“…You shall surely travel from stage to stage." (84:19)

All praise is due to Allah and may His choicest blessings continue to descend upon our Leader and Master Muhammad

“…You shall surely travel from stage to stage." (84:19)

Life is a journey where we move from one stage to another… an unending progression- conception – birth – growth – decline - death and finally resurrection. As you approach the beginning of another year, you are also journeying towards the next stage in the cycle of your existence. Man’s life (after birth) has four broad stages.

The first stage is the stage of continuous growth and development, which begins from 0 to 33 years (the end of youth and the age at which an individual attains full physical and intellectual maturity).

The second stage, from 33 to 40, is the stage of constancy in which increase in growth and development is hardly noticeable. The age of 40 is usually considered the stage at which both physical and intellectual ability reach maturity.

The third stage is the stage of mid- or proper adulthood (al-kuhulah). From 40 to 60 years man begins to decline physically and mentally though so subtly and steadily that it can hardly be noticed.

The last stage, from 60 to the end of life, is the stage of old age and decline (senescence). In this stage decline becomes more obvious and noticeable.

Have you ever thought of how many years you have left? With every sunrise and sunset, we have one day less left in this world. Death does not come to only the old and weak. Death also comes to the young and strong. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Imam Al-Ghazali says: “[Time] is nothing other than your life, and your life is the capital that you use to reach success in the proximity of Allah.”

Wise are the words of the one who said ... "I expect to pass through this world but once; any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. The Prophet, Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said: “There is no day upon which the sun rises except that it says, ‘O son of Adam, I am a new creation and a witness to your deeds, so use me well, as I will not return until the Day of Judgment’.”

"The year is like a tree, months are its branches, days are the branch sticks, hours are its leaves, and the breaths are its fruits. Therefore, if one's breaths are in obedience [to Allah and His Messenger], the fruits of his tree are good. If they are in disobedience, his fruits are bitter. The harvest is on the Appointed Day, when one's fruits are found out to be either good or bitter.One's time is in fact his age. It is the material of his eternal life either in everlasting joy or painful torture. It passes more quickly than clouds do. It is only the time one dedicates to Allah that constitutes one's real life and age. The rest does not count.” (Ibnul-Qayyim)

In Islam there is no room for slogans like "killing time" In fact; wasting time is much more dangerous than squandering property, because unlike property, time cannot be compensated. You cannot kill time without harming your hereafter! In reality when you kill time, it is time that is really killing you! Free time is a blessing that is overlooked, and not wholly appreciated by many people.

The Prophet Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said: “There are two of Allah’s favors that are forgotten by many people: health and free time.” On the transience of human life, the Prophet Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said: “I am in this world like a rider who halts in the shade of a tree for a short time, and after taking some rest resumes his journey and leaves the tree behind.” (Tirmizi)

“Is there something you'd like to change-
Something you feel you should do?
Oh! Do not hesitate my friend
For the days are short and few.
Time is just so very precious-
Every moment of the day
More valuable than fine jewels
Do not squander it away
Nothing's ever done yesterday
And tomorrow has yet to come
It is only in the today
That anything ever is done.
There's never a guarantee
Of another single minute
Time's a gift to be used on earth
In preparation for eternity
And what we do within it's span
Determines our soul's destiny”

“When you pass the day and arrive at the evening, do not expect that you will pass night and hope to reach morning, and when you arrive in the morning do not look forward to the evening. While in health, be ready for illness, and while alive, prepare for death.’ (Bukhari)

Ibnul Qayyim says: “A sign that Allah despises you is when you find yourself wasting your time with trivial matters; in this way, you miss your chance of going to heaven. A sign that Allah likes you is when you find yourself fulfilling more duties than you have time for.” A famous quote reads: “Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.”

Shocking Realities
• People lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.
• A rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.
• People get bored with their childhood; they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.
• People live as if they will never die, they forget the present, and die as though they had never lived

May Allah grant us a life that is productive and fruitful. May HE protect us from wasting away our days in frivolous pursuits. Ameen.

Source:http://www.islamsa.org.za/special/you_shall_not_pass_this_way_again.htm