Don't Waste the Year: Taking Account of Our Time
الخطبة الأولى · First Khutbah
Opening: A New Year Is Upon Us
We stand at the edge of a new Hijri year — 1447 is ending and 1448 is beginning. As one year closes and another opens, two questions demand our honesty:
- What did I do with the time that has passed?
- What am I going to do with what remains?
Allah swears by time itself — by the morning, by the night, by different hours of the day — to show us the weight that time carries in His sight. These oaths are not casual. They are a divine signal: time matters profoundly to Allah, so it must matter profoundly to us.
The Question of the Playback
If Allah were to play back your entire year — every hour, every choice — would you be pleased?
One of the righteous predecessors said: There is no regret greater to me than when a day ends, the sun sets, my return to Allah draws nearer — and my good deeds have not increased.
Are we going to be among those who look back at this year with regret — or with contentment?
Time Is Shrinking — What Does That Mean?
The Prophet ﷺ told us that one of the signs of the Last Hour is that time will compress: a year will feel like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day.
لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يُقْبَضَ الْعِلْمُ، وَتَكْثُرَ الزَّلاَزِلُ، وَيَتَقَارَبَ الزَّمَانُ، وَتَظْهَرَ الْفِتَنُ، وَيَكْثُرَ الْهَرْجُ ـ وَهْوَ الْقَتْلُ الْقَتْلُ ـ حَتَّى يَكْثُرَ فِيكُمُ الْمَالُ فَيَفِيضُ "
Narrated Abu Huraira: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until (religious) knowledge will be taken away (by the death of religious learned men), earthquakes will be very frequent, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, murders will increase and money will overflow amongst you." (See Hadith No. 85 Vol 1).”
But the 24 hours have not changed. The 60 seconds in every minute have not changed. So what does this mean?
Think about Ramadan. It was only three months ago — but doesn't it feel like it was just days ago? Think about six months ago at the turn of the Gregorian year. Does it feel like half a year has passed? This compression is real. There is no baraka in our time anymore — and we are living proof of it.
Allah tells us that even on the Day of Judgment, people will look back at their entire lives — 60, 80, 90 years — and swear it felt like only a part of a morning or an afternoon. Why? Because they lived with no baraka in their time.
The Math of Our Days
Let's be honest about how our time is divided:
- One-third of your life is spent sleeping — decreed by Allah, no control over it
- One-third is consumed by work, school, basic needs — cooking, commuting, obligations
- That leaves one-third — your "free time"
Now from that free time — a recent study found that the majority of Americans spend 90% of it on their screens. Five hours a day on phones alone.
Tell that same person: Come, let's read Quran for 30 minutes.
no time.
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