Ramadan Selections 1447H- Lesson 24: What is the Most Valuable Thing Man Possesses?
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- 26.Ramadan Selections
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
What is the most valuable thing man possesses?
Success lies in investing your time rather than consuming it. You are but time. You are few days, so whenever a day passes, part of you passes as well.
You either consume your time or you invest it wisely.
Most people spend their time eating, drinking and enjoying life, only to be overtaken by death unexpectedly. They spend their time on matters that leave no lasting impact in the future.
Consider this example: if someone sits in a bathtub of tepid water and enjoys it, does this act have any lasting impact? Does enjoying this bath make him a successful merchant or a physician? This bath he takes brings him joy, but it has no lasting impact. Hence, true success lies in investing time rather than consuming it.
True believer invests his time wisely, dedicating it to deeds whose impact will manifest later. In contrast, the disbeliever wastes his time on acts that bring no benefit.
The disbeliever is like a merchant who spends from his capital, leading himself to bankruptcy, whereas the believer is like a merchant who spends from the profits of his trade.
Since man is nothing but time, it becomes the most valuable possession he has; better yet it is the only capital he truly owns in life.
Once again, you either consume your time or you invest it wisely. Allah says:
﴾ By Al-'Asr (the time)* Verily! Man is in loss* Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma'ruf)which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar)which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad, etc.). ﴿
Allah has sworn by the absolute time of man who is nothing but time, and this is the clause of the oath. The result clause is:
﴾ Verily! Man is in loss, ﴿
The transition is most striking when one moves from a home, a high position, good health, a wife and children and a hefty income, to a grave.
This transition is terrifying, for it is a movement from everything to nothing. Then, how will this transition be if it is followed by lasting torment? Hence, success lies in investing time rather than wasting it.
One should not waste time; rather he/she should invest it in performing good deeds.
Do not waste the blessing of being secured; rather invest it in knowing Allah.
Do not waste the blessing of health; rather invest it in obeying Allah.
The difference is obvious between the believer and the disbeliever, as the latter squanders his time while the former invests it.
