The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
"Free time and good health are two blessings (from Allah) that many people take for granted."
The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said to a man, while admonishing him:
"Take advantage of five before five: Your youth before you become old; your health before you become sick; your wealth before you become poor; your free time before you become busy; and your life before you die".
Ghaneem bin Qays said:
"We would take admonition in the beginning of Islam from the following: 'O son of Adam! Perform deeds in your free time for the time when you will be preoccupied; in your youth for the time when you will become elderly; in your health for the time when you will be sick; in your worldly life for the time when you will be in the Hereafter; and in your life for the time when you will be dead."
The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
"The person with the worst reckoning on the Day of Judgment is the one with sufficient means, the one with free time."
Shuraih once saw some of his neighbors wandering about aimlessly, so he said to them:
"What is the matter with you?" They replied: "We have free time today." So he said: "Is this what the one with free time was ordered to do?"
Abud-Dardaa wrote to Salmaan:
"From Abud-Dardaa to Salmaan: O my brother, take advantage of your health and your free time before some affliction befalls you which none of the people will be able to remove from you."
Al Awzaa'ee wrote to one of his brothers:
"To proceed: You are surrounded from all sides (by the Devil) and he is constantly whispering to you every day. So be fearful of Allah and of standing in front of Him."
I was with Sufyaan Ath-Thawree in Al-Masjid Al Haram, when he said:
"O 'Ataa, we are sitting while the day is busy doing its affairs." I said: "I am in a good state, if Allah wills." He said: "Yes, but it is about hastening to take advantage (of one's time)." Then he told me: "0 'Ataa, verily when the believer is in his final place of standing, he will see with his eyes what Allah has prepared for him in Paradise, but yet (in spite of this), he will wish that he was never created due to the state of fright he will be in."
Ibn As Samaak entered into the presence of Abu Bakr An Nahshalee while he was in the marketplace praying with head motions, so he (Ibn AsSamaak) said: ' SubhanAllaah over such a state of being!' So he (i.e. Abu Bakr) said:
"O Ibn As-Samaak, I am taking advantage of (my time before) the closing of my book (of deeds)."
'Abdaan bin 'Uthmaan narrated saying: I heard Ibn Al-Mubaarak say:
"Take advantage of performing two prayer units (rak'ah) to draw closer to Allah when you are in a relaxed state and not preoccupied. And when you feel like uttering words of falsehood, replace that instead with tasbeeh (i.e. saying SubhaanAllaah)."
As-Sarree As-Saqatee said:
"Every day that has passed by, you will not find anymore
So if you are upon one (now, i.e. another day), then treat it greatly."
Sa'eed bin Saalim said:
"Rawh bin Zinbaa' came upon a home between Makkah and Madeenah on a summer day and brought his food home with him. At that point a shepherd was descending from a hill, so he said to him: 'O shepherd, come here to eat.' The man replied: 'I'm fasting.' Rawh said: 'Are you fasting in this intense heat?' So the shepherd said: 'Should I then let (all) my days go in vain?' So Rawh recited the following poetic verses:
'You have been stingy with your days, O shepherd
Whereas Rawh bin Zinbaa' is generous with his.'"
'Abdullaah bin Al-Mu'taz said:
"Seize the available opportunity, and do not anticipate tomorrow. For who can guarantee that tomorrow will occur?"
Hafsah bint Sireen used to say:
"O gathering of youth! Perform (righteous) deeds, for indeed the time for performing actions is during the age of adolescence."
One wise man once wrote to one of his brothers who was young:
"To proceed: Indeed, I see that the majority of those who die are the youth. And the proof for this is that the elders are few”.
A man from the family of Dawood At-Taa'ee, said: "I said to Dawood At-Taa'ee: 'O Abu Sulaymaan! You are aware of the family ties between us and you, so advise us.' So his eyes filled with tears. Then he said:
'O my brother, verily, the night and the day are stages that the people pass through - stage by stage - until this takes them to the end of their journey. So if you are able to put forth a provision during every day's stage, then do so, for indeed, the end of the journey is as near as it can get, and the affair (i.e. Day of Judgment) is quicker than that. So take provisions for your journey. And take yourself to account, for indeed (on that Day), you will not be able judge in your affair. So it is as if your affair has come upon you all of a sudden. And I don't know anyone that is more heedless of this than me.' Then he got up and left me."
'Umar bin Muhammad bin Ahmad once recited the following poetic verses:
"You are immersed in reckless hopes
You don't know when your time (i.e. death) will come
Do not let good health deceive you
For it is from the most painful of illnesses
Every soul is dependent upon its (present) day
For in the morning (i.e. tomorrow), his hopes are cut off
Therefore, do good and strive hard in that
Before you are prevented from deeds."
AlWaleed bin Saalih narrated from a man who said: I saw the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in a dream and he said to me:
"Whoever treats his two days (i.e. today and tomorrow) equally is cheated. Whoever's tomorrow is the worst of his two days is cursed. Whoever doesn't acknowledge the deficiency in him is given into deficiency. And whoever is given into deficiency, death is better for him."
Abu 'Abdillaah Ahmad bin Ayoob once recited :
"Take advantage of your free time by exceeding in prayer
For perhaps your death will befall you all of a sudden
How many a healthy person have you seen not having any illness
Yet his healthy soul has departed (in death) unexpectedly."
Abridged from the book Iqtidaa-ul-‘Ilm al-‘Amal (Knowledge Mandates Action) By Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad bin ‘Alee Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee [Died: 463H]
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