How A Muslim Spend His Leisure

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Many people consider weekend or holiday as their leisure or spare time, when they can stay up late, sleep in, sit back and relax- watch TV, watch ballgame or watch movies. But a Muslim, after fulfilling his obligatory duties, he uses his spare time for beneficial and fruitful pursuits which will help him to draw closer to Allah, from the moment he wakes until he goes to sleep. This will leave him with no free time to pose a problem whereby he feels a need to fill it with activities that will drain his energy or squander it in inappropriate ways.

Leisure problem does not exist in the Islamic way of life. The one who constantly remembers Allah and worships Him cannot find any empty time that needs to be filled. He is busy remembering Allah and doing voluntary acts of worship after doing what is obligatory. He keeps himself busy learning and memorizing Qur’an and reciting it in worship of Allah, seeking knowledge, learning and memorizing the ahadith. He is busy visiting good scholars, family, friends, and visiting the sick among his relatives, friends and acquaintances, or spending time having innocent fun with his family, or with fellow-believers.

In Islam, leisure is not just what you do when you are not working or studying but is a way of being, a way of approaching life that brings you closer to Allah. It does not include the idea that there can be anytime time when a person is absolutely free of any responsibility to do something useful and when he can waste time in ways that are of no benefit. He has duties which he must perform, towards Allah, may He be glorified, and towards other people.

Free time is a grace bestowed by Allah to His servants. Allah endows His servants with many blessings as He says,

وَآتَاكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ‌ ﴿٣٤

And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favor of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful. (34) [Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:34]

In the midst of these abundant blessings are two favor's in which may people are deluded. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "There are two blessings which many people lose: Health and free time for doing righteous deeds." [Narrated by al-Bukhari]

So if Allah blesses someone with free time and he does not show the gratitude for this blessing through deeds that can elevate him, bring benefit and prosperity to his society or strengthen his nation, but instead he spends it in fun and pastime and sinful words and deeds thereby wasting that precious time, such a person is in a serious and irrevocable loss.

It is in the light of this that the Prophetic admonition came thus, “Seize the opportunity of five things before five things come to you: Your life before your death, your health before your illness, your free time before your time of occupation, your youthfulness before your old age and your time of wealth before your time of poverty.”

A Muslim should remember that time is his capital and if he does not make good use of it he will regret it later. So, one should utilize his time on what benefits him in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

There are many ways in which one can utilize his time in the manner required by shari'ah; these ways will bring him great rewards, and he is not hindered by difficult conditions or time restrictions.

One of the most beautiful and the most successful means of using free time is the habit of some wise people, who, during the end of session holidays, spend their time in things that benefit them physically and intellectually and in righteous deeds and in enjoying pleasant lawful things. They do not spend their holidays in keeping awake during nights engaging in gossips and rumors and spreading lies that lead to evil consequences, roaming about the malls and market places causing disturbance and bothering believing men and women, aimlessly browsing the internet or engaging in social media, or watching useless ballgames and immoral satellite programs that are abhorrent to Allah.

To these righteous people, weekends and holidays are not an opportunity to sleep for most hours of the day and as a result stay away from congregational prayers or abandon useful activities or give free reign to indolence. Rather, they regard holidays as reinforcement in competition in righteous deeds and to an opportunity to enjoy pleasant lawful things. This is because they understand the great responsibility of standing before the One Who endowed them with these blessings on the Day of Resurrection. This is a responsibility that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) referred to in his saying, “The feet of man will not slip on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked of five things: of his life as to how he spent it; his youth as to how he used it; his wealth as to where he got it and how he spent it; and of his knowledge as to what he did with it.”

They also realize the greatness of the responsibility that is upon their fathers, mothers and teachers as regards managing our youths’ free times, teaching them on how to use their time in the most fruitful way and making them the best youth ever evolved for mankind.

Above all, they certainly realize that the path of gratitude that they take leads to more blessings. For, Allah Almighty says,

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَ‌بُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْ‌تُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْ‌تُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' " (7) [Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7]

The responsibility of parents towards their sons and daughters should not be neglected at any time. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Every one of you is a guardian and is responsible for his charges. The ruler who has authority over people, is a guardian and is responsible for them, a man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for them; a woman is a guardian of her husband's house and children and is responsible for them; a slave is a guardian of his master's property and is responsible for it; so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your charges.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

It is therefore incumbent upon every Muslim who hears this Prophetic declaration not to shirk his responsibility towards those who are under his guardianship. Holiday is not an occasion for overlooking children’s behaviors under the excuse of allowing them to have fun. Holiday should not be made a pretext to give children free rein to do whatever they like. It should rather be an avenue for giving them greater care. In fact, during the holiday the children need more of wise and judicious supervision and continuous follow-up. This is because; there are many dangers that are threatening our youth and they are more exposed to hazards.

