Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Allah (swt) who has created time has made it available for our benefit, dividing it into sections for better use. By creating night and day, morning and evening, summer and winter, spring and autumn, He established a divine balance. Everything exists, develops and eventually ends to be within the framework of time. Knowledge, deeds, wealth and many other values and achievements that hold significant importance in human life can be obtained over time. Those who value time well will achieve peace and happiness in both this world and the Hereafter. Our beloved Prophet (saw) pointed out the importance of time, one of the two blessings that many people are unaware of, by stating, ‘There are two blessings that most people are unaware of: health and free time.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Time is the most precious wealth for a person. No creature has the ability to stop or rewind time. Every moment is experienced once and passes by never to return. A wise person should recognise the value of this unique blessing by not wasting the wealth of time given to them, beautifying each day, each hour, each minute and every moment with deeds that please Allah. In a hadith, our beloved Prophet (saw) states, “Winter is the believer’s spring: Its nights are long, so they pray, and its days are short, so they fast.” It is common for us to perceive winter negatively. However, our Prophet Muhammad (saw) offers a different perspective and approach to this season, allowing you to view it as the most valuable of all seasons. ‘Winter is the believer’s spring.’ Just as spring revives the earth, causing trees to bloom, buds to form, and birds, bees and butterflies to emerge, filling the air with various pleasant scents, the believer experiences a spiritual revival in their world during winter. 

The believer must be able to transform the negative perspectives of winter into positives. They should always look at events with a positive mindset and not get caught up in the negativity around them; instead, they should think about and evaluate the positive aspects. A Muslim should know how to extract beautiful outcomes despite the harshness of the circumstances and turn difficulties and challenges into opportunities and gains. It is possible to obtain positive results from every difficulty and hardship. Indeed, Allah (swt) states, “With every hardship comes ease.”

Dear Jama’ah!

A wise believer should know how to transform the hardships of winter into spring. This means that during the long winter nights, they can wake up and perform the Tahajjud prayer, engage in contemplation, recite the Qur’an, read books, write, reflect on the past and make plans for the future. Because the days are short, they can purify their souls by fasting. The difficulties of winter can be turned into spring by providing food for those stranded, helping those in need of shelter and even leaving food for animals and birds that are without sustenance.

In short, for those who think time is insufficient, winter offers additional time for people. A wise Muslim should utilise this time both materially and spiritually by reading, researching, remembering Allah, engaging in thoughtful discussions, meeting the needs of those who require assistance and being a relief for the wounded. A poet beautifully expressed the reality of time: ‘You can buy rubies with time, but you cannot buy time with rubies.’ The value of time must be recognised; it should not be wasted and it should be used and consumed in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure. I would like to conclude my khutba with the meaning of the verse I read at the beginning of my khutba: “Race toward the forgiveness of your Lord and a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been prepared for the righteous!” 

May Allah (swt) grant us all the ability to make the most beautiful and fruitful use of our time and the winter season. Ameen.

¹ Buhârî, Rikâk, 1, VII, 170; Tirmizî, Zühd, 1. V, 551

² Ahmed b. Hanbel, Müsned, 3/75

³ Surah Ash-Sharh, 94:5

⁴ Surah Âl-i İmrân, 3:133

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