TEN THINGS WE WASTED – BY IMAM IBN QAYYIM AL JAWZIYYAH

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

We are living in borrowed times – where it is with Allah’s Mercy that we are still alive. But we MUST understand our purpose of life:

“And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).” 51: 56 

“Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;” 67: 2

Therefore, we must not waste the Blessings that we have in this life but not maximising the things we have in order to enter Jannah. What are the things we we have always wasted in this life, according to Imam Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyah?

1. Our Knowledge – Wasted by not taking action with it.

إِنَّما يَخشَى اللَّهَ مِن عِبادِهِ العُلَماءُ

“It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allaah” [35:28]

A person with knowledge of course inshaAllah will benefit from it, BUT if you don’t act upon it, not only will it be wasted – it will also not help in the purpose of life and in entering Jannah.

So a person may have memorised who are the successful believers in Surah 23 verses 1-11, where the reward of all these is a place not just in Jannah – but in Jannatul Firdaus. But this person has no khushoo in the prayer and likes to talk about others – contrary to what he memorised and learnt in the verses he has memorised. 

فَمَن كانَ يَرجو لِقاءَ رَبِّهِ فَليَعمَل عَمَلًا صالِحًا وَلا يُشرِك بِعِبادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا

So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.” 18: 110

2. Our Actions – Wasted by committing them without sincerity.

Acts of worhsip are only accepted if:

1. A person has Tawheed and commits no shirk
2. Sincerity – doing only for the sake of Allah
3. Do only according to Qur’an and authentic hadiths

قُل إِنَّ صَلاتي وَنُسُكي وَمَحيايَ وَمَماتي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمينَ

“Say (O Muhammad ): “Verily, my Salat (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).” 6: 162

3. Our Wealth – Wasted by using on things that will not bring us ajr (reward). We waste our money, our status, our authority, on things which have no benefit in this life or in akhirah (hereafter).

المالُ وَالبَنونَ زينَةُ الحَياةِ الدُّنيا ۖ وَالباقِياتُ الصّالِحاتُ خَيرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوابًا وَخَيرٌ أَمَلًا

“Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds (five compulsory prayers, deeds of Allah’s obedience, good and nice talk, remembrance of Allah with glorification, praises and thanks, etc.), that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope.” 18: 46

People will regret in the hereafter, as reminded by Allah:

وَأَنفِقوا مِن ما رَزَقناكُم مِن قَبلِ أَن يَأتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ المَوتُ فَيَقولَ رَبِّ لَولا أَخَّرتَني إِلىٰ أَجَلٍ قَريبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِنَ الصّالِحينَ

And spend (in charity) of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says: “My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (i.e. Zakat) of my wealth , and be among the righteous [i.e. perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)]. 63: 10

4. Our Hearts – Wasted because they are empty from the love of Allah, and the feeling of longing to go to Him, and a feeling of peace and contentment. In it’s place, our hearts are filled with something or someone else.

In a beautiful hadith Qudsi, Allah Informed us on His Love for His Beloved:

Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained the way that will bring us closer to Allah, may He be glorified, in the most concise and clearest terms. Al-Bukhaari (6502) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah says: ‘Whoever takes a close friend of Mine as an enemy, I declare war on him. My slave does not draw closer to Me by anything more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory upon him, and My slave continues to draw closer to Me by doing naafil (supererogatory) deeds until I love him, and if I love him I will be his hearing with which he hears, his vision with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. If he were to ask of Me, I would surely give to him; if he were to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge. I do not hesitate about anything that I want to do as I hesitate to take the soul of a believer, for he hates death and I hate to hurt him.” This hadith clearly and concisely highlights the way to become a close friend of Allah, may He be exalted, for the one who wants to be one of His close friends. 

The love of Allaah is “the status for which the righteous compete and strive… It is the nourishment of hearts and souls… the delight of the eyes… It is the life of which one who is denied it is dead… the light which the one who loses it is in deep darkness… the healing of which the one who is denied is sick… the joy which the one who is deprived of it lives in distress and pain…  

5. Our Bodies – Wasted because we don’t use them in ibadah (worship) and service of Allah.

5 things Allah will ask us on day of Judgment:

Ibn Mas’ud reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The son of Adam will not be dismissed from his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he is questioned about five issues: his life and how he lived it, his youth and how he used it, his wealth and how he earned it and he spent it, and how he acted on his knowledge.”

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2416

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

6. Our Love – Our emotional love is misdirected, not towards Allah, but towards something/someone else.

7. Our Time – Wasted, not used properly, to compensate for that which has passed, by doing what is righteous to make up for past deeds.

Surah Al Asr (103

1. By Al-‘Asr (the time).

2. Verily! Man is in loss,

3. Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma’ruf)which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar)which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad, etc.).

8. Our Intellect – Wasted on things that are not beneficial, that are detrimental to society and the individual, not in contemplation or reflection.

9. Our Service – Wasted in service of someone who will not bring us closer to Allah, or benefit in dunyaa (world).

Forget about Tawheed – Al Karim, Ar Razzaq

10. Our Dhikr – Wasted, because it does not effect us or our hearts.

NEGLIGENT

أَلا بِذِكرِ اللَّهِ تَطمَئِنُّ القُلوبُ

Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest . 13: 28