Al-Hassan Al-Basri, the well-known venerable Tabi’i [i.e. one who came after the Prophet’s Companions] was one day asked, “What is man?” The question was meant to be “What is the reality of man?” In reply, he said, “Man is but a few days. Whenever a day passes away, one part of him does, too.” In such a concept, Man is no more than a few days. More importantly, time is the vessel that contains man’s work, the place of his earnings, and his virtual capital.

One property of time is that it passes away quickly, or it seems to do so. It is as fast as clouds and runs away as rapidly as the wind. To confirm this, Allah, All-high, says, “and the day He shall muster them, as if they had not tarried but an hour of the day, mutually recognizing one another.”[X; 95]

Another property of time is that once it has passed away, it never comes back or is reclaimed. It has been rightly said “What has passed is gone; what is hoped for is unseen; and man possesses only the hour he is now living”. Al-Hassan Al-Basri said, “Each day that comes anew calls out, ‘O son of Adam, I am a new creation and a witness on your work; provide yourself from me for I shall never come back till the day of Resurrection’”.

Beyond a shadow of doubt, man’s lifetime on Earth is too short compared with his eternal life in the Hereafter. Any number, however great, is nothing when compared with the infinite. Therefore, on the day of Resurrection, man bites his fingers with regret when he finds out that he has lost the eternal infinite life for the sake of this short despicable life.

Whosoever fails to know the crucial value of time and make the most of it in due time will inevitably get to know such a great value but only after it is too late. Regret will undoubtedly break his heart when it is too late for regret. In confirmation of such a fact the Koranic verse goes, “Expend of what We have provided you before that death comes upon one of you and he says, ‘O my Lord, if only thou wouldst defer me unto a near term, so that I may make freewill offering, and so I may become one of the righteous.’” [LXIII; 10]; but the answer comes: “But Allah will never defer any soul when its term has come. And Allah is aware of the things you do.” [LXIII; 11]

Man will inevitably know the great value of time on the day of Resurrection, when every human being will be fully recompensed for what they have done, and will be rewarded for what they have earned, when believers are allowed into Paradise and unbelievers are dragged into the Fire. There, people of the Fire shall wish they could be returned to life once again so that they could do righteous things. Allah, All-high, to the same purport says, “Therein they shall shout, ‘Our lord, bring us forth, and we will do righteousness, other than what we have done.’” And the answer comes, “What! Did we not give you long life, enough to remember in, for him who would remember? To you the Warner has come.” [XXXV; 37]

But what does the word “Warner” mean? Imam Al-Kurtubi, in his interpretation of the Holy Koran, said “The” The Holy Koran is a “Warner”, for it is the word of Allah to man, or, in other words, the Maker’s ordainments and His Light that enlightens our way and guides us unto the right path.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) is also a “Warner”, because Allah addresses him saying, “O Prophet, We have sent thee as a witness, and good tidings to bear and warning.” [XXXIII; 45]

Grayness of man’s hair as a sign of old age is also a “Warner”. In the Prophetic Hadith Allah, All-high, addresses His servant who has grown old, “O my servant, you have grown old, your hair has turned gray, your back has bent down, your vision has grown weak, so be you ashamed of Me, for I am ashamed of you.

The age of forty is also a “Warner”, for it is said that when man becomes forty, he enters the courts of the Hereafter.

Disasters and misfortunes are also a “Warner”: “And We shall surely let them taste the nearer chastisement, before the greater chastisement; haply so they will return.” [XXX11; 21] In some interpretations, “nearer chastisement” has been interpreted as disasters.

A Prophetic Hadith that most strongly stresses the great value of time goes, “Make haste for righteous deeds; what does the one of you expect from the present world [i.e. if man makes the present world his utmost interest and his whole knowledge, and consequently makes all of his hopes for the present world heedless of the beginning and end and forgetful of Allah, the All-mighty, All-high]? Do you expect [anything] but riches that leads to tyranny, poverty that causes oblivion, illness that causes death, ageing that refutes, death that finishes off, or the Antichrist, the worst awaited to come, or the Hour, which is more calamitous and more bitter.”

Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz, the venerable caliph, may Allah have mercy on him, was once quoted as saying, “the day and the night work in you [i.e. bring you to death], so work in them [i.e. do righteous deeds, haply so your life may be well exploited and not cheaply consumed]”. It has also been said, “Waste of time is the sign of Allah’s detestation”.

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