Summer Has Finally Arrived

The great scholar, Hasan al-Basri, once said, “The world is three days: As for yesterday, it has vanished along with all that was in it. As for tomorrow, you may never see it. As for today, it is yours, so work on it.”  Brothers and sisters, in a few days, many of us will be starting our summer vacations, insha’Allah. Each person will spend this opportune time in different ways. Before I delve into how we can make our summers productive, I would like to remind you and remind myself that we are currently living in the worldly life. What we spend our time doing will define how we lived it, and whether we succeeded or failed in doing so. For Muslims, time is of outmost importance. Allah (SWT) swears by the passage of time in the first verse of Surat al-Asr. Prophet Muhammad (S) also reminded us that, “The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about five (matters): his life and how he spent it…” (Tirmidhi).

Each of us has goals and dreams for our future which we strive to achieve and spend time in doing so. Just as we seek to gain a degree or profession, we must also strive to gain a lofty place in the Hereafter. And to reach any high position, it takes great work and care. For this reason, we must take advantage of the time we have.  Allah (SWT) has granted many of us an opportunity to spend our summers preparing for this position in the Hereafter.

The first way to ensure our summers are well-spent is planning to memorize a number of pages from the Qur’an. Prophet Muhammad (S) was narrated to have said, “The best among you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” (Bukhari) This is the time to evaluate how many summers may have passed us by without memorizing a single verse. Do not allow this summer to be like others. Make an effort to memorize by registering for a class, or even memorizing with a sibling or friend.

This is also the time to dust off books or CD’s concerning the Seerah of our dear Prophet Muhammad (S) we may have set aside for when we had spare time. Reading a single Hadith a day, memorizing it, and doing our best to apply what we have learned from it, is a great way to learn the Seerah. Similarly, listening to lectures, preferably attending a lecture in person, is another great way to learn from the example of Prophet Muhammad (S).

Summers are also an opportune time to work on strengthening any subjects you may have struggled with during the academic year. Even if you are not a high school or college student, there exists a wide range of classes and workshops you can take to develop your professional or life skills.

These are but a few of the many ways we can take advantage of our summers. It is equally important that we avoid things which could spoil our efforts and displease Allah (SWT). One of those is travelling to a place you know is surrounded with people engaging in Haram actions. Allah (SWT) forbids us from going to such places and we will certainly be questioned if we do.

As tempting as may be, it is also important that we avoid staying up late and sleeping in until late afternoon, especially if engaging in forbidden acts such as watching inappropriate movies or playing cards during the night, as many of our youth and even adults do. Each passing minute will count for us or against us. Prophet Muhammad (S) said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” (Bukhari)

Oh Allah make us amongst those who take advantage of our health and free time in pleasing You.

Sh. Jamal Said