also quietly takes something precious from us: our life.
This brings to mind a powerful poetic verse:
يَسُرُّ الْمَرْءَ ما ذَهَبَ اللَّيالي
وَكانَ ذَهابُها لَهُ ذَهَبَا
الْمَرْءُ يَفْرَحُ بِالأَيَّامِ يَقْطَعُهَا
"Man rejoices at the passing of nights,
As if their passing were gold to be gained.
He delights in the days as he cuts through them,
Unaware that what is gone is part of his life spent."
SubhanAllah, what a reminder. We often treat time like an obstacle to overcome but in truth, time is our life being spent drop by drop. Just like you can't get spilled water back into a cup, you can't reclaim a minute, an hour, or a day once it's gone.
So, the real question is: What are we doing with the time we celebrate losing?
Think of a student who keeps saying, “Once I’m done with this semester, I’ll focus on the deen.” Or someone working long hours thinking, “Once I get a better job, I’ll have time to pray properly.” Or a busy parent saying, “Once the kids grow, I’ll start reading Qur’an regularly.”
The reality is, we may never get that “once…”
Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’an:
وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ ﴿٣﴾
“By time, indeed, mankind is in loss
Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, and advise each other to truth, and advise each other to patience.” (Surah Al-Asr, 103:1-3)
This short surah is a powerful wake-up call. Every second is either working for us or against us. It’s not about how fast time flies it’s about how wisely we fly with it.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ warned us:
نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ: الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ
“There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) Health and free time.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6412)
Just imagine many of us have both, but still fall into the trap of delay and distraction. We treat our time like it’s infinite, when in reality, each tick of the clock is a countdown to our meeting with Allah.
Every dawn that breaks is another chance. Another opportunity from Allah to do better, be better, and get closer to Him. Let’s not be among those who realize the value of time only when it’s too late.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
اغْتَنِمْ خَمْسًا قَبْلَ خَمْسٍ: شَبَابَكَ قَبْلَ هَرَمِكَ، وَصِحَّتَكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ، وَغِنَاكَ قَبْلَ فَقْرِكَ، وَفَرَاغَكَ قَبْلَ شُغْلِكَ، وَحَيَاتَكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ
“Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your preoccupation, and your life before your death.”
(Narrated by Ibn Abbas, reported in Al-Hakim)
As the poem says, let’s stop rejoicing at the passing of days unless we’re filling them with what pleases Allah. Because in the end, what is time but your life in motion?
May Allah help us to use our time wisely, forgive us for wasted moments, and let our days be filled with deeds that shine on the Day when nothing else will matter. Ameen.