Time is not money or gold; it is life and it is limited. You must begin to appreciate every moment of your life and always strive to make the best use of it.
With all the demands of worldly life on your time, you will yet need to find time for self-development and maximise its potential.
The better route towards self-development is, of course, to integrate all your efforts into a structured daily life.
Imam al-Ghazali, may God have mercy on him, in his great work, Ihya Ulum ad Din, gives the following
advice:
advice:
You should structure your time, arrange your regular devotions and assign to each function a set period of time during which it is given first priority but which it does not overstep.
For if you abandon yourself to neglect and purposelessness, as cattle do, and just do anything that may occur to you at any time it happens to occur to you, most of your time will be wasted.
Your time is your life, and your life is your capital; it is the basis of your transactions [with God], and the means to
attain to everlasting felicity, in the proximity of God the Exalted.
Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, and when it passes away it never returns.
attain to everlasting felicity, in the proximity of God the Exalted.
Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, and when it passes away it never returns.
Remember also that `the deeds most loved by Allah [are those] done regularly, even if they are few.' (Bukhari, Muslim.)
While you must always strive to make the best use of your time, you must always aim for excellence in everything you undertake, whether at school, at home, at work or at
play.
play.
Indeed, the Prophet has said, `Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (proficiency and excellence) in all things. (Muslim.)
Source: "In the Early hours: Reflections on Spiritual and Self Development" by Khurram Murad
Source: "In the Early hours: Reflections on Spiritual and Self Development" by Khurram Murad
