Advice on Making the Most of the Vacation
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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed: This is the final session of the month of Rajab, year 1414 AH, and it is the weekly session that takes place every Thursday. This will be the last session before the vacation, and the sessions will resume—Allah willing—after the resumption of studies at the end of Sha'ban. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to grant us and you beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.
We were in the process of finishing the exegesis of Surat al-A'la, but perhaps what is appropriate in this session is to give people guidance regarding what they will do during this vacation.
So we say, and success is from Allah the Exalted: There is no doubt that the hours of one's life are more precious than dinars and dirhams; because the hours of life pass and can never be recovered, and every day that passes moves us further from this world and closer to the Hereafter. The days proceed, the hours pass, and the years go by, until a person reaches the appointed term about which Allah the Exalted said: [Yunus: 49] And if this is the status of life and its hours, then it is obligatory for the sensible person, let alone the believer, to make use of these hours in what he was created for. And what we were all created for is the worship of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.Allah the Exalted said: [Adh-Dhariyat: 56] .
And worship: It is a name for everything that brings one closer to Allah the Exalted, whether it be a word or a deed; whether it be the action of the visible limbs or the action of the heart; and whether it be the speech of the tongue that pronounces it or the speech of the heart which is belief. So everything that brings one closer to Allah is worship. And Allah the Exalted does not want us to remain constantly in prayer, or to remain constantly confined in the mosques for remembrance and recitation; rather, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that,It was reported to him that some of his Companions said, one of them saying: I fast and do not break my fast,And the second said: and I stand and do not sleep,And the third said: I do not marry women,So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon and said: (Know that I fast and I break the fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me) And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Indeed, your Lord has a right over you, your self has a right over you, your family has a right over you, and your guest has a right over you. So give every right its due) .
And on this basis, we say: There is no blame on a person for enjoying himself with what Allah the Exalted has made lawful for him from His blessings; so that boredom, tedium, and fatigue may be removed from him. But the condition is that it be in what Allah has made lawful for him. And this vacation that was decided for students and teachers during the year is nothing but for this purpose; to remove tedium, boredom, and fatigue, and to give the soul its share of what Allah has permitted for it.
People are divided into categories during this vacation:- Some of them make use of it by traveling to the House of Allah the Sacred and to the Prophet's City, upon its inhabitant be the best of greetings and peace.
- And some of them make use of it by traveling to visit relatives and kin.
- And some of them make use of it to travel in calling to Allah the Exalted and Majestic, guiding people and directing them.
- And some of them make use of it to devote themselves to reviewing what has passed in the pursuit of knowledge, and recalling what they have forgotten of the Qur'an.
- And some of them make use of it in helping their father in selling or buying or plowing or the like.
- And some of them make use of it in going out to the open countryside and taking a walk in a manner that is permissible.
- And some of them make use of it in going out to the open countryside and taking a walk, but in a manner that is forbidden. They spend their time either watching the programs broadcast on television that come to us from abroad, either through video tapes, or through the satellite dish that picks up everything that corrupts religions and destroys morals.
So these people have lost this world and the Hereafter. They have lost this world because they did not work during this period in what pleases Allah the Exalted and Majestic, except in performing the obligatory duties that are necessary, such as prayer and ritual purity.
And they have lost the Hereafter; because these sins become a cause for their torment and punishment in the Hereafter. And perhaps the sins will accumulate upon the heart until it is sealed over, refuge sought in Allah,As Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: [Al-Mutaffifin: 13] meaning: When the Qur'an is recited to him and what is in it of lessons and admonitions, he says: This is the talk of gatherings and stories that have no reality. [Al-Mutaffifin: 14] meaning: The Qur'an is not the legends of the former peoples [Al-Mutaffifin: 14] until they did not taste the flavor of the Qur'an—we ask Allah for safety. So sins are the messenger of disbelief, as the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said.
- And among people are those who make use of the vacation in something more vile than this; traveling abroad to lands of corruption and debauchery. There they do whatever they wish of types of sins, and usually they abandon prayer; so they suffer a great loss—refuge sought in Allah—and they return having lost this world and the Hereafter, with a dark face and a blackened heart.
So the important thing is that people have inclinations and ways of spending this vacation.
So it is obligatory for the sensible person to make use of his time in what is a cause for the pleasure of his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, so that when death comes to him, it comes to him while he is in the best of states. Because one who is afflicted with sins in a state of health and the vigor of his youth may continue with these sins. So when the time comes when obedience is needed, he is bankrupt, with empty hands, unable to pronounce the testimony of faith at the time of death—we ask Allah for safety! So the sensible person looks at his days and nights and asks: How did he spend them? In the obedience of Allah the Exalted, or in His disobedience? If it was in the obedience of Allah, let him praise Allah for that, and let him continue with it, and let him ask Him for steadfastness upon it until death. And if it was otherwise, let him hasten with repentance and turning back in the time of possibility; because at the time of death, regret does not benefit, and repentance does not avail.
So I call upon you and myself to make use of this vacation in what pleases Allah the Exalted and Majestic. And you have known what Allah has made easy for us to mention of the categories in which people are divided during this vacation. So I urge myself and you to make use of it in what pleases Allah, by worshipping Allah, by benefiting creation, and by giving the soul something of enjoyment in a permissible manner, and so on.
