﷽
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
Saying 21 has three points which, if observed, can lead man to progress. Imām ʿAlī (ʿa)’s words:
وقال عليه السلام : قُرِنَتِ الْهَيْبَةُ بِالْخَيْبَةِ وَالْحَيَاءُ بِالْحِرْمَانِ وَالْفُرْصَةُ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ، فَانْتَهِزُوا فُرَصَ الْخَيْرِ
Amīr al-Muʾminīn, peace be upon him, said:
“The consequence of fear is disappointment and shyness (wrong type) is deprivation. Opportunity passes away like the cloud. Therefore, make use of good opportunities” (Saying 21, Nahj al-Balāghah)
We have discussed the first two points, which are:
قُرِنَتِ الْهَيْبَةُ بِالْخَيْبَةِ
“The consequence of fear/low morale is disappointment”
وَالْحَيَاءُ بِالْحِرْمَانِ
“...and shyness (wrong type) is deprivation”
Why Are Opportunities Compared to Clouds?
The Imām (ʿa) says in this saying:
وَالْفُرْصَةُ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ
“Opportunity passes away like the cloud”
Clouds move away quietly, as do opportunities. An opportunity needs to be looked out for! Clouds move away swiftly, and so do opportunities. Life changes all the time, and what was possible yesterday, might not be today. Clouds are discreet in their movement, and go unnoticed. Sometimes, an opportunity does not even look like one. However, some people pick up on the slightest opportunity, whilst others are not alert enough and miss opportunities that pass under their noses!
The Qurʾān Presents The Sentiment Of Those Who Lost Opportunities While They Lived:
.. أَنْ تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ يَا حَسْرَتَا عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْتُ فِي جَنْبِ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتُ لَمِنَ السَّاخِرِينَ
Lest anyone should say, ‘Alas for my negligence in the vicinage of Allah! Indeed I was among those who ridiculed.’ (Sūrah az-Zumar:56)
Don’t Miss The Opportunity Because..
الْفُرْصَةُ سَرِیعَةُ الْفَوْتِ بَطِیئَةُ الْعَوْدِ
Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) said “Opportunity is quick to pass on and slow to return.”
Opportunities are a combination of several factors working together to give a person a chance to do something. Each of these factors is crucial, any one may disappear as a result of changes and the opportunity could be lost, hence opportunities are fleeting.
Seize The Opportunity From Nahj Al-Balagha
Amir al-mu'minin (pbuh) in the letter 31 of Nahj al-Balāghah, in his will to his beloved son, Imām Ḥasan (ʿa), says:
بَادِرِ الْفُرْصَةَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَکُونَ غُصَّةً"
“Seize the opportunity (before it is lost) to grieve."
وَ قَالَ عليه السلام: إِضَاعَةُ الْفُرْصَةِ غُصَّةٌ
Amir al-mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: To miss an opportunity brings about grief. (Saying 118 of Nahj al-Balāghah)
All the divine gifts that are bestowed on human beings in the world are fleeting opportunities; youth, health, security, readiness of soul and mind, and above all our lives are all passing opportunities. The consequences would be sad if we do not seize the opportunity and take sufficient advantage of it.
إِلٰهِي وَقَدْ أَفْنَيْتُ عُمْرِي فِي شِرَّةِ ٱلسَّهْوِ عَنْكَ
My Lord, I have spent my entire lifetime in being negligent to You
وَأَبْلَيْتُ شَبَابِي فِي سَكْرَةِ ٱلتَّبَاعُدِ مِنْكَ
and I have spent my whole youth with the stupor of being distant from You. (al-Munājāt ash-Shaʿbāniyyah)
Prophet’s Advice To Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī:
يا أبا ذر: احفظ ما أوصيك به تكن سعيدا في الدنيا والاخرة.
Oh Abū Dharr! "Safeguard what I am advising You, You will be happy in this world and next."
يا أبا ذر: نعمتان مغبون فيهما كثير من الناس: الصحة والفراغ.
Oh Abū Dharr! There are two blessings seriously taken for granted (misused) by mankind, health and spare time.
يا أبا ذر: اغتنم خمسا قبل خمس: شبابك قبل هرمك، وصحتك قبل سقمك، وغناك قبل فقرك، وفراغك قبل شغلك، وحياتك قبل موتك.
Oh Abū Dharr! Take advantage of five things before five things seize you; your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your spare time before your being busy and your life before you death.
Procrastination - The Obstacle To Using Opportunities
The Arabic word for Procrastination is ‘Tasweef’.
تسويف from سوف
سوف is used when talking about the future.
‘Tasweef’ used in the Ḥadīth of Rasulullah to Abū Dharr and in Duʿāʾ Abū Hamza Thamali:
يا أبا ذر: إياك والتسويف بعملك فإنك بيومك ولست بما بعده، فإن يكن غد لك فكن في الغد كما كنت في اليوم. وإن لم يكن غدا لم تندم على ما فرطت في اليوم.
Oh Abū Dharr! Beware of procrastination for you are (in) today and not (in) tomorrow. If there is a tomorrow for you, be tomorrow as you are today. If there isn't a tomorrow for you, you will grievously regret the opportunity you missed today.
الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في مُناجاتِهِ ـ: وأعِنّي بِالبُكاءِ عَلى نَفسي ، فقد أفنَيتُ بِالتَّسويفِ والآمالِ عُمرِي ، وقَد نَزَلتُ مَنزِلَةَ الآيِسِينَ مِن خَيرِي
Imām Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (ʿa) said in his intimate supplication ‘Duʿāʾ Abū Hamza Thamali, 'And help me [by allowing me to] weep on account of my self, for indeed I have wasted my life away with procrastination and high hopes, and I have now stooped to the level of those who despair of any good to come.
So let’s not allow our circumstances to keep us from reaching Allah. Let’s not procrastinate, and hence lose opportunities.
It does not matter what has happened in our past, we just need to keep moving forward. God has destined good moments for us. We need to keep pressing on, keep believing, keep praying and above all, reaching out to Him:
وَ سْئَلُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كانَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَليما.
“And ask God from His favor, God is knowledgeable over all things”. (Sūrah an-Nisāʾ:32)
Know that Allah never lets down the one who strives in His Way. He says,
وَ الَّذينَ جاهَدُوا فينا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنا وَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنين.
“As for those who strive in Our cause, we will guide them in Our paths. For God is with the pious”. (Sūrah al-ʿAnkabūt, verse 69)
Let us repeat this affirmation : I am not procrastinating, but instead just making the most of the opportunities that I have!
Have a great week, inshāʾAllāh!