Assalamualaikum was Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
As I find myself time and time again coming back, seeking a religious and right opinion on something. I had a very affecting and character changing thing happen to me. My Physics professor spent almost 25 minutes of the short 50 minutes class referring to the Nobel prize for physics that got announced a while back, sorry I don’t know the date. He went on for 20 minutes of our class time, he explained how these(three winners) people weren’t interested in anything, they just wanted to be with their work environment fulfilling what had to be done(like more knowledge being attained). He turned around towards me(and my classroom) and asked who you do you spend time with? Who do you watch on your phone all the time? Who do you keep track of? Who are you up to date with? Who do you want to be like? I am “practicing” whatever that means living 20 minutes away from masaajid in the area praying on my own at home. I thought of Ninja the famous Fortnite player. Subhanallah those words I could not utter being a Muslim, being a person who has an aim that I achieve a degree so my father is happy in his old age(has no problems asking of me in finances , in worldly matters, in help regardless of where Allah wants that I help my father). Iwas ashamed and I left that class feeling ashamed of what I have become, playing video games while the most important job in essence needs me to heed. I took time to unsubscribe all channels which were taking me away from my goal, I told my mother and brother, have them my PS4 as I know thats not who we as Muslims become. I am experiencing things in relation with not achieving my study goals, I am asking myself what have I to do to become super productive. Fyi my parents live abroad and my goal is to be self sufficient in the sense, gdoing my own things, so that I may be of use to show my father everything and be,equipped to be needed by him.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Respected brother, we did not understand what was your query. Kindly clarify your question and send your reply to admin@daruliftaa.net. Reference it to Aboobakr.
However, we take note of the life changing experience in class and feeling ashamed of spending your time in videos. The question posed by the teacher were thought provoking. Are we using our time productively or wasting our time? If you wish to be super productive, ponder upon a short verse of the Quran of time which consist of only three verses:
وَالْعَصْرِ (1) إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (2) إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (3)
Translation: 1. By the oath of time! (the passage of time that overtakes everything material). 2. Verily man is at a loss (in both worlds)… 3… except those who have Imaan, who do good deeds, who encourage (urge and counsel) each other towards (remaining steadfast on and propagate) the truth and who encourage each other to exercise Sabr. (This Surah is so comprehensive that the renowned scholar Imaam Shafi’ee (R.A) stated that if nothing but this surah was revealed, it would have been sufficient for the guidance of man.)
Life is actually time. A poet explains the value of life in the following two couplets:
حياتك أنفاس تعد فكلما….مضى نفس منها انتقصت به جزءا
Your life comprises of a few breaths that can be counted;
As one breath goes out, one part of your life has diminished.
Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih used to state, Life is like a block of ice. If a person selling ice does not sell the ice before sunrise, the ice will melt and the person will go home empty handed.
Our focus is life after death which is eternal. We surely do not want to the hereafter empty handed. Use your time as productively as possible.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Aboobakr Siddeeq bin Mufti Amjad Mohammad
Student Darul Iftaa
Azaadville, JHB, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.