Full transcript
0:01Assalamu alaikum to all the sisters
0:03listening to me today . Welcome to this
0:05new episode of Muslim Preneuse . I'm
0:07Alima , and today we're going to talk
0:09about something that's probably eating
0:12away at you right now . Time . But not
0:15just time . More like your life slipping
0:18away and that horrible feeling you
0:20might have that you're wasting your
0:21time , that you should be doing more ,
0:23that you should be further along , that
0:25the years are passing and you don't
0:27feel like you've really lived . So , if
0:30you wake up in the morning , for example
0:32, with anxiety about time , if you go to
0:34bed at night telling yourself , " I
0:35didn't do anything today , " if you look
0:37at last year and wonder , " Where did my
0:39life go ? " , maybe you're in the right
0:41place today , because today I'm going to
0:44show you how Islam — not just the
0:46religion , but the true wisdom of Islam
0:49— can help you stop wasting your time
0:51and actually live your life . And what's
0:54crazy is that it's not complicated .
0:55It's not some secret formula , either .
0:58It's simply a perspective that we
1:00Muslims have sometimes forgotten . So ,
1:04we're going to explore together why
1:06you're losing time in the first place ,
1:07and it's not necessarily what you think
1:09. What Allah really says about time .
1:14How Islam will actually completely
1:16reshape your relationship with time .
1:20The five Islamic keys to stop wasting
1:22your time , and especially how to put
1:24them into practice . Because as usual ,
1:27if you're used to listening to me , at
1:29the end of every podcast episode , we
1:31have a little practical exercise to
1:33apply what we talked about that day .
1:36The goal isn't just to listen to a
1:38podcast episode ; it's to change
1:39something in our lives thanks to this
1:41episode . So , if you're interested , take
1:45a deep breath , grab your drink , settle
1:47in , get a little blanket , and let's go .
1:51Let's start , ya Allah , because now is
1:53the time ; we're going to change your
1:55perception of time a little bit . So ,
1:59before I tell you how to stop wasting
2:01time , I'd like you to understand why
2:03you waste time . And that's important
2:05because most people think that wasting
2:07time is just scrolling on social media ,
2:09watching TV , or hanging around doing
2:11nothing . But that's not the real reason
2:14. The real reason why you waste time is
2:16because you don't know why you are here
2:18. It might sound dramatic as I say it
2:20to you , but it's actually true . Listen ,
2:23a person who knows exactly why they
2:25exist won't waste a single day doing
2:27meaningless things . But a person who is
2:30confused about their " why " will just do
2:32what others are doing . They will chase
2:34after things that shine but don't
2:35necessarily have any value . They will
2:37feel empty after every superficial
2:39accomplishment . They will fill their
2:42time with noise just to avoid hearing
2:44the silence , for example , and then 5
2:45years will pass and they will ask
2:47themselves , " Why did I do that ? " And
2:50that is what happens . In fact , without
2:52a clear " why , " who is your life
2:54controlled by ? By algorithms , society ,
2:57the expectations of others , the
2:59emotions of the moment , your impulses ,
3:01and so on . So yes , you are wasting time
3:04, but what you are really losing is
3:05your direction . And this is what many
3:10people don't realize : the time you
3:12waste now , you cannot get it back . Now
3:15yes , it's a cliché . The time you lose ,
3:17you can get it back , and so on . But in
3:19fact , it's the truth . It's the truth .
3:20If you are 25 and spend the next five
3:22years doing meaningless things , you
3:24can't go back and get those 5 years .
3:26They are gone . And with them , well , the
3:29different possibilities you could have
3:31had during that time are gone too . I
3:33don't want to over-dramatize the
3:34subject , either . Uh , let's not forget
3:37that we do what we can , but if you are
3:39currently thinking , " I'm wasting my
3:42time , how can I improve ? " then listen
3:44to this episode . Allah says in Surah
3:49Al-Asr : " By time , indeed , mankind is in
3:52loss , except for those who have
3:54believed and done righteous deeds and
3:56advised each other to truth and advised
3:59each other to patience . " So , really
4:03take that in for a moment . Allah swears
4:05by time , by Al-Asr . That means time is
4:09such a precious resource that Allah
4:12swears by it . Allah says that mankind
4:15is in loss unless we do certain things .
4:19Not exceptions , not " it would be nice
4:21if , " it's more like " except if . " So
4:23time is not just lost . Actually , lost
4:26time is not just some vague question ,
4:29you see . It is a state of loss in
4:32certain cases . And that is why you
4:35waste time in the first place . Because
4:37no one taught you the true value of
4:38time according to Islam . In school ,
4:41they don't tell you that every minute
4:43is an opportunity to get closer to
4:44Allah or drift away . No , maybe your
4:46family will tell you , you see ,
4:49depending on what type of religious
4:51family you grow up in . But that's it .
