What can you do in one minute?

Praise be to Allaah. 

Time
is of the essence, it is too precious to be wasted or neglected. The wise
person is the one who pays attention to his time and does not treat it as
a vessel to be filled with cheap things and vain talk. Instead, he limits
it to worthy efforts and righteous deeds that please Allaah and benefit
other people. Every minute of a person’s life carries the potential to
raise his own status and to make his people happier, little by little.

 If
you are keen to attain the highest position, and bring the most happiness
to your people, then forget about relaxing and keep away from empty
amusement.

 In
one minute you can do a lot of good and earn much reward. In just one
minute, by giving in charity, studying, memorizing, or striving to do good
deeds, you can make sure that this minute of your life is not wasted. 
One minute may be recorded in your book of good deeds if you know
how to make the most of it and take care of it:

 Strive
to make the most of each minute

If
you forget it, you forget the most important thing, the truth.

 There
follows a list of things that can be done in one minute, by the permission
of Allaah:

1.    
1.    
In one minute you can recite Soorat al-Faatihah 3 times,
reciting rapidly and silently. Some scholars said that the reward for
reading al-Faatihah is more than 600 hasanahs, so if you
read it 3 times you will, by the permission of Allaah, gain more than 1800
hasanahs – all of that in one minute.

2.    
In one minute you can recite Soorat al-Ikhlaas (Qul Huwa
Allaahu Ahad) 20 times, reciting rapidly and silently. Reciting it
once is equivalent to one-third of the Qur’aan. If you read it 20 times
it is equivalent to reading the Qur’aan 7 times. If you read it 20 times
in one minute each day, you will have read it 600 times in one month, and
7200 times in one year, which will be equal in reward to reading the
Qur’aan 2400 times.

3.    
You can read one page of the Book of Allaah in one minute.

4.    
You can memorize a short aayah of the Book of Allaah in one minute.

5.    
In one minute you can say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa
shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli
shay’in qadeer (There is no god except Allaah alone with no partner;
to Him be dominion and praise, and He is Able to do all things) – 20
times. The reward for saying this is like freeing 8 slaves for the sake of
Allaah from among the sons of Ismaa’eel.

6.    
In one minute you can say Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi
(Glory and praise be to Allaah) 100 times. Whoever says that in one day
will be forgiven for his sins even if they are like the foam of the sea.

7.    
In one minute you can say Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi Subhaan
Allaah il-‘Azeem (Glory and praise be to Allaah, glory be to Allaah
the Almighty) 50 times. These are two phrases which are light on the lips,
heavy in the balance and beloved to the Most Merciful, as was narrated by
al-Bukhaari and Muslim.

8.    
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“When I say ‘Subhaan Allaah, wa’l-hamdu Lillah, wa laa ilaah
ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah,
there is no god except Allaah, and Allaah is Most Great)’, this is more
beloved to me than all that the sun rises upon.” (Narrated by
Muslim). In one minute, you can say all of
these words more than 18 times. These words are the most beloved words to
Allaah, the best of words, and they weigh heavily in the balance of good
deeds, as was narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth.

9.    
In one minute you can say, Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah
(there is no strength and no power except with Allaah) more than 40 times.
This is one of the treasures of Paradise, as was narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim. They are a means of putting up with difficulties and of aiming
to achieve great things.

10.
In one minute you can say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah
approximately 50 times. This is the greatest word, for it is the word of
Tawheed, the good word, the word that stands firm. If these are the last
words of a person, he will enter Paradise, and there are other reports
which indicate how great these words are.

11.
In one minute you can say Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih, ‘adada
khalqihi, wa ridaa nafsihi, wazinata ‘arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi
(Glory and praise be to Allaah, as much as the number of His creation, as
much as pleases Him, as much as the weight of His Throne and as much as
the ink of His words) more than 15 times. This words bring many more times
the reward for other forms of tasbeeh and dhikr, as was reported in saheeh
ahaadeeth from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him).

12.
In one minute you can seek the forgiveness of Allaah more than 100
times by saying “Astaghfir-Allaah (I seek the forgiveness of
Allaah). The virtues of seeking forgiveness are no secret, for it is the
means of attaining forgiveness and entering Paradise, and it is the means
of being granted a good life, increasing one’s strength, warding off
disasters, making things easier, bringing rain and increasing one’s
wealth and children.

13.
You can say a few brief and concise words in one minute, and Allaah
may bring about some good through them that you could never imagine.

14.
In one minute you can send blessings on the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) 50 times by saying Sall-Allaahu
‘alayhi wa sallam (May Allaah bless him and grant him peace). In
return Allaah will send blessings upon you 500 hundred times because one
blessing brings ten like it.

15.
In one minute you can motivate your heart to give thanks to Allaah,
to love Him, to fear Him, to put hope in Him, to long for Him, and thus
travel through the stages of ‘uboodiyyah (total enslavement to
Allaah). You could do this when you are lying on your bed or walking in
the street.

16.
In one minute you can read more than two pages of a useful book
that is easy to understand.

17.
In one minute you can uphold the ties of kinship by calling a
relative on the phone.

18.
You can raise your hands and recite any du’aa’ you wish from
the books of du’aa’, in one minute.

19.
You can say salaams to and shake hands with a number of people in
one minute.

20.
You can forbid an evil action in one minute.

21.
You can enjoin something good in one minute.

22.
You can offer sincere advice to a brother in one minute.

23.
You can console someone who is depressed in one minute.

24.
You can remove something harmful from the road in one minute.

25.
Making the most of one minute motivates you to make the most of
other periods that would otherwise be wasted.

 Al-Shaafa’i
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

 When
people go to sleep, I let my tears flow, and I recite a verse of the most
eloquent poetry

Is
it not a waste that nights go by and I do not increase in knowledge, yet
this time is counted as part of my life?

 Finally,
the more sincere you are towards Allaah and the more aware you are of Him,
the greater will be your reward and the more your hasanaat will increase.

Note
that most of these actions will not cost you anything; they do not require
tahaarah (purity) and they will not tire you out or take much effort. On
the contrary, you can do them whilst you are walking, or in your car, or
lying down, or standing, or sitting, or waiting for somebody. 

These
actions are also among the greatest means of attaining happiness,
expanding the chest (i.e., bringing relief and joy) and removing stress
and anxiety. May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and
which pleases Him. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

From the pamphlet, “The Best Way to Make the Most of a Minute” by Dr Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Hamad