Among the signs mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ concerning the approach of the Final Hour is a phenomenon that we witness clearly in our daily lives: the rapid passing of time.
He said, as reported in the two Sahihs:
«“The Hour will not come until time passes quickly, so that a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the burning of a palm leaf.”»
These prophetic words echo powerfully in our age. Years slip by like months, and months like days. We no longer feel the flow of time; seasons pass unnoticed, and life seems to vanish before our eyes.
Imam al-Nawawī رحمه الله explained that the meaning of “time drawing near” is the loss of barakah — the divine blessing that once gave value and depth to every hour, every day, and every deed.
Time itself is not shorter, but it has lost its fruit and blessing.
Once, the righteous and the scholars were blessed in their time. Imam al-Nawawī lived only forty-four years, yet he left behind monumental works such as Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn and his Commentary on Muslim. Ibn Taymiyya, even while imprisoned, wrote hundreds of pages that continue to enlighten hearts today.
God blessed their time because they filled it with His remembrance and obedience.
Today we possess more tools, more comfort, more means — yet less time. Hours vanish without benefit, and blessings seem to fade away.
The causes are many: the spread of sin, neglect of God’s remembrance, constant distractions, attachment to screens and worldly desires, and carelessness toward prayer.
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said:
«“O son of Adam, you are nothing but a collection of days; when one of your days passes, a part of you is gone.”»
Each passing day will never return, and every hour that slips away will bear witness for or against us.
God Almighty says in the Qur’an:
«“On the Day they see it, it will be as though they had stayed only one evening or one morning.”»
The conscious believer must therefore guard his time as his most precious possession. The Prophet ﷺ said:
«“Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death.”»
Time is the true capital of the believer. It cannot be stored or reclaimed; it can only be invested in good deeds.
To regain the lost barakah in time, the Muslim must return to the remembrance of God, preserve the prayers in their proper times, perform righteous deeds with sincerity, and keep the company of the pious — those whose presence reminds one of the Hereafter.
The European Muslims League invites every believer to reflect on the value of time, to live it with mindfulness and gratitude, and to rediscover in the simplicity of faith the serenity and blessing that only the constant remembrance of God can bestow.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.
European Muslims League – Dialogue and Cooperation
