Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Introduction
Friends beloved by Allah, have you ever longed to sit calmly in a study circle, to memorize verse after verse of the Qur’an, or to delve into the books of the scholars? But reality speaks differently. The moment you wake up, a string of household chores awaits. Not to mention office work that drains your energy from morning till evening, plus side jobs to support your family’s economy. These external barriers—outside duties, household responsibilities, and work demands—often make us sigh deeply and whisper softly, “O Allah, when will I have time to learn Your religion?” From the perspective of modern time management, clashing priorities often create mental stress. But spiritually, Islam views managing the household and earning a halal livelihood as part of a great act of worship. Knowledge in Islam does not require us to abandon the world entirely; rather, it teaches us to carry knowledge into every worldly activity. Let us cool our souls with the words of Allah SWT, praising those who are busy trading and working, yet whose hearts remain connected to remembering Allah and seeking religious knowledge:
رِجَالٌ لَّا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ ۙ يَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا تَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَالْأَبْصَارُ
“Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and the establishment of prayer and the giving of zakāh. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned.” (QS. An-Nūr: 37) For those of us whose bodies are weary from work yet whose hearts still thirst for knowledge, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave the assurance that as long as our intention is sincere, even the steps we take to fulfill life’s responsibilities can carry a reward equal to jihad and seeking knowledge:
مَنْ طَلَبَ الدُّنْيَا حَلَالًا اسْتِعْفَافًا عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ، وَسَعْيًا عَلَى أَهْلِهِ، وَتَعَطُّفًا عَلَى جَارِهِ، لَقِيَ اللَّهَ وَوَجْهُ كَالْقَمَرِ
لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ
“Whoever seeks the world through halal means to protect himself from begging, to provide for his family, and to be kind to his neighbor, will meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection with a face shining like the full moon.” (HR. Al-Bayhaqī in Shu‘ab al-Īmān)
2. Lessons and Message
A High Moral Message:Seeking knowledge doesn’t always have to mean sitting cross-legged in the mosque for 24 hours. When you listen to a lecture through earphones while cooking in the kitchen, listen to audio books while driving in traffic, or read one page of tafsir before opening your shop, you are already recorded as a seeker of knowledge. The blessing of knowledge lies in the quality of sincerity within the gaps of busyness, not in the length of free time. Reflect on the story of a father today who works as a laborer to pay for his children’s schooling and his sick wife’s treatment. Every day he squeezes sweat under the scorching sun. In the pocket of his worn, sweat-soaked shirt, there is always a small pocketbook containing a collection of short hadiths. One evening, on a crowded and noisy public bus on his way home from work, he appeared to be sleeping upright from exhaustion, yet his hand still clutched that pocketbook tightly. Tears slowly fell onto the pages of the book as he woke up, and he whispered in his prayer, “O Allah, forgive Your servant who is poor in time. My body belongs to my employer from morning till evening, so accept the remainder of my night to read Your law.” What a heart-wrenching sight, and at the same time a slap in the face for us who have plenty of free time yet waste it on idle entertainment. Studying amidst the busyness of work and household duties is like hunting for flash sale discounts at a supermarket. Someone with lots of free time is like a wealthy person who can stroll around the mall from morning till night, looking at every item one by one. But we, the working warriors? We’re like busy people who only have five minutes during a work break to rush at the discounted items! Because we only have five minutes, we move fast, our eyes are sharp, and the moment we get the item we clutch it tightly and half-run out! The question is: who values the purchase more? Definitely the one who only had five minutes! That’s the analogy for knowledge. Because our time is tight—just 10 minutes before sleep or 15 minutes during a work break—we will read that knowledge with super focus and cherish it deeply. That small amount of knowledge will be held tightly in the heart, acted upon, and become an extraordinary source of peace for the soul. So, being busy is not an excuse to be void of knowledge, but a reason to become a smart, fast-track hunter of knowledge!
3. Conclusion and Closing
Brothers and sisters, never make outside duties, work, or household responsibilities an excuse to stop learning. The livelihood you seek is an obligation, and the knowledge you pursue is a need for your soul. The secret is to make use of the narrow windows of time. Tie knowledge into the gaps of your busyness. If today you are only able to read one verse or listen to one short reminder because of work fatigue, be grateful and remain consistent. For before Allah, a small deed done consistently amid the storm of busyness is far more beloved than many deeds done only when it’s convenient.
والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmaullahi Wabarakatuh.
ِAbu Sultan Al-Qadrie
