Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah ta'ala), another successful year has passed for Nur ul Ilm Academy by the Grace of the All-Mighty, All-Merciful. Time passed so quickly, it just seems like yesterday when we started this amazing journey towards the knowledge of our beautiful deen (religion). The first year girls were welcomed and the final year girls were bid farewell with heavy hearts and tearful eyes. Now, yet again, is the season of the final exams and the countdown begins. Everyone is counting days, hours and even minutes. Hearts are beating faster, adrenaline levels are increasing, hands are sweating and sleep is disappearing. Exams! Even this word brings a strange sensation in the body and mind. But this life is all about struggle and hard work.

As it is said:

“The strength of mind is exercise, not rest.”

Allah ta'ala has created us to work and use the blessings of health, wealth and time for His sake. This is what makes us going. When we do not have a purpose in life, there seems to be no purpose to our existence.

As it is said:

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”

Allah ta'ala has blessed us with a blessing of time and this time is very precious for a believer. This life given to us has limited time. Just the way we are having a countdown for our yearly exams, we are also having a countdown for our final exam which will be on the Day of Judgement. We are using every minute of these days striving for our madrasah exams, but we must not forget that we have to work even harder for our final exam. If we do not do well in the madrasah exams, we still have a re-sit very soon, and if we are not able to achieve success in even that, we still have another year to repeat. However, if we do not do well in our final exam with Allah ta'ala, we do not have any re-sits, and that is why the Day of Judgement is called the day of “hasrah” (regret) in the Qur’an. People will wish that they had used some more time to earn good deeds. People will wish they had not wasted time in the things which did not give them any benefit. Most of all, people will wish they were not spending their time in the disobedience of Allah ta'ala. As Allah ta'ala very clearly mentions in the Qu’ran:

.والعصر.ان الانسان لفي خسر.الا الذين امنوا وعملوا الصالحات وتواصوا بالحق وتواصوا بالصبر

“By time, man is at loss. Except those, who have faith and they do righteous deeds and enjoin upon one another the keeping to truth, and enjoin upon one another patience.” (103:1-3)

We must understand the value of time. It is said:

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”

Allah ta'ala wants that we work hard to please Him, to reach Him and to earn His pleasure. This is the sole purpose of our lives. We have to start this journey towards Allah ta'ala and have to start taking the little steps.

“The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

We keep delaying this first step; we must know that time will never wait; time will not give us a re-take. The clocks are ticking, the hours are going by, the past is increasing and the future remains unknown; chances are decreasing and regrets are mounting. This time will come only once; if we miss it, we miss the chance. We are never losers till we quit trying. Many times people do not realize how close they were to the destination when they gave up. So let’s not wait for regret; let’s move on. 

All the students of Nur ul Ilm must spend their time very wisely. The girls who are moving on to higher classes should be more dedicated and wise in balancing their time between studies and the responsibilities they have towards others, and our precious students who are graduating should also make an intention to use this blessing of time to serve the deen of Allah ta'ala and use their knowledge to help and educate others, as the stingiest person is the one who has been blessed with knowledge and does not share with others. 

So let us realize the importance of time; let us not waste any second of it. Let us strive towards Allah ta'ala; let us realize the purpose of our existence. Let us exhaust our bodies, our minds, our energies and dedicate this life to our Most Loving, Most Compassionate Creator. My dear Shaykh always tells me that if a day passes in my life in which I exhaust myself for Allah ta'ala, I should offer a prayer of gratitude to Him as He chose my body to get used for His sake. What a big blessing is that. We should make the most of ourselves, as we live only once. So let’s feel this pleasure of exhausting ourselves for our Beloved.

Time is the name for sorrow, for the one who lost the race

It was a matter of a second, when he got slow in the chase

Time is the name for grief, for the one who spent it for this world

Since he never got satisfied and even could not gain what he should.

Time is the name for regret, for the one who missed those chances

When he could have saved himself from all those even glances.

Time is the name for a test, for the one who had counted the days

Looking for new avenues, searching for some new ways.

Time is the name for fire, for the one who rebelled and disobeyed

He followed his foolish desires and made himself enslaved.

Time is the name for Jannah, for the believer who used it right

He kept on struggling for this path and he held on very tight. 

May Allah ta'ala accept us all,

Nadia Sadiq

Always in the service of Nur ul Ilm Academy

Saturday, May 30th, 2015 | Sha’ban 12th, 1436