Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 9/186
Newsletter for May 2017
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TIME AND LIFE IS THE SAME
The Glorious Qur'an warns that life on this earth is
very short and Allah had created
human being to worship Him (for
ibadah). Worship means having
faith in Allah's Unity and
Justice, the Prophet hood of the
Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.),
the Vilaya (Imamate) of Imam Ali
(a.s.), and the Day of
Accounting or Resurrection. We
should sincerely follow the
Commands of Allah in the
Glorious Qur'an as directed and
demonstrated by the Noble
Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) himself
and interpreted by the Twelve
Imams after the apparent demise
of the Prophet of Allah
(s.a.w.a.s.).
The concept of accounting on the Day of Resurrection is
the foundation of Islam.
The life and time is the same
thing. As
Imam Ali (a.s.) said, “O' man!
You are the collection of
stipulated
breathes and each breath reduces
your life span and become nearer
to your death.” He further said,
“How quickly the hours pass into
a day, and the days quickly pass
into a month, the months quickly
pass into year and the years
pass into the age of a man.” (Shrah
Nahjul Balagha by Ibne Abil
Hadid Mu’tazeli)
Imam Ali (a.s.) had said in Nahjul Balagha, “The days
of life passes like clouds, so
do virtuous deeds while you are
alive. Death is near and our
mutual company is short.”
To salvage the lost time, Imam Ali said, “What passed
from your day is gone but your
present moment can be seized.
Make use of the opportunity and
never trust time.”
It has been expressed in another way as the maximum
length of a man is zero when he
is born, and as days pass his
age goes on decreasing.
Upon inquiry, the
Infallible Imam Ali ibnal Husayn
Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.) replied
that he hoped for eight
qualities; Pray to Allah to
fulfill his obligations, long
life for my children, strength
for the children, protection
from lust, safety from sins by
Shaytan’s instigation, endeavor
for sincerity in charitable
deeds, prepare the soul for the
angel of death, body in the
grave.”
In Islam, the importance of time
has been emphasized as there are
many Surahs named in the
Glorious Qur'an like al-Asr, al-Layl,
al-Fajr, al-Zuha,.
The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.)
advised his great companion Abu
Zarr Ghifari as follows:
“Be greedier, in terms of your
time (life time) more than that
of your gold and silver coins
(wealth). There are two
blessings seriously taken for
granted (misused) by mankind,
health and spare time.”
He also said, “Appreciate five
things before five others; youth
before old age, health before
illness, wealth before poverty,
spare time before challenging
work, and life before death. “He
further said, “Men in their
forties are already achieved
their professional peak; men in
their fifties should consolidate
in piety; men in their sixties
should be ready to account for
the deeds and have no more
excuses; and the men in their
seventies should always be ready
for death.” He
(s.a.w.a.s.) advised the people
that although the record of
deeds is closed upon one’s death
but the deceased man can extend
his life by three possibilities;
leave some intellectual and
scholarly work from which
mankind continue to benefit from
his work; Sadaqa-e-Ja’ria like
building a mosque, drilling a
well for water for the
community, and a pious son or
daughter who will pray for him
and send other virtuous deeds
for the benefit of his soul.
The Infallible Imam Musa
al-Kazim said, “Divide your day
into four parts; one part for
supplications with Allah; one
part to search for sustenance;
one part for socializing with
your friends and your relatives;
and the last part for enjoying
the lawful pleasures.” (Tuhfatul
Uqul)
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