[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the short, but important Surah Al-Asr, Allah (SWT) says:

 “By Time,

Indeed mankind is in loss,

Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” (103:1-3)

This Surah is literally the condensed version of what we, as Muslims, are expected to do, or we will certainly be in loss. In our generation, it is a common thing to waste time. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr have been created to consume all the precious hours that we have been gifted. The youth are spending more and more time on the Internet, rather than doing something worthwhile. Time is full of opportunities – it is our responsibility to utilize it in a meaningful manner.

Ramadan is right around the corner and something interesting that a majority of Muslims do around the world is to misuse a lot of time right before Ramadan and stop completely during Ramadan and then resume wasting time as soon as Ramadan is over. Now, while it is a good thing that people stop watching TV shows all day and listening to music, Ramadan is a time for improving yourself. Coming from a teenager, I personally know that while we like to read Quran and pray during the day (most of us anyways) in front of our parents, our nights are spent binge-watching TV shows and movies. Allah has given us a chance to earn bonus points by praying even a simple two rakat prayer at night, and we throw that opportunity away! However, life is about a balance and while we should be praying often and learning about our religion, watching a movie once in a while isn`t so bad either. A successful person is one who can manage his/her time in such a manner that he/she can give time for studies, his/her family and entertainment.

Self-improvement doesn`t end with Ramadan– it goes on for the rest of your life. The real test in life is to know how to control it. You never get the same day back, and we all have those moments where we wish we spent those two hours studying for our test the next day instead of watching four episodes of that (slightly inappropriate) TV show. Let`s try to reduce those regrets as much as possible and learn to handle the hours we have been gifted by Allah (SWT).

Photo Source: Nick Webb