Khutbah 1: HOW TO ALLOCATE YOUR TIME

After praising Almighty Allah, sending salutations on Prophet Muhammed (sawa) and his Holy Ahlul Bait (a.s) and reminding each other of the observance of Taqwa (being God Conscious), we reflect on the significance of 7 Safar which is the anniversary of the birth of the 7th Imam of the Ahlul Bait (a.s), i.e Imam Musa ibn Jafar al-Kathim in the year 129 A.H.

He is known as Al-Kathim (one who controls his Anger) who spent the better part of his life being incarcerated in the prisons of Bani Abbas as he was the symbol of resistance against their tyrannical rule and manifested the highest standard of Sabr (Patient Perseverance) in dealing with the injustice that was committed against him.

We share with you a jewel from amongst the ahadith reported from him wherein Imam Kathim gives us the a guide on how to allocate ones time during the day. He says "Strive hard to divide your time into 4 portions (or 4 hours), a portion dedicated to Munaajaat (whispered prayer) with Allah, a portion for earning halaal income, a portion for socializing with people and a portion for halaal relaxation/entertainment. And this last portion (relaxation) assists one in the achievement of the other 3 portions."

From this hadith we learn:

1. Private communication with Allah EVERY day is critical to ensure a continuous communication channel with our Creator is maintained.

2. Hard work to earn an income is essential and actually also an important form of worship itself. The opposite of hard work, i.e. laziness, being unproductive is considered abhorrent in Islam. In fact in the words of Imam Ali (a.s), when 3 things come together, they are the recipe for destruction, namely too much spare time, youthful age, and lots of resources.

3. Socializing with people is very important as it is a human need to communicate with people and not live in a cocoon. However, socializing should be with people who are trustworthy, who are true friends who will educate you about your shortcomings so that you can develop and improve, and who are truly sincere to you in your absence.

4. Relaxation is important as it energizes you to be successful in the other 3 portions of your life, however it must be emphasized that one should enjoy halaal entertainment. If one indulges in haraam entertainment, then this aspect of life that is meant to energize you, will actually destroy your ability to be success in the rest of your life.