We ask Allah to make us and you among those who spent their times in the obedience of their Lord, and to make us steadfast upon that until death, and to take care of us in this world and the Hereafter. Indeed, He is capable of all things.
To proceed: This is the final session of the month of Rajab, year 1414 AH, and it is the weekly session that takes place every Thursday. This will be the last session before the vacation, and the sessions will resume—Allah willing—after the resumption of studies at the end of Sha'ban. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to grant us and you beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.
We were in the process of finishing the exegesis of Surat al-A'la, but perhaps what is appropriate in this session is to give people guidance regarding what they will do during this vacation.
So we say, and success is from Allah the Exalted: There is no doubt that the hours of one's life are more precious than dinars and dirhams; because the hours of life pass and can never be recovered, and every day that passes moves us further from this world and closer to the Hereafter. The days proceed, the hours pass, and the years go by, until a person reaches the appointed term about which Allah the Exalted said:
When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it]."
إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَلا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَAnd I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْأِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِAnd worship: It is a name for everything that brings one closer to Allah the Exalted, whether it be a word or a deed; whether it be the action of the visible limbs or the action of the heart; and whether it be the speech of the tongue that pronounces it or the speech of the heart which is belief. So everything that brings one closer to Allah is worship. And Allah the Exalted does not want us to remain constantly in prayer, or to remain constantly confined in the mosques for remembrance and recitation; rather, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that,It was reported to him that some of his Companions said, one of them saying: I fast and do not break my fast,And the second said: and I stand and do not sleep,And the third said: I do not marry women,So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon and said: (Know that I fast and I break the fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me) And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Indeed, your Lord has a right over you, your self has a right over you, your family has a right over you, and your guest has a right over you. So give every right its due) .
And on this basis, we say: There is no blame on a person for enjoying himself with what Allah the Exalted has made lawful for him from His blessings; so that boredom, tedium, and fatigue may be removed from him. But the condition is that it be in what Allah has made lawful for him. And this vacation that was decided for students and teachers during the year is nothing but for this purpose; to remove tedium, boredom, and fatigue, and to give the soul its share of what Allah has permitted for it.
People are divided into categories during this vacation:- Some of them make use of it by traveling to the House of Allah the Sacred and to the Prophet's City, upon its inhabitant be the best of greetings and peace.
- And some of them make use of it by traveling to visit relatives and kin.
- And some of them make use of it to travel in calling to Allah the Exalted and Majestic, guiding people and directing them.
- And some of them make use of it to devote themselves to reviewing what has passed in the pursuit of knowledge, and recalling what they have forgotten of the Qur'an.
- And some of them make use of it in helping their father in selling or buying or plowing or the like.
- And some of them make use of it in going out to the open countryside and taking a walk in a manner that is permissible.
- And some of them make use of it in going out to the open countryside and taking a walk, but in a manner that is forbidden. They spend their time either watching the programs broadcast on television that come to us from abroad, either through video tapes, or through the satellite dish that picks up everything that corrupts religions and destroys morals.
So these people have lost this world and the Hereafter. They have lost this world because they did not work during this period in what pleases Allah the Exalted and Majestic, except in performing the obligatory duties that are necessary, such as prayer and ritual purity.
And they have lost the Hereafter; because these sins become a cause for their torment and punishment in the Hereafter. And perhaps the sins will accumulate upon the heart until it is sealed over, refuge sought in Allah,As Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:
When Our verses are recited to him, he says, "Legends of the former peoples."
إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَNay!
كَلَّاRather, the stain has covered their hearts of that which they were earning.
بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ- And among people are those who make use of the vacation in something more vile than this; traveling abroad to lands of corruption and debauchery. There they do whatever they wish of types of sins, and usually they abandon prayer; so they suffer a great loss—refuge sought in Allah—and they return having lost this world and the Hereafter, with a dark face and a blackened heart.
So the important thing is that people have inclinations and ways of spending this vacation.
So it is obligatory for the sensible person to make use of his time in what is a cause for the pleasure of his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, so that when death comes to him, it comes to him while he is in the best of states. Because one who is afflicted with sins in a state of health and the vigor of his youth may continue with these sins. So when the time comes when obedience is needed, he is bankrupt, with empty hands, unable to pronounce the testimony of faith at the time of death—we ask Allah for safety! So the sensible person looks at his days and nights and asks: How did he spend them? In the obedience of Allah the Exalted, or in His disobedience? If it was in the obedience of Allah, let him praise Allah for that, and let him continue with it, and let him ask Him for steadfastness upon it until death. And if it was otherwise, let him hasten with repentance and turning back in the time of possibility; because at the time of death, regret does not benefit, and repentance does not avail.
So I call upon you and myself to make use of this vacation in what pleases Allah the Exalted and Majestic. And you have known what Allah has made easy for us to mention of the categories in which people are divided during this vacation. So I urge myself and you to make use of it in what pleases Allah, by worshipping Allah, by benefiting creation, and by giving the soul something of enjoyment in a permissible manner, and so on.
We ask Allah to make us and you among those who spent their times in the obedience of their Lord, and to make us steadfast upon that until death, and to take care of us in this world and the Hereafter. Indeed, He is capable of all things.