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Praise be
to Allah (swt).
Time is of the essence, it is too precious to be wasted
or neglected. The wise person is the one who pays
attention to his time and does not treat it as a vessel
to be filled with cheap things and vain talk. Instead,
he limits it to worthy efforts and righteous deeds that
please Allaah and benefit other people. Every minute of
a person’s life carries the potential to elevate his own
status and to make himself and his people happier,
little by little.
If you wish to attain the highest position and bring
happiness to yourself and your people, then forget
about relaxing and keep away from empty amusement.
In one minute you can do a lot of good and earn much
reward. In just one minute, by giving in charity,
studying, memorizing, or striving to do good deeds, you
can make sure that this minute of your life is not
wasted. One minute may be recorded in your book of good
deeds if you take care of it and try to put it to best
use.
Let us try to make the most of each minute
Here is a list of things that can be done in one minute,
by the grace of Allah:
1. In
one minute you can recite Soorat al-Faatihah 3 times,
reciting rapidly and silently. Some scholars said that
the reward for reading al-Faatihah is more than 600
hasanahs, so if you read it 3 times you will, by the
permission of Allaah, gain more than 1800 hasanahs – all
of that in one minute.
2. In one minute you can recite Soorat al-Ikhlaas (Qul
Huwa Allaahu Ahad) 20 times, reciting rapidly and
silently. Reciting it once is equivalent to one-third of
the Qur’aan. If you read it 20 times it is equivalent to
reading the Qur’aan 7 times. If you read it 20 times in
one minute each day, you will have read it 600 times in
one month, and 7200 times in one year, which will be
equal in reward to reading the Qur’aan 2400 times.
3. You can read one page of the Book of Allaah in one
minute.
4. You can memorize a short aayah of the Book of Allaah
in one minute.
5. In one minute you can say Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk
wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer
(There is no god except Allaah alone with no partner; to
Him be dominion and praise, and He is Able to do all
things) – 20 times. The reward for saying this is like
freeing 8 slaves for the sake of Allaah from among the
sons of Ismaa’eel.
6. In one minute you can say
Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi (Glory and praise
be to Allaah) 100 times. Whoever says that in one day
will be forgiven for his sins even if they are like the
foam of the sea.
7. In one minute you can say
Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi Subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem
(Glory and praise be to Allaah, glory be to
Allaah the Almighty) 50 times. These are two phrases
which are light on the lips, heavy in the balance and
beloved to the Most Merciful, as was narrated by al-Bukhaari
and
Muslim.
8. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “When I say ‘Subhaan
Allaah, wa’l-hamdu Lillah, wa laa ilaah ill-Allaah, wa
Allaahu akbar (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to
Allaah, there is no god except Allaah, and Allaah is
Most Great)’, this is more dear to me than all that is
under the sun.” (Narrated by Muslim). In one minute, you can say all of these
words more than 18 times. These words are the most
beloved words to Allaah, the best of words, and they
weigh heavily in the balance of good deeds, as was
narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth.
9. In one minute you can say, Laa
hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (there is no
strength and no power except with Allaah) more than 40
times. This is one of the treasures of
Paradise, as was narrated by al-Bukhaari and
Muslim. They are a means of putting up
with difficulties and of aiming to achieve great things.
10. In one minute you can say Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah approximately 50 times. This is
the greatest word, for it is the word of Tawheed, the
good word, the word that stands firm. If these are the
last words of a person, he will enter
Paradise, and there are other reports which
indicate how great these words are.
11. In one minute you can say
Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih, ‘adada khalqihi, wa ridaa
nafsihi, wazinata ‘arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi
(Glory and praise be to Allaah, as much as the
number of His creation, as much as pleases Him, as much
as the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink of
His words) more than 15 times. This words bring many
more times the reward for other forms of tasbeeh and
dhikr, as was reported in saheeh ahaadeeth from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
12. In one minute you can seek the forgiveness of Allaah
more than 100 times by saying “Astaghfir-Allaah
(I seek the forgiveness of Allaah). The virtues of
seeking forgiveness are no secret, for it is the means
of attaining forgiveness and entering Paradise, and it
is the means of being granted a good life, increasing
one’s strength, warding off disasters, making things
easier, bringing rain and increasing one’s wealth and
children.
13. You can say a few brief and concise words in one
minute, and Allaah may bring about some good through
them that you could never imagine.
14. In one minute you can send blessings on the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 50 times by
saying Sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam (May Allaah bless him and grant him
peace). In return Allaah will send blessings upon you
500 hundred times because one blessing brings ten like
it.
15. In one minute you can motivate your heart to give
thanks to Allaah, to love Him, to fear Him, to put hope
in Him, to long for Him, and thus travel through the
stages of ‘uboodiyyah (total enslavement to Allaah). You
could do this when you are lying on your bed or walking
in the street.
16. In one minute you can read more than two pages of a
useful book that is easy to understand.
17. In one minute you can uphold the ties of kinship by
calling a relative on the phone.
18. You can raise your hands and recite any du’aa’ you
wish from the books of du’aa’, in one minute.
19. You can say salaams to and shake hands with a number
of people in one minute.
20. You can forbid an evil action in one minute.
21. You can enjoin something good in one minute.
22. You can offer sincere advice to a brother in one
minute.
23. You can console someone who is depressed in one
minute.
24. You can remove something harmful from the road in
one minute.
25. Making the most of one minute motivates you to make
the most of other periods that would otherwise be
wasted.
Al-Shaafa’i
said:
When people go to sleep, I let my tears flow, and I
recite a verse of the most eloquent poetry
Is it not a waste that nights go by and I do not
increase in knowledge, yet this time is counted as part
of my life?
Finally, the more sincere you are towards Allaah and the
more aware you are of Him, the greater will be your
reward and the more your hasanaat will increase.
Note that most of these actions will not cost you
anything; they do not require tahaarah (purity) and they
will not tire you out or take much effort. On the
contrary, you can do them whilst you are walking, or in
your car, or lying down, or standing, or sitting, or
waiting for somebody.
These actions are also among the greatest means of
attaining happiness, expanding your chest (i.e.,
bringing relief and joy) and removing stress and
anxiety. May Allaah help us to do that which He loves
and which is pleasing to Him. May Allaah bless our
Prophet Muhammad(s) and his progeny.
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