Trade, Temptation, and Time-Management: Opportunity Costs and Quran

Conceptualization

It is recorded that once the Prophet Muhammad (saws) was giving Friday Khutbah in the masjid
of Medina and that suddenly a caravan belonging to Dihyah bin Khilafah (raa) before his Islam
traveled nearby. The caravan was full of merchandise and drums and music accompanied it, so
the people got up and left the Messenger of Allah (saws) standing on the minbar alone. In fact,
only twelve of the companions remained so Allah (swt) sent down the Ayah,

‫ك ﻗَﺎﺋِﻤًﺎ‬
َ ‫َوِإذَا َرأَوْا ﺗِﺠَﺎرَ ًة أَ ْو ﻟَﮭْﻮًا اﻧﻔَﻀﱡﻮا ِإﻟَﯿْﮭَﺎ وَ َﺗﺮَﻛُﻮ‬
َ‫ﻦ اﻟﺘﱢﺠَﺎرَ ِة وَاﻟﻠﱠ ُﮫ ﺧَ ْﯿ ُﺮ اﻟﺮﱠا ِزﻗِﯿﻦ‬
َ ِ‫ﻦ اﻟﻠﱠﮭْﻮِ َوﻣ‬
َ ‫ﻞ ﻣَﺎ ﻋِﻨ َﺪ اﻟﻠﱠ ِﮫ ﺧَ ْﯿ ٌﺮ ﻣﱢ‬
ْ ‫! ُﻗ‬
And when they see some merchandise or some amusement, they disperse headlong to it; Say
(Muhammad, "What is with Allah is better than any entertainment or trade! And Allah
is the Best Provider of Provisions."

In this narration we see a vivid example of the challenges humans face every day: that of
choosing what to do with time and facing the difficult allurements in the dunya from what does
not benefit but provides perhaps an instant and misleading gratification. Indeed when we
contemplate the present situation of the ummah we find the majority losing out in the struggle of
choice. In an age of consumerism, social media, rampant music and entertainment, and the
suspension of the shariah on Earth many spend significant portions of their life distant from what
is of benefit and stuck occupied in the trivial and mundane. Thus one of the most important
identifications a Muslim can make is in conditioning oneself to respond in the most beneficial of
manners when faced with choices about what we should do with our time.

Certainly Allah (swt) has created mankind to worship Him and Allah (swt) correlates our Islamic
deeds to a currency that will buy the believing individual entry into eternal bliss and the Garden.
He says,

َ‫ﻋﻠَﺎﻧِﯿَﺔً َﯾ ْﺮﺟُﻮنَ ِﺗﺠَﺎرَ ًة ﻟﱠﻦ َﺗﺒُﻮر‬

َ َ‫ا و‬‫ﺳﺮ‬
ِ ‫ﺼﻠَﺎةَ َوأَﻧ َﻔﻘُﻮا ﻣِﻤﱠﺎ َر َزﻗْﻨَﺎھُ ْﻢ‬
‫ب اﻟﻠﱠﮫِ َوَأﻗَﺎﻣُﻮا اﻟ ﱠ‬
َ ‫ن ﻛِﺘَﺎ‬
َ ‫ﻦ ﯾَ ْﺘﻠُﻮ‬
َ ‫ن اﱠﻟﺬِﯾ‬
‫إِ ﱠ‬
Those who rehearse the Book of Allah, establish regular Prayer, and spend out of what We
have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a commerce that will never fail (35:29)

The term used here is ‘tijara’, meaning trade or commerce, and it relates to the reality that
ultimately everything we do is a form of trade and commerce as one day our deeds will be
weighed and we will be brought to account for them in the marketplace of the Hereafter. It is the
same Arabic word that is in the aforementioned ayah and used to describe one of the things that
tempted those that left the Prophet (saws) standing alone as the caravan passed by his khutbah.

As humans, we are constantly faced with decisions, decisions that are clouded by temptation and
the dazzle of the dunya and it is up to us to become aware of our decisions so that we can be
people in charge of our actions, consciously choosing a regiment in life that will serve us well in
this world and more importantly in the Hereafter. Allah (swt) also says in His book:
! !!!!!!! !!! ! !!! !!! ! !!! !!!!!!! !!! !!! !! !!! ! !! !!ƒ
! ! !!!!!!È
!!!! !!! !!!!!! !!!!!!

!! !!!! ! !!!! !! !!! ! !! !!! ! Ê

! !!!!! !!! ! !!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! !! !!!! !!! ! !!! !! !!!!!!! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! !
! !!! !!!!!! !!!!
O ye who believe! Shall I lead you to a commerce that will save you from a
grievous Penalty?- That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you
strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons:
That will be best for you, if ye but knew! (61:10-11)

Today we are faced with a severe dilemma in the common understandings of Islam. Allah (swt)
here informs us, again using the term ‘tijara’, that what we do with our time and lives is of
utmost import and that what He (swt) wants from us is that we work in the way of Allah with self
and wealth so that we may be successful. However, as a nation that in many ways is faced with
the multifaceted problems of colonization, both past and present, of imitation of a foreign
civilization, of a sense of inferiority in the face of our oppressors, we refuse to sacrifice with self
and wealth in the way of establishing Allah’s word and making it supreme in the land. The
remedy for this can only be in all of us consciously choosing to put away nonsensical
entertainment and worldly pursuits in order to do something with our lives productive, beneficial
and pleasing to Allah (aza wa jaaal).

