Greetings Darth Ultor,
Thank you for your interesting question, and apologies for the lengthy reply.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Darth Ultor
These terms are used a lot here so I might as well ask. What is wrong with wasting time every now and then? Taking a little bit of time for yourself or having fun (without doing anything haraam). I mean, is it really that big a deal if you're still doing your fard duties daily?
Islam is not against having fun or relaxation, rather we are encouraged to adopt a balanced approach to life. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, '
“The deen is ease. Whoever makes the deen too hard for himself will be overpowered, so direct yourselves to what is right, follow a middle course, accept the good news of the reward for right action, and seek help [to reach your goal by being constant in worshipping] in the morning, evening and some of the night.” [Al Bukhari]
We are encouraged to adopt a moderate approach to worship and not go to extremes. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) once said to his close Companion Abdullah ibn 'Amr: "
'Have I not been informed that you fast all day and pray all night?' He replied, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah.' The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, 'Do not do it. Fast and break the fast, and sleep and pray. Your body has a right over you, your eye has a right over you, your wife has a right over you, and your visitor has a right over you...
And we have to realise that relaxation is not at odds with piety and dignity. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed and engaged in worship more than anyone, but he also enjoyed good things, smiled and joked:
`A’ishah relates the following about her husband, the Prophet (peace be upon him):
I swear by Allah that I saw Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) standing at the door of my room while the Abyssinians were engaged in spear play in the mosque of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). He screened me with his cloak so I could watch them perform. He stood there for my sake until I decided that I had had enough. Now just imagine how much time a young girl eager for entertainment would stand there watching. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
In the Sunnah, we see the Companions participating in many different forms of lawful entertainment and play. They engaged in sports like footraces, horseracing, wrestling, and archery. They spent time in telling jokes and in lighthearted conversation:
From
Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Jābir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "
I sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) more than a hundred times; his companions would recite poetry and relate stories about how things were in jāhiliyyah (before they accepted Islam). Meanwhile, the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would be silent and sometimes he would smile.”
In
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, it is narrated by Simāk ibn Ḥarb:
“I said to Jābir ibn Samurah, ‘Did you use to sit with the Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Yes, a lot. He would not rise from the place where he prayed fajr until the sun would rise, then he would get up; they used to talk, and recall things from al-Jahiliyyah and laugh; and the Prophet ﷺ would smile.’”
Nu'ayman was a fun-loving man with a sense of humour, so he went to some people who had brought livestock with them, and said, "Will you buy a sturdy Arab slave from me?" They said, "Yes." He said, "He has a big mouth, and he may tell you that he is a free man. If that means that you do not want to take him, then forget the matter, and do not cause trouble for me with him." They said, "No problem, we will buy him." So they bought him for ten young she-camels. Nu'ayman brought the animals back, and told the people: "There he is!" Suwaybit said: "I am a free man!" They said, "He has already told us all about you," and put a rope around his neck and led him away. Then Abu Bakr came, and was told what had happened. He and his companions went and returned the animals and took Suwaybit back. They told the Prophet (pbuh) what had happened, and he and his Sahabah would laugh about the story for a year afterwards.
Islam is complete and comprehensive, addressing all aspects of our lives and all of our needs, including our need for diversions and for recreation. It provides for us lawful means to fulfill this need. It permits all things that are beneficial to the body and do not harm it, and it forbids all things that may cause damage or harm to the body. It teaches us that our bodies have a right over us and we therefore need to give attention to whatever promotes physical, spiritual and mental health. From the beauty of Islam is that one is even rewarded for his good intention in such pursuits and thus activities may range from being simply permissible to those that are encouraged and rewardable.
Amongst those activities that are specifically encouraged in Islam are archery, horse-riding, fencing, and swimming as they involve developing one's abilities to defend Islam just as gaining knowledge is a verbal way of defending Islam. It is also interesting to note that these activities are largely known for their elements of grace, beauty, and skill – elements of character and conduct which are generally encouraged by Islam itself.
