What You Can Do In One Minute

What You Can Do In One Minute

All perfect praise be to Allaah, and may Allaah exalt the mention of the Prophet Muhammad as well as that of his family and all his companions.

The time is the life of a person and it should be preserved and spent properly. Therefore, a wise person is he who preserves his time and does not waste it in useless things and idle talk. Rather, one should spend his time in good endeavours and in performing righteous deeds which should please Allaah, the Exalted, and which should benefit people. Hence, in every minute of your life, you may do something which will increase your status (in the Hereafter) and bring happiness to your nation.

Therefore, if you are keen to achieve glory and bring happiness to your people, you should not waste your time in resting and playing.

Indeed, in one minute, one may do much good and obtain a great reward. One single minute could extend your life, increase your acts of obedience, your understanding, your memorization (of the Quran), and your good deeds. If you know how to spend one minute, it can be added to the book of your good deeds (on the Day of Judgement).

The following are some investments which you can do in one minute:

1- In one minute, you can recite chapter Al-Faatihah (the opening chapter of the Quran) 7 times silently. Some scholars, may Allaah have mercy upon them, stated that a person gets more than 1400 good deeds for reciting it once. If one recites it 7 times, one gets 9800 good deeds in one minute.

2- In one minute, you can recite chapter 112 [Al-Ikhlaas] silently 20 times; reciting it once equals reciting one-third of the Quran. If one recites it 20 times, then this equals reciting the whole Quran 7 times. If you recite this chapter every day for one minute, this means reciting it 600 times in one month, and 7200 times in one year. This equals the reward of reciting the whole Quran 2400 times.

3- In one minute, you can read a part of the Quran.

4- In one minute, you can memorize a small verse of the Quran.

5- In one minute, you can say ''Laa ilaaha illa Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa 'ala kulli chay'in qadeer'' (None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah Alone, He has neither partners nor associates, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise and He is over all things wholly capable) 20 times; its reward is setting 8 slaves free for the sake of Allaah from the children of Ismaa'eel (Ishmael),  may Allaah exalt his mention.

6- In one minute, you can say ''Subhaana Allaah wa bihamdihi'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Him) 100 times, and whoever says this, his sins will be forgiven even if they were like the foams of the sea.

7- In one minute, you can say ''Subhaana Allaah wa bihamdihi, Subhaana Allaah Al-Adheem'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Him, how perfect Allaah is, The Supreme) 50 times, and these are two expressions which are easy to say, but they are very heavy on the scale of good deeds, and they are beloved to Allaah. [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim].

8- The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: ''If I were to say: ''Subhaana Allaah, wal hamdu lillaah, wa laa ilaaha illa Allaah, wallaahu Akbar''(How perfect Allaah is, all praise be to Allaah, None has the right to be  worshipped except Allaah, and Allaah is the greatest.) it is better for me than the whole world.'' [Muslim]. In one minute, you can say all the above words 18 times, and these words are the most beloved words to Allaah, and the best of all speeches, and their weight on the scale of good deeds is very heavy, as reported in authentic narrations.

9- In one minute, you can say ''la hawla wa laa quwwata illa billaah'' (there is neither might nor power except by Allaah) more than 40 times. This is a treasure among the treasures of Paradise, as reported by Al-Bukhaari and Muslim, may Allaah have mercy upon them. It is also one of the major reasons of bearing difficulties and hardship.

10- In one minute, you can say ''Laa ilaaha illa Allaah'' (None has the right to be worshipped but Allaah) approximately 50 times, and it is the greatest word, as it is the word of Tawheed (Oneness of Allaah), a good word, and a firm statement, and whoever says this expression as his last words before breathing his last, he will enter Paradise; the above expression also has other virtues.

11- In one minute, you can say: ''Subhaanah Allaah wa bihamdihi, 'adada khalqihi, wa ridha nafsihi, wa zinata 'arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Allaah, by the number of His Creation and His Pleasure, and by the weight of His Throne, and the ink of His Words) more than 15 times. This statement equals multiplied rewards of ordinary legislated mention of Allaah, as confirmed by the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

12- In one minute, you can say ''Astaghfiru Allaah'' (I seek forgiveness of Allaah) more than 100 times. The virtue of seeking forgiveness is well-known, it is a reason of obtaining forgiveness, entering Paradise, having good provisions, increasing one's strength, repelling harm, having affairs facilitated, the descent of rain, and increasing in wealth and children.

13- In one minute, you can give a short summarized speech which could be very beneficial for the listeners.

14- In one minute, you can exalt the mention of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, by saying ''Sala Allaahu 'Alayhi wa sallam'' (may Allaah exalt his mention)  50 times, for which Allaah will exalt your mention 500 times, because one exaltation is multiplied tenfold.

15- In one minute, you can think about the creation of the heavens and   the earth, as a result you will be considered among the people of understanding whom Allaah mentioned in the Quran.

16- In one minute, you can think about being grateful to Allaah, loving Him, fearing Him, hoping for Him (His Mercy) and longing to meet Him; by doing so, you would have achieved great acts of worship while you may be lying down on your bed or walking in the street.

17- In one minute, you can read more than two pages from a beneficial book which is easy to understand.

18- In one minute, you can keep ties with your kinship by phoning them.

19- In one minute, you can supplicate with general supplications.

20- In one minute, you can greet (by saying Salaam to) a number of people and shake hands with them.

21- In one minute, you can forbid evil.

22- In one minute, you can enjoin good.

23- In one minute, you can advise a brother.

24- In one minute, you can intercede in doing good for a person.

25- In one minute, you can comfort a distressed person.

26- In one minute, you can take off an obstacle from the road.

27- By benefiting from one minute, you will preserve and benefit from other times.

Therefore, according to your sincerity and being conscious that Allaah is always watching you, your good deeds and reward may be multiplied.

You should know that most of the actions do not necessitate anything from you, you do not need to be in a state of purity and they do not cause you any hardship.

You may do the above deeds while walking on the road, or being in a car, or while lying down, or sitting, or waiting for someone. In addition to this, these actions are the best reasons for achieving happiness, being content and overcoming problems and difficulties.

Finally, I suggest that you keep this paper in your pocket in order to remember these actions and to read it over to your Muslim brothers. By doing so, you will help them to benefit from their time and you should not underestimate any good deed. Indeed the person who enjoins others to do good is as if he did those good actions himself [he will get their reward without diminishing anything from their own reward].

I ask Allaah to safeguard you and protect you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah and may Allaah exalt the mention of His Prophet Muhammad, as well as that of his family and companions.  

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Reminder: this article is illustrating how a Muslim could benefit from his time even if it is a one minute, however it does not legislate new act of worship, furthermore strictly following the actions proposed along with the number of repeating the supplications could lead to (Bid’aa) innovation in Islam.