In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful
(Here is the last part of time management from a Prophetic tradition. In the following posts, God willing, we'll discuss about Health and time management)
Regular/scheduled activities
Regular prayer times form the framework around which all other regular activities are scheduled. Two aspects of the Prophet’s daily schedule were (1) the same activities were scheduled in the same time period every day, and (2) each activity has a designated time limit.
Regular daily prayers are ordered by God at specific times [Qur’an 4/103] and the start and end times for each prayer were taught to the Prophet Muhammad by the Archangel Gabriel. In authentic Prophetic traditions, we learn that Jibreel asked the Prophet Muhammad to join him in performing each prayer at the beginning of the time period. The next day, they performed each prayer at the very end of the end of the period that was dedicated to that prayer. The prophet said “The best deeds in God’s sight are the prayer that is performed in time” [Bukhari, Muwaqit al-Salat; Muslim, Iman]. While the beginning time for each prayer period is preferred, the prayer can be done anytime between theses limits. It is easy to see that regular observation of these prayer times give a person a high level of time consciousness.
Various accounts of the Prophet’s daily life tell us that he was very careful in the observation of his daily schedule. We understand this particularly from the observation that when the Prophet changed his schedule, it was a cause for worry in the community. For instance, one companion relates: “The messenger of God (upon whom be peace and blessings) left his home at a time when normally nobody saw him outside.” [Usd al-Gaba 1/168]. Another one is: “The messenger of God (upon whom be peace and blessings) ascended the pulpit. He was never seen on the pulpit except on Fridays before. “ [Ibn Maja]
Night activities
The narrations from his companions tell us that the Prophet used to divide his night into three segments. One segment was dedicated to worship, one to his family, and one segment to his personal matters. At times, he is seen as giving his personal time to his community in meeting with them and trying to address their needs.
The prophet was observed to halt his daily activities after sunset [Mustadrak: 3/461]. This does not mean, however, that he rested for the reminder of the evening; he sometimes held meetings after evening or night prayer. As a general principle, he did not like sleeping before night prayer or talk after it [Bukhari, Mawaqit, 13/23]. His wife Aisha (may God be pleased with her) reports that the Prophet, upon whom be peace and blessings used to sleep during the early part of the night and wake up for worship during the later part [Ibn Maja, Iqama, 182]. On exceptional circumstances, the Prophet was observed to stay awake and deal with community affairs until late hours of the night.
The night stances (qiyam al-layl), the hours he spent in worship, reflection and prayers all occupy an important place in the Prophet’s life. He is reported to have spent on average between 2/3 to ¾ of each night in worship, remembrance, reflection, and supplication. This corresponds to a period of 4 to 7 hours each night, depending on the season. He explains this emphasis on night prayers in the following way:”God descends to the first heaven of the earth every night and announces, ‘Is there anyone who repents; I will forgive, is there anyone who prays; I will accept,’ and this continues until early dawn” [Usd al-Gaba 6/91].
Daytime activities
The prophet prohibited his companions from sleeping after the morning prayer. He used to stay at the mosque until sunrise and have group conversations with his companions. The subjects of these conversations were both religious as well as entertaining, for example, poetry would be read or the dreams of the previous night would be related. It is understood that these hours were spent in a felicitous way, with companions laughing at times and the Prophet smiling [Nisai, Sahw, 98, Muslim, Ruya, 23]. The prophet underlines the significance of these hours held for him with the following saying: “sitting together with a group of companions and remembering God with them after the morning prayer until the sun rise is more valuable to me than fighting in the cause of God. The same is true for the hours after the afternoon prayer before sunset” [usd al-Gaba 2/466].
Following the conversation with his companions, the Prophet would then spend time with his family. On days when he was not fasting, he would have breakfast during this period. He is known to have eaten two meals each day, a late breakfast and a dinner. Towards noon, he would take a nap and encourage others to do the same, as it would help them to stay awake at night for prayers. After the noon prayers came the time for community matters. The afternoon prayer was followed by time for the family once again.
Peace & Blessings
Hikmet
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