4:55Society is more likely to tell you to
4:56make money , but not to accomplish
4:58anything . It will just tell you : make
5:00money , make money , keep the money . And
5:01in fact , it will try to use your time
5:03for its own ends . So basically ,
5:07you’ve been , let's say , in a society
5:09that makes you walk without a compass ,
5:11thinking you’re living when you’re
5:14actually just going in circles , and
5:16every year passes without a specific
5:18direction . And so , well , what happens ?
5:21Confusion accumulates until the day you
5:23wake up and say , " But what did I do
5:25with these 20 or 30 years that just
5:27went by ? " Right , now let’s look a
5:31little bit at what Islam really says
5:32about time . Because this is
5:34revolutionary in Islam . Time is not
5:36just time . It is an ' amana , a trust ,
5:38it's actually a gift . And like all the
5:40trusts that Allah gives you , you must
5:41account for them . You must also account
5:47for your time . And by the way , the
5:50Prophet , peace be upon him , said a
5:52phrase where basically ... ... well , if I
5:57remember correctly , it’s that the
5:59feet of a man will not move on the Day
6:02of Judgment until he is asked four
6:05questions . And among those four
6:07questions , one of them happens to be
6:09about time . So basically , how we spent
6:12our life , our life , how we spent it .
6:15It's not about how much money we earned
6:17, etc. It's what we did with the years ,
6:18the days , the hours that Allah gave us .
6:21And that is what changes everything .
6:24Allah knows the exact number of our
6:26days . Not just that this person will
6:28live a long time . No , exactly how many
6:30days , minutes , seconds , microseconds ,
6:32milliseconds , and so on and so forth .
6:34And Allah also knows what we will do in
6:36each of those days . So , why does Allah
6:40tell us that ? It’s not to scare us ,
6:43it’s to tell us that we don’t have
6:45an infinite amount of time . So every
6:46moment counts . There you go , quite
6:48simply . Except Islam doesn’t say all
6:51time is equal . Right ? Islam says there
6:54is a time for everything , especially
6:57for prayer . There is a time for prayer ,
6:59a time for work , a time for family , and
7:01a time for learning . And when you do
7:04each thing at its proper time , you
7:06don’t waste a single minute . But when
7:08you do the wrong things at the wrong
7:10time , that’s when you lose a lot . For
7:12example , you spend an hour scrolling on
7:14social media instead of spending time
7:15with your family . Well , there , you’re
7:17losing a relationship . You spend , uh , 5
7:19years doing a job just to survive
7:21instead of seeking what Allah wants you
7:23to do . So , for example , you were
7:26working in something that was haram ,
7:28instead of starting another project or
7:30looking for another job that would
7:32better align with your values and
7:33fulfill what Allah commands you to do ,
7:36by taking a small risk but , afterward ,
7:38being at peace . Well , in that case ,
7:41you’re kind of wasting your life . You
7:45put off an important decision because
7:47you’re afraid instead of acting ,
7:48knowing it’s beneficial for you and
7:50that Allah would be proud . In any case ,
7:52you think that Allah would be proud of
7:53what you’re going to achieve , well ,
7:55you lose an opportunity , and so on and
7:56so forth . And , in fact , it’s always
7:57the same thing . Except the thing that
8:00really changes everything is that most
8:02people don’t lose time just by doing
8:04nothing . The thing is , it’s not that
8:07we’re doing nothing , it’s that
8:08people lose time by doing the wrong
8:10things . And that is a bit more serious
8:12because you think you’re productive ,
8:14you think you’re moving forward , but
8:16actually you’re building a house on
8:18sand . And we already mentioned that in
8:20one of the previous episodes . From the
8:24moment you build a house , well , you
8:26build something on foundations that
8:28aren't healthy and aren't solid , well ,
8:30you’ll realize it won't last . So the
8:34real cheat code , truly , according to
8:36Islam , is not working 25 hours a day ,
8:39it’s rather what Allah wants from you
8:43and do what He wants of you and leave
8:45the rest , quite simply . So now , we're
8:48going to see how this will change your
8:50life . All right ? Imagine you wake up
8:53tomorrow with clarity . Like , you know ,
8:55you really know why you are here . You
8:57know that Allah has a reason for your
8:58existence . You know that your time is
9:00not infinite . What will that change in
9:02your work ? First of all , what could it
9:04change ? Well , you might ask yourself
9:06why am I doing this work . Does Allah
9:08want me to do this ? Is there a reason
9:10why I am here right now ? And when you
9:12have a reason , suddenly your work will
9:13transform . And it can even become an
9:15act of worship . Insha'Allah . And it's
9:17not because it's easier , but because
9:19it's more meaningful . And after 1 year
9:22in that framework , you accomplish 100
9:24times more than , for example , 5 years
9:26in a framework where there was no
9:28clarity . In your learning as well , you
9:31know who you are supposed to become . So
9:33you learn only what you need to become
9:35that person . You know what Allah wants
9:37from you . You know what Allah wishes
9:40from us , humans . So you don't learn at
9:42random . You learn with an intention .