Recreation may also involve a social function in bringing people together which is in keeping with one of the chief purposes of Islam and that is to foster a spirit of mutual love, co-operation, respect, and friendship amongst all members of society. Recreation is also beneficial with regards to the relationship between the body and soul, where a proper balance of work and relaxation is the way to strengthen the soul’s capacity and endurance for work. The Companion Abû al-Dardâ’ said:
“I seek recreation in something that is neither useful nor unlawful, and this makes me stronger on the truth.”
Although recreation and entertainment is essentially lawful in Islam, it is necessary for us to keep the following in mind:
1. Time is precious. We must always be acutely aware of how valuable the time is that we have been given in our brief lives on Earth. Islam teaches us to place a premium on our time and to get as much out of it as we can, defining for us the various ways we can employ it.
Our lives should be spent in the remembrance of Allah and in thanks to Him. Indeed, Allah says: “I created neither humanity nor the jinn except to worship Me.” [
Sûrah al-Dhâriyât: 56]
This is the ultimate purpose of life, and it should be what preoccupies our time. The Prophet (peace be upon him) speaks to us about how much we lose when we waste our time, saying:
“There are two blessings that many people squander: health and time.” [
Sahîh al-Bukhârî]
We all know that we will be standing before Allah and questioned about how we spent our time. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“No one will be permitted to turn his two feet away on the Day of Resurrection until he is questioned about four matters: about his life, how he spent it; his youth, how he employed it; his work, what he did with it; and his wealth, how he earned it and spent it.” [
Sunan al-Tirmidhî]
2. Our work and our efforts are important in Islam, and as Muslims, we are encouraged to be industrious.
Allah makes clear to us the effect that our works have on our recompense in the Hereafter. He says: “Are you recompensed except for the work that you used to do?” [
Sûrah al-Naml: 90]
He also says: “Is the recompense for goodness anything but goodness?” [
Sûrah al-Rahmân: 60]
There are many verses in the Qur’ân that mention good works in conjunction with faith. Moreover, the importance of diligence and being responsible in our work is specifically emphasized. Allah says: “O John, take the scripture with determination.” [
Sûrah Maryam: 12]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said:
“Allah loves that when you engage in some work, you do so with proficiency.” [al-Bayhaqî,
Shu`ab al-Imân]
He also emphasized the importance of continuing with our deeds throughout the duration of our lives, saying:
“If the Final Hour arrives and one of you has a sapling in his hand, if he can finish planting it before standing up, then he should do so.” [al-Bukhârî,
al-Adab al-Mufrid]
A Muslim alternates from his worldly work to his work for the Hereafter, being equally diligent in both. Allah says: “Therefore, when you are free from your immediate task, still labor hard. And strive to please your Lord.” [
Sûrah al-Sharh: 7-8]
3. Islam stresses the importance of striving to reap benefits for both this world and the next. The life of this world is the harvesting ground for the Hereafter. It is but a passing phase and the life to come is the eternal abode. A Muslim, therefore, should expend his efforts for the sake of the Hereafter and at the same time bring about benefits in this world. He should excel in cultivating and developing the Earth while gearing his efforts towards achieving felicity in the Hereafter.
In light of all of this, we can place recreation and entertainment in the proper context: We must observe the following guidelines:
1. Recreation must never cause us to neglect our obligatory worship and our obedience to Allah.
2. Recreation and entertainment should not take up too much of our time. We should not engage in it to the point where it ceases to be beneficial.
3. It should not become our habit to perpetually seek recreation and diversion.
4. Recreation should not keep us from activities that will benefit us in our worldly or spiritual lives.
5. Our means of recreation and our entertainments must be completely free from anything that is unlawful in Islam.
And Allaah (swt) knows best.
References and further reading:
http://www.islam101.com/dawah/islamEasyWay.htm
http://abdurrahman.org/seerah/riyad/00/chap014.htm
http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-383-3474.htm
http://islamqa.info/en/ref/22305
http://islamqa.info/en/ref/111691
http://mysite.mweb.co.za/residents/mfj1/sport.htm
http://theislamicworkplace.com/2011/...l-performance/
A small story about wasted time:
http://english.islamway.com/bindex.p...article&id=196