Just kidding friends. Not to worry; we’re not about to burst into this 17th century nursery rhyme 🎶🎶!
But salaam! How are we all doing?
First a little business before we dive into the fun. We wanted to share something that’s been quietly growing behind the scenes at Minara… and we need your help to shape it.
We’re dreaming of a beautiful new way to help young hearts fall in love with salah - not through pressure or lectures, but through curiosity, joy, and connection.
Imagine a course designed for children aged around 9–15 that turns prayer into something they look forward to: moments filled with wonder, reflection, giggles, discovery, and a loving closeness to Allah.
A space where they learn what salah really means, not just how to do it.
A journey that brings families together with love, laughter, and light. 🌙💫
It’s just a seedling of an idea right now… but with your vote, we’re hoping for some much needed direction in sha Allah.
So tell us:
If Minara created a magical, heart-centred salah course for young people, would you be excited to use it with your child?
👇 Cast your vote below:
If Minara created a magical, heart-centred salah course for young people, would you be excited to use it with your child?
JazakAllah folks!
Now let’s get back to what you came here for…
If you’re wondering about the title - well it’s just because of the time change [clocks went back in some parts of the world].
daylight saving begins
And it got us thinking about time really. Time itself is such an abstract concept. It’s not something we can touch or see or even measure directly like a physical object. Instead, we perceive time through change, rhythm, and sequence. We see things move in time: the sun sets, a toddler grows, a train departs, a night begins... Our bodies feel time pass through hunger cycles, sleep rhythms, and emotional shifts. Clocks and calendars help us track time of course but they aren’t time itself; they’re just tools we’ve created to map something almost invisible.
In both the Islamic tradition and science, time is real, but isn’t always fixed. Yeh we’re asking too - what does that mean?
It’s simple: time doesn’t move the same way for any two people and neither can it feel the same for any two people.
Malikul Mulk, Allah created time of course:
“And He it is who created the night and the day…” [Qur’an 25:62].
He made the day and night, the moon phases, the seasons - all of it. But time isn’t just hours on a clock; the Qur’an and Sunnah show us that time can stretch [barakah] or shrink based on how we use it.
For example:
A short act of worship can carry reward like a lifetime of effort.
The Prophet ﷺ’s night journey [Israʾ and Miʿraj] happened in a single night, but contained incredible events.
The Day of Judgment will feel like a moment for some and like a lifetime for others.
In Physics, time is relative: it can stretch or contract depending on speed, gravity or perspective [thanks Einstein?].
For example:
If you were on a fast-moving spaceship, time would pass more slowly for you than for someone standing on Earth.
Astronauts in space age slightly slower than people on Earth
Subhan Allah - all part of Allah’s Art of course.
And need we mention the watch-the-hands-on-the-clock-go-by agony in a classroom or the way time seems to fly when you’re having fun? Oh wait, the one every driver just loves to hear: how long left?! 😤😅
So yes, time is abstract. But that doesn’t make it vague. It just means its value depends on how we treat it. Like all abstract notions: love, happiness, sadness, time is unseen but deeply felt, and its impact unfolds in how we live.
And when Allah gives us a little more space in our day [technically evenings and nights this season], that’s a real opportunity to use time with intention.
Time is Trust
In the Qur’an time is recorded as a living witness. In Surah al-’Asr, Allah begins with:
“By Time, indeed mankind is in loss…”
[Qur’an 103:1-2]
Can we pause for a sec to consider the magnitude of Allah, the King of all kings, taking an oath by the concept of time? Why does He do this? What is Allah telling us?
Quite a few things really - let’s dive in!
Divine emphasis:
When Allah swears by something, it elevates its importance and draws our attention to reflect on it deeply. Allah wants us to understand that time is a profound sign of Allah’s wisdom and a witness to human deeds.
A reminder of life’s transience:
Swearing by time highlights its fleeting nature; every moment that passes is gone forever.
It calls us to urgency in righteous deeds before time runs out.
Time as a measure of loss and gain:
Time is the arena in which people either succeed through faith and good deeds or fall into loss through heedlessness.
Every passing moment either increases our reward or deepens our regret.
Witness to human history:
In Arabic, the word ‘Asr (العصر) doesn’t just refer to time in a general sense. It can also mean:
A specific era or period, like an age or generation
A span of time with a beginning and an end
Even just late afternoon, which itself signals the day winding down
So when Allah says: “By Time…”
Allah is taking an oath by all of human history. Time itself becomes a witness to mankind’s moral and spiritual trajectory.Connection to accountability:
The oath reminds believers that time is part of the divine test: what we do with it will be assessed.
It reinforces the concept of hisab (reckoning) and the finite window for learning, repenting and connecting with Allah
Contrast between divine permanence and human impermanence:
Allah is eternal, unbound by time, while humans are defined and limited by it. The contrast deepens the reminder of our dependency and the need to use our short-lived time purposefully.
So time really is trust in Islam and the Prophet ﷺ echoed this in his reminder that two blessings are often taken for granted: health and free time. We all know don’t we, how quickly we often recognise these blessings as actual blessings only once we have lose them albeit temporarily…
And just like any trust, we’ll be asked about how we handled it.
We often talk about time as something to ‘manage’ or ‘fill’, but in Islam, time is never neutral. It’s an amanah [trust], a shahid [witness] and of course, an oath.
So when time expands, even slightly, beyond being a seasonal quirk, it’s time to ask ourselves what do I want to do differently with the time I already have?
Evening Hours Ritual
One gentle practice each evening to help you end the day with more soul than scroll.
🕯️ Sunnah wind-down prayer: Add 2 rakʿah of intention after the fardh of ʿEsha.
📖 One ayah, one takeaway: Choose a verse from the evening portion of your reading and reflect on one way you can apply it in your week.
⏰ Five-minute tidy with dhikr: Before you wind down, set a timer and reset one small space like your bedside table. Keep your tongue soft with simple dhikr like SubhanAllah, Alḥamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah.
🫖 Silent tea, no screens: Make a warm drink, sit somewhere quiet, and do nothing while it cools. [No - don’t grab that phone either!]
📝 “I didn’t miss this” journal: Write one small thing you didn’t compromise today such as a prayer on time.
Du’a to Carry You this Week
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي أَوْقَاتِنَا
Allahumma barik lana fi awqatina.
O Allah, place barakah in our time.
Hadith of the Week
“There are many blessings that people are deceived into losing: health and free time.”
[Bukhari 6412]
How can we apply this to every-day life?
1. Check in on one person before they need help 🤧
So much of our health and time gets used responding to emergencies: ours or others’. Flip the script: text, call, or drop in on someone before they ask. You never know, you might catch something early and offer support when it matters most.
Use your time as care and connection.
2. Book a walk under a star-lit sky 🌃
When catching up with a friend, suggest walking outdoors instead of sitting down especially if you both spend your day behind screens. A 30-minute walk with someone you appreciate gives you movement, a star-studded backdrop and a nervous system reset.
What a rich way to use time that would’ve otherwise gone to sipping and scrolling.
3. Create a 'sick day' du’a list now 📃
When we’re unwell, we just can’t focus right? Solution? Make a list while you’re healthy of du’as you’d want to make if you were in pain, tired, or stuck in bed. Ready for a rough day!
Using your good health to prepare for the days when you’ll need help remembering what matters - what a win!
That’s it from us - have a great week friends.
Love and du’as,
The Minara Team