Allah will shelter in His shade seven (types of people) on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but he says: ‘I fear Allah’, a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears. [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

One thing we may do is to spend time in quiet worship, remembering Allah in our hearts, reflect upon the creation (the plants, trees, ants, bees, fish, birds, and so on) so we may know and appreciate our Lord, and looking at our self and uncover our faults. In terms of uncovering our faults, one way is to invite relatives over who don't particularly like you to point out things about you that your favorite aunts and best friends overlooked. Also, reflect on how our parents are/were because often times we pick up traits of our parents, and if we picked up bad ones, change them. This does not mean we should think negatively of our parents or show any form of disrespect. Other things include taking a nap after Dhuhr when it is hot; spending time chatting about decent topics with family or friends in the evening; visiting one another; joking in gentle and polite ways, and other forms of relaxation.

It is important not to leave gaps where a person has nothing to do, or which may be filled with evil, corrupt or foolish things. Islam abolished the customs, festivals, celebrations and ways of life of the Jaahiliyyah, but it did not leave a vacuum which the Muslims would not know how to fill, or which they may fill with useless things without realizing it. On the contrary, Islam replaced those things with other customs, festivals, celebrations and ways of life to fill the gap. During the Jaahiliyyah, people used to gather to drink and gamble, or to worship idols, or to listen to misguided poetry which did not speak of any worthwhile human concerns. But Islam brought people together to worship Allah by performing the prayer in congregation, to learn and recite the Qur’an together, to listen to the teachings of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), to visit one another, etc. Previously, they had done evil and immoral acts during their festivals, but Islam abolished all that and gave them instead festivals which were noble, pure and filled with meaning and worthy aims.

During the early days of Islam, when family ties were cut with Mushrikeen who had not yet become Muslim, the gap was filled by the close ties between the believers, which took the place of kinship. The gap was truly filled, and the ties of faith became equivalent to the ties of blood for the believers. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) established the mu’aakhah (brotherhood) between the Muhaajireen and Ansaar, it reached such a degree that the Ansaar shared everything they had with the Muhaajireen.

Allah Most High says,

وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ‌ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ‌ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِ‌هِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُ‌ونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ۚ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٩

And [also for] those who were settled in al-Madinah and [adopted] the faith before them. They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what the emigrants were given but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in need of that. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful. (9) [Qur'an, al-Hashr 59:9]

It reached the extent that the people between whom the bond of Mu’aakhah (brotherhood) was established could inherit from one another, and so the believers did not feel that there was anything missing.

(Muhammad Qutub, Manhaj al-Tarbiyyah al-Islamiyyah, 1/206)

In Islam, people are not allowed to overtax their bodies. Since bodily energy has a limit, it cannot withstand long excessive pressure. Even excessive ‘ibadah (worship) has been shunned for the same reasons. Whenever a person gets exhausted because of his work, study, or any other occupation which is aimed at fulfilling his needs and the needs of his family as well as the community (Ummah), he is to take a break and relax.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “...Your body too has its rights on you; your eyes too have their rights on you.”

Spending free time by practicing certain sports that entail no harm is strongly recommended by Islam, so that Muslims can keep fit and make their bodies healthy and sound. Once fit, the body is bound to contain a healthy mind too, and the cultivating of sound morals in it, then, becomes a less challenging proposition. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that children should be taught swimming, archery and horse-riding. He also said that a strong believer is better and more beloved by Allah than a weak one.

During the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Muslims used to spend their leisure time at home, in private gardens, in mosques, and in some open and public areas in the city of Madinah. Practicing archery, horsemanship, horse racing, camel racing, wrestling, fencing, high jumping, weight lifting, stone tossing and swimming -- by and large - were the most widespread outdoor leisure activities. Those were the forms of training for traveling, jihad, seeking provision, living healthy lifestyles, etc.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that a man’s training of his horse, his playing with his family, and his shooting with his bow and arrow, are the best forms of amusement. He denounced very much if one learned the art of archery only to neglect it afterwards.

The best recreation is that which is a family affair, where one spends his free time talking, joking, sporting and playing around with his household. Indeed, the best model to us in this regard is nobody else but the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). 'Aisha, one of the wives of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), said that while she was on a journey along with the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), she had a race with him and she outstripped him on her feet. However, later when she gained weight, she again had a race with the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), but now he outstripped her. He said to her afterward: “This is for that outstripping.”

May Allah bless our time, help us become productive Muslims, and make us of those who are grateful and thankful. Ameen.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Wassalaam