Why do we spend hours languishing in front of the TV? Why do we waste our afternoons browsing idly through Facebook? Why do we stay up till the early hours of the morning only to wake up late the following day lazy and lethargic? Moreover, why on earth do we procrastinate when we have an impending deadline?

How we manage our time effectively to complete our tasks and fulfil our responsibilities is a hugely important skill that we should pay close attention to. The value of utilising our time wisely is of great benefit throughout our lives in many areas; our education, our career and even our social lives to mention a few.

The lack of punctuality amongst our Muslim communities is a symptom of how we don’t have an appreciation for managing our time. Why is it that events, programmes or even just meetings hardly ever start on time? If there is one trait that we can take from western culture, it should be punctuality.

But what does Islam tell us about this? After all, don’t we always say that Islam is a complete and holistic way of life? There is an abundance of sayings from the Ahlul Bayt (as) clarifying the huge importance of managing our time effectively. To paraphrase one saying, it refers to allocating different times for work/study, seeking knowledge, worship and rest. Another saying talks about balancing our responsibilities to ourselves, our families and our communities.

Allah (swt) refers to the day and the night in the holy Quran. He (swt) says that the day is made for work and seeking rizq (provision) while the night is made for rest and recuperation.

In fact, there is a strong emphasis by the Ahlul Bayt (as) on investing our time wisely. If we were given £100 one morning to spend by the end of the day – we would think very carefully about how to use it. So why should it be any different with our time? We have 24 hours a day – and when the day has gone, it’s truly gone! The sooner we can honestly appreciate this reality, the earlier we can start taking practical steps to improve this important skill.

A saying from the Ahlul Bayt (as) explains that doing a small good deed regularly is better than doing a large good deed on a one-off basis. This highlights the importance of developing a routine into our lifestyle that we can then gradually improve on. We should identify the time of day when we work best and adjust our routine to make use of it. For some this might be in the morning, while for others this might be the last few hours of the night before going to sleep.

As students and professionals, we find ourselves with a multitude of tasks to accomplish each day. To invest our time wisely, we should identify what tasks we need to do and put these on a to-do list that we can easily access.

We should then use our God-given intellect, the one distinguishing feature that separates us from animals, to prioritise these tasks according to how important they are and how urgently they need to be done. We can then make an informed decision on how to plan our time to be as productive as possible. Furthermore, we should always be critical of why a task is on our to-do list to ensure we are spending our time on worthwhile endeavours.

There is always a balance to be maintained between work and recreation and we know that Islam is the religion of moderation; the middle path. To show appreciation for this great blessing of time, it is our responsibility to spend it wisely because at the end of the day it is for our own benefit. If we cannot use our intellect to appreciate this conclusion then as Allah (swt) says;

“Most surely man is in loss” (Quran 103:2).