Money and Time

Subhan ALLAH - time flies by and we don't even notice it. Day after day is burnt, and we take no heed of it; no time to reflect and ponder as to where our minutes are being invested, where our time is leading us, and how we've exhausted our lives thus far. ALLAH swore by the time in Surah Al-Asr to emphasize the value of it. But a more frightening verse about this subject is:

"And for every nation there is an appointed term; then when the appointment is reached, not an hour can they delay it, nor shall they advance"
~Surah Al-'Araf,ayat 74~

Yes, the only certainty in life is that it will end. That appointment is concealed and preserved in ALLAH's knowledge alone. None of us are at liberty to delay that appointment by as little as a second, nor even advance it. If the angel of death arrives at our doorstep in a state of sin, not a minute can we hold him back to rectify that condition. When the trumpet is blown, on the day of judgment, our souls and bodies will be driven by an overwhelming power towards the jury of final account. There is no hiding, no procrastination, no extensions of "deadlines" - it's all against our will.

Action, no destination

However, my brothers and sisters, by our will we are empowered to control now, and to furnish for a better tomorrow. We control our actions, but not our destination. We command our intentions, but not our fate. But that's what ALLAH wants for us: good actions accompanied with noble intention - the secret recipe that carried the master-key to success in this temporal life, and the eternal abode. We must start now and act to make every moment in our lives a fruitful one. Time is not money. Money can be regenerated; time can not. Money can be compensated; time cannot. Money can be created; time cannot. Money can be made; time cannot. A ringgit wasted is replaceable, but a second burnt is in ashes, beyond recovery. Every second of our day is either utilized or wasted, and it's a chunk of our lives ostracized.

There is no middle category: if it's not used for good, it is wasted in evil. An analogy for smokers: while flame burns the content of your cigarette, imagine that cigarette to be your life spam that is burning slowly until it perishes. Where are you heading with it, and what good is the smoking habit returning for you? Ashing your time, your money, and your health. Have you prepared a justification to articulate that moment you stand alone before your lord for accountability? And likewise for addicts and those of us who persist on any type of sin.