9:45And after 2 years , well , you might
9:47become an expert in a field because you
9:48focused on a single thing and therefore
9:50you have a real impact and you help
9:52people in your relationships too .
9:54Obviously , that also plays a role . For
9:57example , you know that your time is
9:58precious . So , there it is , we've
9:59understood it . So you know that you
10:01were also created with a mission , and a
10:04relationship that won't honor that ,
10:06both for you and for the person across
10:08from you , well , you won't give it any
10:10time . So you will choose people who
10:12will lift you up and people you can
10:14lift up . People who see your mission
10:16and support you . And suddenly your
10:18relationships will become real , deep ,
10:20and won't just be distractions . So when
10:24you stop wasting time , you start living
10:26. And living isn't just doing a bunch
10:28of stuff , it's rather doing the right
10:30things for the right reasons . Well , if
10:32you are still listening to this podcast
10:34episode , if you also feel that this is
10:36an episode that interests you and that
10:38you like , I would like to ask you for
10:40just one small thing , which is to
10:41subscribe to this episode . is to
10:43subscribe to this podcast . Not
10:46necessarily for me , yes , to support me ,
10:48but also for you , because each episode
10:51is a conversation between you and me
10:53about how to live your life aligned
10:55with Islam , about how to become who you
10:57truly are , and a bit about life in
10:59general , ultimately , as a Muslim woman
11:01who wishes to evolve while respecting
11:03her values . So if this resonates with
11:06you , don't hesitate to subscribe , and
11:07you can also share it with a sister who
11:08might need to hear it . And we'll
11:11continue because the best part of the
11:12episode is coming up now . So we are
11:14going to look at , as I mentioned in the
11:16introduction , the five keys to stop
11:17wasting your time . I’m not just going
11:21to motivate you for a single hour right
11:22after the podcast and so on . I want you
11:24to change your life right now . So here
11:25is exactly how you are going to do that
11:27. You have five keys that you can apply
11:30right now . Firstly , it will be to
11:32define your Islamic " why . " What you are
11:35going to do is set aside 30 minutes in
11:38your day . Okay ? You are going to
11:40schedule 30 minutes to focus , and you
11:42are going to write down the answer to
11:44this question that I am about to give
11:45you . Allah , why did You create me ? What
11:48am I supposed to do in this life ? And
11:51you are going to write it honestly , not
11:52what your mother wants nor what society
11:54expects of you . What your heart knows
11:58and what you know based on the
11:59teachings you have gained from scholars
12:02, from Islam in general , and especially
12:04from the knowledge of Allah . The more
12:07we know Allah , the more we know what we
12:08must do on this earth , and the more we
12:10love Allah , and the truer it is .
12:11That’s it ; it’s a virtuous circle ,
12:13and it will help you answer this
12:15question as well . For example , it could
12:17be , well , I don't know , being a mother
12:20who will raise future generations , or
12:23being an entrepreneur who will solve a
12:25problem that , for example , Muslim women
12:28face daily . Uh , there you go , whatever
12:31it is , but try to find something that
12:34Allah has placed in your heart . Once
12:36you have that , write it down , read it
12:38every morning , and focus on it , because
12:41that will guide you every single day .
12:46And you will be able to ask yourself :
12:47is what I am going to do today going to
12:49bring me closer to the reason I was
12:51born , so to speak , the reason I was
12:52placed on this earth , or will it take
12:54me further away from it ? The second key
12:58is to conduct a time audit . For one
13:00week . You are going to track exactly
13:02how you spend your time . All right ?
