I gave this khutba at the Muslim Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA. This was the first Friday after the new year, and I tried to summarize a lot of messages about Barakah-oriented time management principles.
I strongly recommend taking the time to listen to the whole speech. But here’s some key takeaways in case you didn’t have the “time” - pun intended:
Key Takeaways:
One of the Signs of the day of judgment is the actual - or metaphoric - shrinkage of time. Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said
“The Hour will not be established until time passes rapidly, such that a year is like a month, a month is like a week, a week is like a day, a day is like an hour, and an hour is like the flicker of a flame.” Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī
The Quran already told us that most people are in a state of loss when it comes to using their time effectively. Surah Al Asr (Surah No. 103) - one of the shortest chapters in the Quran - states that fact with a clear plan to turn that loss into a gain.
Zooming out of the Surah into the one before and the one after: we learn quickly about two main reasons that make people in a state of loss are: Surah 102: Al-Takathur, competition in accumulating more worldly matters, and Surah 104: Al-Humaza, backbiting, slandering, and busying ourselves with other people’s lives.
Don’t try to Do things by yourself
If you are trying to stop the leakage of time by yourself, you are definitely doing something wrong. What’s at stake is too much for one person to handle by themselves. If you pay close attention to Surah Al-Asr (this is also mentioned in the Khutba), you note how the individual person - the Insan - will definitely be in a state of loss. However the exception from that rules uses the plural form - Allatheena Aamano - Those who believed, perform good deeds, etc.
If you are looking to join an online community of believers who are passionate about learning best practices to upgrade their lives, feel free to check information about the productivity masterclass below. This is a complete framework that integrates authentic Islamic principles with peak performance science, and provides busy Muslim professionals with practical advice towards achieving that goal without burnout.
Call-to-Action
Take the productive Muslim assessment. This may help get an idea of where and how is your life aligned with barakah principles.
Watch the webinar on how set goals for the new year in the light of Barakah.
If you’re ready to take the next steps, feel free to sign up for the next cohort of the Productive Muslim masterclass: Starts January 18th, 2025 (Saturday), and extends for six weeks inshaAllah until right before the month of Ramadan.
Share this post