Certainly the sacrifice of time and energy was the preoccupation of generations of previous
Muslims and the commerce and trade of the companions and early generations of Muslims was
to devote everything they did in working to establish Islam even when they entered the
marketplace. One of the miraculous realities of the lives of the companions (raa) was in their
willingness to dedicate their lives to Islam despite the lopsided odds, the obvious persecution
they would face, and the necessity that they relinquished all of the evil customs and culture of the
jahilliyya that preceded them. Many of them were martyred and others went on to see the spread
of Islam from East to West; certainly our fear and lack of dedication and full-fledged
commitment is the cause of our present humiliation. Today when we are faced with the decisions
of what to do with our time and where to place our interests and efforts we fail miserably, but
simply being aware that we do have a choice in the matter is the beginning of training ourselves
to do more.

Allah (swt) differentiates between the nature of trade and commerce that is of benefit and that
which is an illusion and distraction in the world, so we too must be people of consciousness, able
to identify this reality and choose wisely how we spend our time and in what avenues we place
our interests. Similarly, in the realm of economics, as income and time is limited and desire and
ambition is unlimited the choices a person makes may be quantified; this is known as utility and
in order to weigh it properly one cannot merely count the benefit accrued from the activity they
engage in but must also consider the costs associated with abandoning other possible endeavors.
This is known as opportunity cost and is a concept that will help us understand how to prevent
falling into a common trap of the Shaytan. Economist magazine defines ‘opportunity cost’ as:

The true cost of something is what you give up to get it. This includes not only the money
spent in buying (or doing) the something, but also the economic benefits (UTILTIY) that
you did without because you bought (or did) that particular something and thus can no
longer buy (or do) something else. For example, the opportunity cost of choosing to train
as a lawyer is not merely the tuition fees, price of books, and so on, but also the fact that
you are no longer able to spend your time holding down a salaried job or developing your
skills as a footballer. These lost opportunities may represent a significant loss of utility.
Going for a walk may appear to cost nothing, until you consider the opportunity forgone to
use that time earning money. Everything you do has an opportunity cost.

Thus the Quran has given insight to this contemporary understanding in principle as well. The
difference between Western concepts is in the understanding of mankind; secular-man is
‘homoeconomicus’, rational and predictable in that he will always attempt to maximum pleasure
and minimize pain. He knows no concept of sacrifice unless it ultimately serves his own best
interests. On the other hand the Quranic ayaat we have pointed to and many others allude to the
reality that there is a commerce that distracts man from what is best for him and that man is
capable of struggling with self to choose what is better for him according to what the Creator
desires. Thus time, action, utility and opportunity costs take on superior definitions when applied
to man, his or her deeds, and in submission to the One in Whose Hand rests our souls.

What we choose to do with our time is of utmost import then. When faced with decisions of
activity we must not only consider what we desire but also take into account what other
opportunities must be sacrificed in order to partake in actions. As Allah (swt) says in Surah Asr:

!! ! ! !! !!!!! !!! !!!ƒ

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!!!!
By time! Surely, mankind is in loss!

If we grasp this concept then certain realities should be manifest around us. These companions
(raa), by racing to the caravan gave up and sacrificed the ability to listen and learn from the
Prophet (saws) and what a miserable transaction that was. Time is precious and we must
recognize that every time we occupy ourselves with amusement we are not only engaging in
useless matters with no benefit, but losing an opportunity to fulfill our responsibilities as
Muslims. This is why Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab began his discussion of the Three
Fundamental Principles of Islam by setting forth the basic requirements of all Muslims. He (ra)
said,

In the name of Allah, The Most Merciful the Bestower of Mercy: Know, may Allah have
mercy upon you, that it is obligatory upon you to have knowledge of four matters:

1) Knowledge (al-ilm), which is knowledge and awareness of Allah, and knowledge of his
Prophet, and knowledge of the deen of Islam with the proofs.
2) Acting upon that
3) Calling to that
4) Patiently persevering and bearing any harm encountered upon that way

And the proof is the saying of Allah, the most High:

“By time, surely mankind is in loss, except those who truly believe and worship Allah
alone, and do righteous deeds, performing that which is obligatory upon them and
avoiding that which they are forbidden and enjoin one another with patient perseverance
upon obedience to Allah and in facing harm and trials.” (Quran 114)

Imam Al-Shaa’fi (ra) said, “Had Allah not sent down a proof to the creation other than
this ayah, it would have been sufficient for them.”

