Time is your most valuable asset
Dear brothers!
I have never read more wonderful, comprehensive definition of mankind than that of Imam Al-Hassan Al-Basri
He said: “man is nothing but a number of days, whenever a day passes away, a part of him passes away.”
Meaning you are but a period of time; time is your assets
Time is the most valuable thing that you have
And because you are but a period of time Allah swore by time to you
Saying: “By time”, followed by response to the oath: “Indeed, mankind is in loss”
O Lord, why is he in loss?
With time passing we spend more days of life
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Then a week passes away
Then the next week, the third, the fourth, and etc.
Then a month passes away
Four months; a season
Four seasons; a year
Ten years; a decade
Your life is but a few decades
And when your time comes Allah calls you: “O My slave, they went home and left you alone”
He left behind a house, vehicles, luxuries, meetings, and mixed parties
“They went back home and left you alone, and in dust they buried you, and even if they were to stay with you they would never be able to benefit you as here you have only Me, The Ever-living that dies not”
Intelligence, reason, success and strength are in knowing Allah
“O son of Adam, if you ask for me you will find me there for you, and if you’ve found me, you have found everything, and if you miss me you will miss everything, while I ought to be the most beloved to you.”
“By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, except those ….”
And in this exception lies the mercy of Allah
What follows the word “except” is called “the pillars of salvation” according to Imam Ash-Shaf`’i
“Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience” (Al-`Asr 103:3)
These are the stages of salvation: to search for the truth until you believe
To live by it until you stand firm on the straight path
And to get closer to Allah by good deeds until their faith was increased
And to remain patient in your search for it (the truth) with steadfastness and good deeds
Those are the pillars of salvation for Imam Ash-Shafi`i
“Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience” (Al-`Asr 103:3)
If only people ponder over this surah (Al-`Asr) it would suffice them