Time Management in the Life of the Prophet Muhammad

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Time Management in the Life of the Prophet
Muhammad
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Acknowledgment

• This power point presentation has been prepared
  based upon the article The time management in
  the life of Prophet Muhammad by Yuksel A.
  Aslandogan.
• The source of the article is Fountain Magazine,
  issue 66.
• http//www.fountainmagazine.com/article.php?ARTICL
  EID965

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Introduction

• In the preface to his book The 100 A Ranking of
  the Most Influential Persons in History, Michael
  Hart noted the supreme success of the Prophet
  Muhammad, on both the religious and secular level
  Hart 1978.
• In this presentation we will review some of the
  time management practices that he employed in his
  life.

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Four principles in his time management

• Appreciation of the value of time and,
  consequently, making the best use of every piece
  of available time.
• The guidance of a mission, a set of values, and
  priorities in planning every activity.
• Establishment of a time policy or a time budget.
• The scheduling and completion of activities
  within allocated time slots.

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The value of time in the Quran and the Sunna

• God swears by time in the Quran
• 1. By the (token of) time (through the ages)! 2.
  Verily man is in a state of loss. 3. Except those
  who believe and do righteous deeds, and exhort
  one another to truth and exhort one another to
  steadfastness.
• (1) By the morning hours, (2) And by the night
  when it is still.
• Prophet Muhammad passing by a person and he said
• The majority of humanity is at a loss as they do
  not recognize the value of two of Gods gifts
  Health and (discretionary) time.
• His whole time was occupied with a useful
  activity or prayer
• For rain, when he was looking at a mirror,
  against cold and heat etc.

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Guidance of a mission

• After receiving the divine call, the life of the
  Prophet Muhammad was focused on living and
  conveying the message.
• TWO RESULTS
• On the personal front a spiritual ascension
  towards the state of being a perfect human
  (insan-i kamil) as a servant of God
• On the social front sharing the faith and
  practicing conduct that was pleasing to God and
  others.
• In his last sermon, he said Do you bear witness
  that I have fulfilled my mission as Gods
  messenger? Of course the answer was a resounding
  yes, accompanied by tears

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Weekly time policy

• In a weak hadith, his regular activities of his
  days are listed
• Sunday is the day for planting seeds and
  construction.
• Monday is for travel.
• Tuesday is for giving blood.
• Wednesday is for acquisition and alms giving.
• Thursday is for bringing community matters to the
  governor. Friday is for weddings and spending
  time with your family. Saturday is for hunting
  for livelihood.
• The authenticity of this narration is weak, but
  still it does give the idea of designating
  specific days of the week for specific projects
  or activities.

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Daily time policy

• The spontaneous (un-programmed) activities
• For example Giving an audience to an envoy or a
  representative group, the meeting of an urgent
  need, or helping a stranger
• Such activities were accommodated within the time
  slots that were not dedicated to programmed
  activities. Furthermore, if a representative body
  were to arrive in Medina for a one-off meeting,
  then it would be scheduled at the first available
  time.
• The example of the tribe from Thaqif

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Daily time policy

• Regular/scheduled activities
• The same activities were scheduled in the same
  time period every day
• Five times daily prayers Time limits were
  thought him by Gabreal
• The best of deeds in Gods sight is the prayer
  that is performed in time Hadith
• Each activity had a designated time limit.
• He was very careful in the observation of his
  daily schedule because when the Prophet changed
  his schedule, this was a cause for worry in the
  community.

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Night activities

• The Prophet used to divide his night into three
  segments
• For his family, sometimes for the community
• For his personal matters
• For worship
• The Prophet was observed to halt his daily
  activities after sunset
• As a general principle, he did not like sleeping
  before the night prayer or talking after it
• He used to sleep during the early part of the
  night and wake up for worship during the later
  part

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Night activities

• He is reported to have spent on average between
  2/3 to 3/4 of each night in worship, remembrance,
  reflection, and supplication. This corresponds to
  a period of 4 to 7 hours each night, depending on
  the season.
• He also likened his night stances to those of the
  Prophet David The best nightly prayer in Gods
  sight is that of David. He used to sleep during
  the early part of the night, then wake up and
  spend a third of the night in prayers and sleep a
  little again before dawn

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Daytime activities

• The Prophet prohibited his companions from
  sleeping after the morning prayer.
• He used to stay at the mosque until sunrise and
  have group conversations with his companions.
• Following the conversation with his companions,
  the Prophet would then spend time with his family
  and have a late breakfast with them.
• His second meal for the day used to be the
  dinner.

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Daytime activities

• Towards noon, he would take a nap and encourage
  others to do the same, as this would help them to
  stay awake at night for prayers
• After the noon prayers came the time for
  community matters.
• The afternoon prayer was followed by time for the
  family once again.

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Human biorhythm and activity changes

• Researchers on human biorhythms tell us that
  multiple periodic biorhythms operate within the
  human body with different cycle times, changing
  from 90 minutes (ultradian) to daily (circadian),
  to longer than a day Smolensky 2001.
• As the human body operates with chemicals,
  hormones, and electrical signals, it needs to
  replenish these resources once in a while
  Chafetz 1992.
• One mechanism for achieving this is having a
  short break such as a nap Rossi 1991, Mednick
  2002 and another is to change ones activity
  when feeling tired like praying 5 times a day as
  the Prophet used to do.

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Estimated time allowances for various activities
in Prophets day
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Conclusion

• The popular mental picture of the Prophet
  Muhammad in the non-Muslim world depicts a person
  who spent most of his time in the battlefield or
  enjoying the spoils of war. Nothing can be
  further from truth.
• We learn that the Prophet spent most of his time
  engaged in worship, prayer, remembrance, and
  supplications. The next two most important
  activities in his life were community matters,
  including spreading Gods message and family
  matters.
• We also learn that the Prophet was a very
  punctual time keeper. He did not waste even the
  smallest amount of time