Just a Minute
Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes
Audhoobillahi minash-shaytaanir rajeem
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
A poet once said, “Time is indeed perplexing in the way it passes, yet people’s heedlessness is more perplexing.”
Time is indeed perplexing in the way it passes. How true. Seconds roll into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Before you know it another birthday passes, you’re another year older. You’re moving further away from the time of your birth, and closer to the time of your death.
My kid bro was messing with my phone sometime back, and he adds a new theme displaying a digitized clock. A blank screen displaying only the time in hours, minutes and seconds. For a moment it was kinda cool, I watched the seconds roll on and on into another minute. Then it became strange. Scary. Suddenly it dawned on me that another minute of my life had passed. Minutes don’t mean much usually. But when you watch 60 seconds tick away, you’d be surprised at how lengthy that minute feels. Another whole minute passes, and I’ll never get it back. Another minute has gone by, and I’ve done nothing to lighten the scales of sin written against me; done nothing to make weighty my paltry scale of good deeds.
Heading back from the graveyard my brother says, ‘Those graves over there, you know how long they’ve been there? Since the 1940-50’s.’ I look over to where he gestures. All i see is vast trees, the thick, wide bark springing forth from the ground, supporting huge, heavy branches laden with leaves. Shades of green and deep red, slowly turning into the yellowy-gold that marks the onset of autumn. Momentarily, the scene is mesmerising. Beautiful and breathtaking as you stare in awe at the creation of Allah. Subhan’Allah. Then, in your wonderment you take the whole scene in again. The trees are still beautiful, but now you look beyond their beauty, and instead you realise they’re just there to cast shadows on reality. Cast shadows on the earth around them. The earth beneath which is inevitably a bundle of bones. The grave of the one who returned to his Creator some 50 years ago. Suddenly, you realise those trees hide the secrets of what lies beneath them. They hide the secrets of those being punished in their graves, those who are screaming in agony and fearing the Day of Resurrection. Suddenly the picture isn’t so pretty anymore. In fact, the reality is pretty harrowing.
We get so caught up in the timetables, deadlines, and duties of this world that we become forgetful of the final exam. The final deadline after which there will come no re-sit attempt. No second chance to go back and rectify your mistakes, to look out for the tricks of shaytaan and to see beyond the allurements and misguidance of this world. We spend our whole week under a gruelling schedule of academic and professional work, and then the weekend comes and it’s either spent catching up and preparing for the following week, or winding down and socialising.
Where do you make time for Allah? When do you fit Him and His Religion into your life, into your busy routine? A few pecks of your head against the ground for prayer - is that what you call your time for Allah? The odd recital of some Qur’aan, the odd du’aa when you can. Like it’s a favour you’re doing for Him. Yet, ironically, the worship is for you. It is you that is swaying between Paradise or the Fire, it is you that is between Blessings or Anger. And yet, it is you that is so negligent of Allah. It is you that lets the seconds of the minutes of the hours tick by. It is you that everyday, every waking hour of every day, it is you that etches closer to your grave.
Time is indeed perplexing in the way it passes. How true. They’re not wrong when they say, ‘Every moment spent in other than the remembrance of Allah will be a source of regret on the Day of Judgement.’ They’re not wrong, and now they’ve passed away, gone to their graves. Now it’s you heading to yours. So plan your route on this journey and make clear your path, because with your last breath, everything else will cease and come to an end.
Only your deeds will go forth.
All that is good and correct is from Allah Alone, and praise is for Him, Most High. As for the errors, then they are all mine. And may Allah’s curse be upon shaytaan and all those who take his course.
Indeed Allah is a witness over us, and Allah knows best.
In the care of Allah [swt],
Wassalaamu’alaikum wa rahmatullah
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Subhan’Allaah
”Like it’s a favour you’re doing for Him.”
^^ dat really gave me goosebumps and got me thinking. subhan’Allaah.
such a beautiful and much needed reminder.
jazakillaahu khair for ur contribution to the blog. i’ve benefitted immensely from every1’s articles alhamdulillaah.
May Allaah ‘azza wa jaal reward da CityISoc bros and sis’s abundantly and grant us success, ameeen thuma ameen!