The short answer
Time is one of the blessings we will be asked about. Allah swears by time and says all people are in loss except those who believe, do good, and urge one another to truth and patience. The Prophet ﷺ warned that many people are cheated of two blessings, health and free time.
Allah opens Surah al-Asr with an oath: "By time". Then He says, "Indeed, mankind is in loss", except those who believe, do righteous deeds, and advise each other to truth and to patience 1. Time is the one thing every person spends at the same rate, and this surah tells us how not to lose it.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "There are two blessings that many people are deceived into losing: health and free time" 2. We rarely value them until they are gone.
On the Day of Judgment, a person's feet will not move until he is asked about his life and what he did with it, his knowledge and what he did with it, his wealth and how he earned and spent it, and his body and how he wore it out 3. People will then feel their whole life was "a day or part of a day" 4, and those in the Fire will beg for more time to do good. They will be told: did We not give you a life long enough for anyone who wanted to remember? 5
The Prophet ﷺ took Ibn Umar by the shoulder and said, "Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler" 6. He also said Allah leaves no excuse for someone who lives to sixty 7. The message is not anxiety but focus: use the time you have.
Islam does not demand exhausting yourself. The most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular one, "even if it were little" 8. So pick one small, consistent habit, such as a page of Quran after Fajr or ten minutes of learning, and protect it. Consistency is how ordinary time becomes a heavy scale.
By time, mankind is in loss except those who believe, do good and advise truth and patience.
وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ ١ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَفِي خُسۡرٍ ٢ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ ٣
1 By time 2 Indeed, mankind is in loss 3 Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience
Two blessings many people lose out on are health and free time.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There are two blessings that many people are deceived into losing: health and free time
حَدَّثَنَا الْمَكِّيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ـ هُوَ ابْنُ أَبِي هِنْدٍ ـ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ ". قَالَ عَبَّاسٌ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عِيسَى، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي هِنْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَهُ.
On the Day of Judgment a person is asked about his life and how he spent it.
Abu Barzah Al-Aslami narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said:"The feet of the slave of Allah shall not move [on the Day of Judgement] until he is asked about five things: about his life and what he did with it, about his knowledge and what he did with it, about his wealth and how he earned it and where he spent it on, about his body and for what did he wear it out." [He said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. Sa'eed bin Abdullah bin Juraij (a narrator in the chain) [is from Al-Basrah], and he is the freed slave of Abu Barzah AlAslami, and Abu Barzah AlAslami's name is Nadlah bin 'Ubaid
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَخْبَرَنَا الأَسْوَدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ الأَسْلَمِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَزُولُ قَدَمَا عَبْدٍ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى يُسْأَلَ عَنْ عُمْرِهِ فِيمَا أَفْنَاهُ وَعَنْ عِلْمِهِ فِيمَا فَعَلَ وَعَنْ مَالِهِ مِنْ أَيْنَ اكْتَسَبَهُ وَفِيمَا أَنْفَقَهُ وَعَنْ جِسْمِهِ فِيمَا أَبْلاَهُ " . قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جُرَيْجٍ هُوَ بَصْرِيٌّ وَهُوَ مَوْلَى أَبِي بَرْزَةَ وَأَبُو بَرْزَةَ اسْمُهُ نَضْلَةُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ .
People will feel they stayed on earth only a day or part of a day.
قَٰلَ كَمۡ لَبِثۡتُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ ١١٢ قَالُواْ لَبِثۡنَا يَوۡمًا أَوۡ بَعۡضَ يَوۡمࣲ فَسۡـَٔلِ ٱلۡعَآدِّينَ ١١٣ قَٰلَ إِن لَّبِثۡتُمۡ إِلَّا قَلِيلࣰ اۖ لَّوۡ أَنَّكُمۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ ١١٤
112 [Allah] will say, "How long did you remain on earth in number of years 113 They will say, "We remained a day or part of a day; ask those who enumerate 114 He will say, "You stayed not but a little - if only you had known
Those in the Fire are told they were given a life long enough to remember.
وَهُمۡ يَصۡطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَآ أَخۡرِجۡنَا نَعۡمَلۡ صَٰلِحًا غَيۡرَ ٱلَّذِي كُنَّا نَعۡمَلُۚ أَوَلَمۡ نُعَمِّرۡكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ ٱلنَّذِيرُۖ فَذُوقُواْ فَمَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ ٣٧
And they will cry out therein, "Our Lord, remove us; we will do righteousness - other than what we were doing!" But did We not grant you life enough for whoever would remember therein to remember, and the warner had come to you? So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper
Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller.
Narrated Mujahid:`Abdullah bin `Umar said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." The sub-narrator added: Ibn `Umar used to say, "If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَبُو الْمُنْذِرِ الطُّفَاوِيُّ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ الأَعْمَشِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُجَاهِدٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَنْكِبِي فَقَالَ " كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ ". وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ.
Allah accepts no excuse from someone whose life is extended to sixty years.
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah will not accept the excuse of any person whose instant of death is delayed till he is sixty years of age
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ السَّلاَمِ بْنُ مُطَهَّرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ مَعْنِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْغِفَارِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " أَعْذَرَ اللَّهُ إِلَى امْرِئٍ أَخَّرَ أَجَلَهُ حَتَّى بَلَّغَهُ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً ". تَابَعَهُ أَبُو حَازِمٍ وَابْنُ عَجْلاَنَ عَنِ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ.
The most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular, even if little.
Narrated `Aisha:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عُقْبَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " سَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا، وَاعْلَمُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُدْخِلَ أَحَدَكُمْ عَمَلُهُ الْجَنَّةَ، وَأَنَّ أَحَبَّ الأَعْمَالِ أَدْوَمُهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ قَلَّ "
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24