Ramadan Challenge: Time Wasters – A Quick Fix!

By Fiza Khan

Bismillah.

Are you excited to make the most of this blessed month?! Have you listed your duas and charted out the goals? Have you planned to pray at the earliest times and offer maximum nawafil (non-obligatory prayers)?

With such enthusiasm and excitement, what could possibly go wrong, right?!

P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.I.O.N!

Yes, that’s one big bad word we lay our arms to. With or without shaitan in town, our desires get the better of us, to the extent that we stop considering certain activities for what they really are (Hint: TIME WASTERS). We adopt them as part of our ‘daily routine’- from minutes of aimless scrolling on the phone screen with half open eyes every morning,  to evenings lost in casual ‘chill-out’ sessions, we slowly get over the initial guilt of losing our precious time to them, not realizing how these activities slowly creep up and throw our goals in the backseat, if not entirely out of the picture.

Every moment of life is a moment worth saving, to be cashed for a better result in the hereafter.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said,

“Every soul will blame itself on The Day of Judgement.

The doer of good will regret that he did not increase in good deeds

And the sinner will regret that he did not repent from his sins.”

(Ighathatul laghfaan p.105)

Every moment not spent in attaining goodness will be a source of regret.

If this is the case of every-day life then what about the precious moments of Ramadan that we can’t measure the worth of on the scale of blessing and mercy.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

“When the month of Ramadan arrives, the doors of mercy are opened”

(Sahih Muslim: 13:1)

The buffet of goodness awaits, will you sit hand on screen, ignoring it? Will you fall prey to vain desires when you have already shown such paramount strength by abstaining from even the necessities of life – food, drink and the carnal self!

NO!

That’s the resilient cry of your soul longing for a real detox. Don’t hush it, listen while you can for there isn’t much time! When are you going to hold yourself to a higher standard if not today?

Close off your electronic device and think to yourself, what is it that consumes your days and nights, adding no goodness to your scroll of deeds? Make a list of as many as you can, write them down in actual words. Then, resolve to eliminate at least three. Slowly, or at once, choose your way but don’t give up. Take the real steps to attaining your goals; remove the hindrances that have crept in between you and your ultimate success!

“ A limited number of days…”

(Al-Quran: 2:182)

This is the month of Ramadan, a limited number of days to make the most of..and that too will be our life. May you find yourself on Eid day, not in regret for the time lost but rejoicing for the time availed. May that too be our state on the day we will account for every Ramadan we spent and for the life we lived.

“By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.”

(Al-Quran:103)