One of Allah’s greatest blessings upon us, yet often underappreciated, is time.

With time, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us opportunities to improve ourselves, to do more good deeds, to make sincere tawbah, to mend relationships, and ultimately to become a good Muslim in His Sight. Someone once asked Rasulullah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (ﷺ) which type of people is the best?

Rasulullah ﷺ said: “He whose life is long, and his deeds are good.”

And when asked: “Which of the people is the worst?", he ﷺ replied: “He whose life is long, and his deeds are bad.” [At-Tirmidhi 2330 | Graded Hasan]

A person who is granted a long life, and fills his days and nights with good deeds, is a successful person, in shaa Allah! And especially since we have entered the blessed month of Ramadan, I invite the readers to ponder over the following eye-opening hadith so that we may come to truly appreciate time.

🌸 The Immeasurable Value of Just One Year

A companion, by the name of Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah radhi Allahu ‘anhu, narrated that two men came to Rasulullah ﷺ. These two men became Muslims together, but one of them used to strive much harder, and exerted himself to do more good deeds than the other. He also went out to fight for the sake of Allah, and subsequently was martyred. The other man, however, remained for a year longer before he passed away.

One day, Talhah dreamt about these two men after they passed away. He described his dream as follows:

“I saw in a dream that I was at the gate of Jannah, and I saw them (i.e. the two men). Someone came out of Jannah, and admitted (into Jannah) the one who had died last; then he came out, and admitted the one who had been martyred. Then he came back to me, and said: Go back, for your time has not yet come.”

The next morning, Talhah told the people about his dream, and they were all rightfully shocked and amazed by it. This news reached Rasulullah ﷺ, so he ﷺ asked:

“Why are you so amazed by that?”

The people said: “O Rasulullah ﷺ, the first man was the one who strove harder, and he was also a martyr; yet it was the second man who was admitted to Jannah before him!

Rasulullah ﷺ asked: “Did he not stay behind for a year? And did not Ramadan come, and he fasted, and he offered such-and-such prayers during that year?

The people said: Yes.

Rasulullah ﷺ said: “The difference between them is greater than the difference between heaven and earth.” [Sunan Ibn Majah 3925 | Graded Sahih by Darussalam]

When I came across this hadith for the first time, I was gobsmacked!

Because by our logic, the first man mentioned in the hadith - the one who was more vigilant in doing good deeds, and died as a martyr - should have been the first person to enter Jannah, right? And we all know how much Allah rewards and elevates the martyrs who fought and died for His sake.

And yet, it was the other man who entered Jannah first — why?

Because Allah granted him a longer life, and he witnessed another month of Ramadan, and he fasted more, and he prayed more, and perhaps even witnessed another night of Laylatul-Qadr. And because of just that one extra year, the difference between the two of them is greater than the difference between heaven and earth!  Allahu akbar!

This hadith should inspire and drive us to fully utilise our time, especially the month of Ramadan, to our best ability! Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us all an incredible and amazing opportunity — that if we truly take care on how we spend our time with good deeds, we may even exceed the ranks of the martyrs, in shaa Allah! 

🌸 Do Not Be Disheartened With Our Previous Years

Internalising the above hadith will inevitably make us feel regretful for not fully utilising our previous years. I ask you to please not be disheartened by this, because as long as we are still breathing, it is never too late to work towards the ridha (pleasure) of Allah. Consider Sa’ad ibn Mu’adz, radhi Allahu ‘anhu, a Companion of Rasulullah ﷺ who embraced Islam for only about seven years. But when he passed away, Rasulullah ﷺ said:

“The Throne (of Allah) shook at the death of Sa’ad ibn Mu’adz.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari 3803]

Why?

Because in those seven years, he maximised them by worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. 

So brothers and sisters in Islam, be eager to seek the ridha of Allah with what is left with our lifespan. We ask Allah to elevate our ranks, and to make us among the firsts to enter Jannah.

آمـــــــــين

Your sister in Deen,

Aida Msr 🌸