13:03Every task you do , you should try to
13:04write it down . You should try to record
13:07in a calendar exactly how you use your
13:09time . Simply not to make yourself feel
13:12guilty , but just to see how you
13:13function . How many hours you're on
13:15social media , how many hours you're at
13:17work , how many hours you're with your
13:18family , how many hours you take to
13:20learn something , how many hours you
13:21take to rest or relax , and so on and so
13:23forth . And once you see that , you can
13:25evaluate , you can actually
13:27self-evaluate by asking yourself if it
13:29aligns with your " why . " If five hours a
13:32day on social media are in your
13:34schedule , but you have zero hours
13:37dedicated to the dream you want to
13:39achieve , well , that answers your
13:42question , doesn't it ? Okay ? The third
13:45key is to prioritize eliminating rather
13:48than adding . Most people think that to
13:51stop wasting time , they need to add
13:53more productive things to their day .
13:55No. We're going to work on the opposite
13:58. You're going to eliminate . You're
14:00going to look at the audit you did for
14:02your second key and ask yourself what
14:04makes the things you do during your day
14:08not align with your " why , " and you're
14:11going to remove and eliminate those
14:13things from your daily routine . For
14:15example , if you have a habit that takes
14:17up a lot of time , causes you stress ,
14:19and brings you nothing daily , you
14:21eliminate it , you remove it , sorry .
14:27Because , in fact , you need to
14:28understand that the secret is that you
14:30can't add something significant ,
14:31something important , and so on , without
14:33making space first . So , you're going to
14:36make space by eliminating everything
14:37that serves no purpose . For key number
14:414 , you're going to protect your , what
14:43should we call them ? the moments where
14:46you are most productive , the times when
14:48you are truly in deep concentration . I
14:50know there's an English word for it ,
14:51and I forgot it , I'm sorry . But , you
14:53have times , you have hours that work
14:56best for you . For some , it will be in
14:58the morning after Fajr , for example .
15:00For others , it will be in the evening
15:01after eating . Uh , for others still ,
15:03it's right before lunch . In short , it's
15:06when you are at your clearest , most
15:09creative , and most powerful in your
15:11intentions , your work , and your
15:13discipline that you must protect those
15:15hours . Agreed ? And actually , I mean ,
15:20you need to tell yourself that during
15:22those hours , you have to focus on just
15:23one single thing , okay ? Not necessarily
15:26your emails , your social media , your
15:29hobbies , or anything else . You must
15:31focus on one thing , and more
15:32importantly , I can't give you the
15:34answer as to what that is because it
15:36will be something that aligns with your
15:38" why . " It's up to you to choose what
15:41that thing is , and you must know how to
15:43say no to everything else . Let me give
15:46you an example . Right now , I'm taking
15:48Arabic classes , Quran classes , and
15:51courses in Tafsir and Quran
15:53memorization . So , I have several
15:57courses currently underway , and for me ,
16:00they align completely with my " why "
16:02regarding my mission , so to speak , as a
16:04human being that Allah has placed on
16:07earth , and so on . At first , I couldn't
16:10keep up until I understood that I
16:13actually had to say no to the rest when
16:15I was working on that mission . And by
16:19understanding that , I pretty much
16:21understood everything because I told
16:22myself , " Okay , that's how it works ; you
16:24have to prioritize . " That's all it is .
16:27You have to prioritize . And protecting
16:30these moments when I am at my most
16:32productive for those missions , without
16:35accepting other tasks , means I'm going
16:37to do them much better . And even if
16:41someone calls you , unless it's an
16:42emergency , of course , you need to be
16:44able to say , " Right now , this is my
16:45time for such and such , " or even
16:47without justifying it , just say , " I'll
16:48get to it later . " There you go . And
16:52above all , prioritize those moments
16:54during your times of ultimate focus ,
16:57really , just ultimate focus . Key number
17:015 will be to create a system of small
17:04wins . Okay ? What you usually do , what
17:07you do in your daily life , is aim for
17:10huge changes right away , saying , " Oh , I
17:12want to reach this , " by setting your
17:15final goal . But what you're going to do
17:17today is create small wins for yourself
17:19. So every day or every week , for
17:22example , on Monday , you must have
17:24succeeded in focusing for 30 minutes on
17:26your project . Uh , for example , on
17:29Wednesday , you must have spent at least
17:3120 minutes reading the Quran in Arabic ,
17:33you see ? And the fact that you've done
17:36that , those are small victories , and
17:37you say , " OK , I succeeded , I succeeded ,
17:39I succeeded . " These are small victories
17:41. And little by little , these small
17:42victories will accumulate , and after ,
17:44well , a few weeks , a few months , etc. ,
17:46you will see that you have changed and
17:47that you will become a different person
17:49. But the key is to start small . But to
17:52start in any case , just start small .
