ʻOua ʻe Ngaohikovia Ho Taimi ʻAtaá

We all know the well-known hadith about taking advantage of 5 ngaahi meʻa:

Naʻe pehe ʻe he Palofita: ”Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth before you become old; your health, before you fall sick; hoʻo koloá, before you become poor; your free time before you become preoccupied, and your life, before your death.” (Classed as Sahih in the Musnad Imam Ahmad)

Of all these things, the value of time is one which is most highly abused by people. We waste away time as if it’s freely available, but few of us realize that in fact, it’s the most valuable resource you’ll ever have.

Time is more valuable than money, because you can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you’ve lost hours in frivolity, you’ll never ever get that back. Every person has 24 hours in the day, and when you choose to invest your time in things that are bad for you or waste your time, it’s considered a great loss.

Time is so important, that Allah swears by it in the Quran:

‘By the Time! Man is surely in loss, except those who believed and did good works, and exhorted one another to Truth, and exhorted one another to patience.’

(Surah Asr)

Allah SWT takes an oath by time to stress the importance of man being in total loss and the people who are exempt from this loss are characterized by four qualities:

(1) Tui

(2) Righteous deeds

(3) Speaking the truth and encouraging others to do the same

(4) Having patience and encouraging others to do the same

This is why the scholars of the past said that if Allah SWT only revealed surah Asr and nothing else, it would have been enough for mankind.

Remember that if Shaytaan can’t make you commit major sins, he will make you waste your time instead – so therefore push yourself to excel in good deeds and remember Allah SWT always.

May Allah SWT make us of those who value our time before our time runs out ameen.

Mali Haohaoa – Tokoniʻi Practising kau Mosilemi ke nau fakataha pea nofo fakataha!