“Postponing good deeds until you have free time is an indication of an immature soul.”
Sometimes we postpone the good that we need to do and we have an intention to do, and we say that: “Well, I will do that tomorrow, next week, next month, next Ramadan, when I get a job, when I get married, when I get a promotion, when I retire…” Any of the landmarks in my life that I put as a timing for doing the good deeds.
The sheikh here is saying that this is immature. And if you have an intention to do a good deed, then you go and do it right away; otherwise, your soul is an immature soul.
This is inspired by the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warning the believers from saying: “I will… next time…, or I’m postponing this for the future.”
Hasten the Good Intention
And it is inspired by the verses in the Quran in which Allah Almighty is asking us to:
Hasten towards the forgiveness from Allah and the Paradise that is as wide as heavens and earth prepared for the righteous. (The Quran, 3:133)
The other verse is saying:
Race towards Allah.
So Allah Almighty and Prophet Muhammad are teaching us to hasten when we have a good intention, not to postpone what we would like to do.
Procrastination is unacceptable and is eventually regrettable. Every believer should seize time and should make the best out of the time that they’re allowed in their lives.
Good Time Management
It’s very important to be efficient with your time. And it’s very important to time manage as you journey to Allah Almighty.
It’s not only important for organizing the worldly life: You wake up in the morning and you have a schedule for your day, you probably have a schedule for your week, and your month, and you have a calendar… It’s very important to have a calendar with Allah as well.
What are you going to do before Ramadan or during Ramadan?
What am I going to do tonight or this evening?
When am I going to give this charity?
And I should not postpone the good deeds that I have intention to do because that is immature, as the sheikh is teaching us here.
A major component of time management is to set priorities, is to ask myself, ‘what is more prior in what I’m intending to do?’ And to take the highest priority and go ahead and do it, and to avoid and not to waste time with the least priority.
The top objective is actually to please Allah Almighty and to come closer to Him. A believer should spend their time pleasing Allah and should not postpone what they have to do.
The postponement and the procrastination hinders you from the next step towards Allah Almighty, which is a step of realizing your will and your intention.
Don’t Postpone a Good Deed
When you have a good intention and you have an opportunity to serve Allah Almighty and His deen, then just go ahead and do it. And don’t postpone because this is a sign of immaturity.
People in this life, later in their lives and in the Hereafter might regret the time that they wasted. We have many examples in the Quran for stories of that. And to avoid that regret is to simply go ahead and do what you intend to do that pleases Allah and fulfill the highest priority in that and not to procrastinate or waste time.
This is the seventh step in the journey.
Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – Part 6 – Part 7