17:55Those are the five keys to finally stop
17:58wasting your time , so to speak . Well ,
18:00before we finish , here are the key
18:02points to remember . First , you don't
18:04lose time by doing nothing . You lose
18:06time by doing the wrong things . Second ,
18:09the time you lose now , you cannot get
18:11it back . It sounds dramatic what I'm
18:13telling you , but it's the reality . And
18:14we are here to wake up . There is no
18:16problem . We are still alive ,
18:18alhamdulillah . So we can still take
18:20this time . Third , Allah has put a " why "
18:22in your heart . Try to look for it ,
18:25listen to your heart and try to find it
18:27. Perhaps we won't find it right now .
18:28Maybe even Allah doesn't necessarily
18:30want us to find it immediately . But we
18:32have a " why " on this earth . Fourth ,
18:35when you know your " why , " everything
18:37becomes clear . Fifth , you don't need to
18:40change your life completely tomorrow .
18:42As I told you , little thing by little
18:44thing , small actions , and you will see
18:46that gradually your life will change .
18:50And then your time is an amanah , it's a
18:52trust from Allah . You will be held
18:54accountable for it . So you must use it
18:56wisely . Well , like at the end of every
19:01exerc — like at the end of , sorry , like
19:03at the end of every podcast episode , we
19:06do a little application exercise . Uh ,
19:09so , I would like to propose that you do
19:11a little exercise that will take you ,
19:13uh , I don't know , a maximum of 30
19:14minutes . First , you will put your phone
19:17on silent in a quiet place where you
19:19won't be distracted . And then , you will
19:22ask yourself a question : " Allah , why
19:24did You create me ? What am I supposed
19:26to accomplish in this life ? " And you
19:27are going to write down everything that
19:28comes to you . You are not going to
19:29censor yourself . You are going to try
19:31to write everything that crosses your
19:32mind , and everything that your heart
19:34actually knows in the end . Then , you
19:36are going to read what you wrote and
19:39ask Allah and make dua . You will call
19:42upon Allah , asking Him to help you live
19:44according to that " why " and to help you
19:46stop wasting your time and start living
19:48. And then , you look at your day today ,
19:52or yesterday — it depends on what time
19:55it is when you do the exercise — and
19:57you will choose one thing you are going
20:00to do to align your life with that " why
20:02" you found . Maybe it's , I don't know ,
20:04calling a loved one instead of
20:06scrolling on social media , or maybe
20:08it's learning something useful , or
20:09something like that . Well , it's up to
20:12you , but you will commit to doing it
20:14starting today . And then , tomorrow
20:16morning , when you wake up , you will
20:18reread what you wrote yesterday and you
20:20will continue . And one day at a time .
20:25Well , this podcast episode is finished .
20:28But before I leave you , I would like
20:29you to remember an image . Close your
20:32eyes , it is tomorrow . You are sitting
20:34and thinking about this day you just
20:36spent . What do you want to feel ? Do you
20:39want to feel that you wasted hours ,
20:41that you did nothing that mattered ? Or
20:43do you want to feel that you lived ,
20:45that every moment had meaning , that you
20:48moved toward who Allah created you to
20:50be ? The difference between these two is
20:53simply your choice . Because a lost day
20:55is a day you didn't take care of . But
20:57every day where you know why you do
21:00what you do is a day that counts . And
21:02my sister , you deserve a life where
21:04every day counts . In fact , we deserve
21:07to look back and say to ourselves , " Ah ,
21:09I did all that , alhamdulillah , and I am
21:11proud of myself and I am proud of the
21:14path I traveled to try to reach my
21:16place in Paradise . " And all that starts
21:20right now . And don't forget , don't look
21:24at things too broadly . Start one day ,
21:27start with one hour , one decision at a
21:29time . Because every moment you take to
21:31return to Allah , whether for your dream
21:34, your family , or your faith — always
21:36for Allah , but through the means of
21:38your family , etc. — is a moment where
21:40you are no longer lost . It's a moment
21:42when we come back to Allah , and that is
21:43the real secret . So , thank you for
21:45listening to me . If something in this
21:48podcast episode resonated with you ,
21:50don't hesitate to like it . You can
21:52comment , and don't hesitate to use a
21:55clock or watch emoji if you've listened
21:58to me this far . That way , it will let
22:01me know if you finished the whole
22:02podcast or not . Don't hesitate to share
22:06this podcast with a sister who might
22:08need to hear the topics we discuss
22:10every day . And with that , I'll see you
22:13very soon . Salam alaykum . This was
22:15Alima from Muslim Preneuse .