I Don't Have Time
Mr. Bilal walked around the classroom checking the children’s homework. Some children who had not completed theirs had already stood up and lined up at the back of the room. After checking the homework of the children who were sitting, Mr. Bilal turned his attention to those standing at the back. Each child had a different excuse for not doing their homework: some had guests at home, while others visited people as guests. One child even used the famous excuse: “Sir, I forgot.” One child said something that made the whole class smile, while Mr. Bilal looked at him in surprise. The child said, “Sir, I didn't have time to do it.”
“My son, it seems your busy schedule has increased so much after becoming the prime minister that you don't have time for homework,” said Mr. Bilal. The child also smiled at the remark. Mr. Bilal then gestured for all the children standing as punishment to return to their seats. Moving to the front of the class, he leaned against his desk and addressed them.
“Children, our problem isn't a lack of time; it’s that we don’t use it wisely. A great Imam of the Muslims, Imām ShāfiꜤī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, once said that we learned from the company of our elders that time is like a sword; if you don't cut it, it will cut you.”[1]
MuꜤāwiyah asked, “But sir, how can anyone cut time?”
"It means that if you don't spend your time in pious and beneficial deeds, it will cut you by keeping you occupied in useless and wrong acts,” Mr. Bilal replied.
“Look, children!” he continued. “Every day has 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, and they are given to everyone by Allah Almighty. None of you can stand up and say that you received 10, 20, or 50 minutes less from your share yesterday or the day before, right?” Mr. Bilal asked with a smile.
“Yes, sir,” all the children replied.
Mr. Bilal asked, “So, how is it that one child completes all his tasks in the same 24 hours while another cannot? In reality, the difference isn't in the number of hours but in how we choose to spend them. Sometimes, knowingly or unknowingly, we fill our routines with unnecessary things that even 24 hours feels too short for our important tasks. Tell me, hasn’t each and every day been 24 hours long since the universe was created? So, how was it possible for our elders to use the same 24 hours to worship abundantly while performing great services for Islam?”
“Do you know that in the month of Jumādā al-Ūlā, we remember a great personality known as Imām Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه? He loved the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم so much that he was blessed to see him with his waking eyes 75 times.”
“75 times?” Usayd Raza asked in astonishment.
“Yes, 75 times.” Mr. Bilal confirmed. “His students reported that they saw their esteemed teacher write three full notebooks in a single day."
“Three notebooks? Sir, did they also get homework?” a boy from the back row asked.
“No, son,” Mr. Bilal replied with a smile. "There were no printing presses back then, so the elders used to write their books by hand. One notebook consisted of ten pages, which in Arabic is called 'kurāsah'. This means that Imām al-Suyūṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه used to write thirty pages of books every day. Do you know when he wrote his first book? When he was seventeen years old! At an age when we don't have a moment to spare from playing, he had already acquired knowledge and started achieving his goals. This is why the elders say he wrote more than 600 books throughout his life.
“So, children, the point remains: if you waste your time, time will waste you. But if you are mindful of time, it will raise you to a position where the whole world will honour you.”
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