Navigating the Lows: Are we Really being Honest When we Say we don’t have Time?

“Ni bamma san me ke mun dadi ba.” Welcome to the club.

I usually never get bored when I'm back home because I’m surrounded by loved ones, but this time it's different. Everyone I know is out there being productive and paving their own paths, and while I'm proud of my friends, it has made me realize that at the core of it all, we are indeed alone and will go back to Him alone. If we rely too heavily (and dare I say, unhealthily) on others to keep us entertained, what happens when they're no longer around?

As humans, we are fallible, and it is perfectly okay to feel bored with a monotonous life or feel any or a combination of the aforesaid feelings from time to time. But as a Muslim, we should recognize that these feelings often arise when our relationship with Allah is weak.

So how often does it occur to you and I that this dunya we’re chasing and the people we’re chasing it with are all temporary? How often do we remember that even the closest people in our lives will be buried in different graves possibly far away from us? That we will indeed face Him alone, however scary that sounds?

Despite all these thoughts, I often find myself still making excuses and putting off being productive. Why does Amina always say "later" instead of now? What's stopping her from achieving her goals at the moment? Does she really think that the world would somehow miraculously stop for her to catch up? Everyone has moved on and will continue to do so in their own little way until they are called back to Allah. Shouldn’t this serve as a lesson for her to make the most of her time or is she waiting for her next spiritual awakening? Her next “high?”

We cannot use the excuse of not having enough time for our Creator. Prioritizing this dunya is like consuming something sweet - It appeals to us, when we have it, we want more of it or maybe a different flavour of it. Once the sugar reaches inside our blood it peaks our pleasure. But when the sugar level crashes, it brings us down spiritually and emotionally. The “lows.”

But that is the nature of this dunya. Those who indulge in it without any disciplined boundaries, moderation or purpose in life, never feel satiated. They want more, they want different, they desire what is forbidden, they forget why they are in this dunya in the first place, they forget the Akhirah and tread on a self-destructive course. Most significantly, they end up empty. Perhaps that’s why, “bamusan me ke mana dadi ba,” because we’re constantly chasing an illusion.

So, how can we do better? How can we navigate the lows of this dunya? What we want is a “sustained” willpower. Lasting change does not happen with an immediate, “just do it” mentality. We have to sit and plan carefully. We must remember that our time in this world is limited and as such, we need to master the art of time management. We can’t keep giving excuses. As time cannot be managed itself, we learn to manage our lives through time. Is it really true that we do not have time if we spend at least 6-7 hours on our screens on a daily basis? Who are we trying to deceive? We need to prioritize, set our life goals and know what is important at a moment and what is not. We do not have to live a contrived life – which by the way, we may do, trying to adjust and adapt the ways of your friends – rather, live conscious of the amount of time we spend on everything for we WILL be held accountable.

We must strive to do good deeds and leave a positive impact on those around us. Only then can we hope to find true fulfillment and contentment in this life and the next.

Ask yourself the following:

What have you spiritually achieved in the past year or two?

What are you yet to achieve and why?

Do you think you’d have a good enough answer for your Creator?

Do you sincerely believe that you’ve given it your all?

No? Well now is your chance to do better.