So, these four obligatory matters were all derived from one short surah of the Quran. Using
Surah al-Asr and explanation from Imam Shaa’fi here the deen of Islam is summarized as we
are given a continuum through which we can recognize what we must do with our time.
Ideally we are informed that we should be learning the religion, implementing what we learn,
calling to what we come to know, and suffering or preparing to face persecution as a
consequence of trekking down that trying pathway. Many scholars have identified the
human’s propensity to engage in activities outside the scope of this preoccupation and man is
always tested by external allurement, Allah (swt) says,

‫ﺪﻧۡﯿَﺎ‬
‫ن ٱﻟۡﺤَ َﯿﻮٰ َة ٱﻟ ﱡ‬
َ ‫ﺑَﻞۡ ُﺗﺆۡﺛِﺮُو‬

Nay, but you desire the life of this world

And so Allah (swt) tempted the believers as well with two of the temptations of the dunya
when the caravan came riding through the khutbah. And Allah tempted them with the lure of
trade (tijara) and entertainment (lahwa).

‫وَإِذَا رَأَوْا ِﺗﺠَﺎ َرةً أَوْ ﻟَﮭْﻮًا اﻧﻔَﻀﱡﻮا إِﻟَﯿْﮭَﺎ وَ َﺗ َﺮﻛُﻮكَ ﻗَﺎﺋِﻤًﺎ‬
But if they see some business or some entertainment, they disperse headlong to it, and leave
you standing.

Yet Allah (swt) follows in the same ayah with a command to the Prophet (saws) saying,

َ‫ﻗُﻞْ ﻣَﺎ ﻋِﻨﺪَ اﻟﱠﻠﮫِ ﺧَ ْﯿ ٌﺮ ﻣﱢﻦَ اﻟﻠﱠﮭْﻮِ وَ ِﻣﻦَ اﻟ ﱢﺘﺠَﺎ َرةِ وَاﻟﱠﻠﮫُ ﺧَ ْﯿﺮُ اﻟﺮﱠا ِزﻗِﯿﻦ‬
Say: "What is with Allah is better than any entertainment or trade! and Allah is the
Best Provider of Provisions."

So the Prophet (saws) was commanded to inform the believers to put Allah first and to trust that
following the Quran and Sunnah leads to the best of provisions. And in wonderment the
conscious reader notices that where Allah (swt) originally described this event placing the
allurement of trade (tijara) before entertainment (lahwi), He (swt) when commanding the
Messenger (saws) to respond has placed entertainment (lahwi) before trade (tijara), thus
reversing the order. “Lahwi” is a term that appears in several places of the Quran. For example
Allah says in Sura Luqman: 6,

!!!!!!! !!!! !! ! !!! ! !!!!! !!! ! ƒ

!!!!! ! !!! ! !! !!! !!!! !!!!!!!! !!
And of mankind is he who purchases entertainment (lahwa) to mislead (men) from the path
of Allah

The companions (raa) and the salaf interpreted the term ‘lahwa’ to refer to singing or music. For
example Ibn Abbas (raa) said “this means singing” and Mujahid (raa) said the term is a reference
to playing the drum. Yet, Imam Al-Saadi (ra) reported in his tafseer that the term, “ includes all
haram speech, idle talk and falsehood, and all nonsense that encourages kufr and disobedience;
the words of those who say things to refute the truth and argue in support of falsehood to defeat
the truth; and backbiting, slander, lies, insults and curses; the singing and musical instruments of
the Shaytan; and musical instruments which are of no spiritual or worldly benefit,” so, Allah
(swt) commanded His Messenger (saws) to inform the people that what is with Allah (swt) is
better than any of the allurements of this world and He (swt) used the term entertainment (lahwi)
first when correcting the people.

It is reported from amongst the sayings of the salaf that Abu Hayyan said about Ibn Attiya in
regard to this ayah, “Look as the term ‘trade (tijara)’ was introduced before ‘entertainment’
(lahwi) in the verse and it is because it (trade) is important and was left to follow in the other
section of the verse by preference so that the self was caught up primarily with this clear
realization. And Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqeeti explained this statement in his tafsir that,

saying referring to the wording in the ayah, “if they see…” and his saying, “with
preference” in reference to “Say (Muhammad) what is with Allah is better than
entertainment or trade”, that which is entertainment (lahwi) is clear in appearance and
apparent, and knowledge is with Allah ta’ala, and He preferred to mention entertainment
first in this place only because entertainment (lahwi) has absolutely no good in it so no
place for comparison, and trade (tijara) is mentioned last so it can be close to the
mentioning of provision (rizq) because they go hand in hand.

This verse is certainly worth contemplation and especially in a day where we witness the
majority of our ummah submerged in music, movies and entertainment, completely lethargic in
the state of an onslaught like the Mongol invasions and Crusades, and preoccupied with unlawful
business transactions all while avoiding completely any sense of sacrifice in the way of Allah
(swt).

In reality this is not a new phenomenon, but we must be aware of this tribulation and try to
strategize ways that we can counter this overriding preoccupation with senseless activity. Those
with knowledge attained it because they were able to focus on what was beneficial while at the
same time wisely avoiding the lure of senseless occupation and companionship. This takes
conscious awareness of this threat and conditioning so that it may be countered. As one example
Ibn al-Jawzi (ra) said:

I seek refuge with Allah from the company of idle people! I have seen many people who
tried me with what is a custom amongst many people in visiting a great deal and they call
these frequent visits a kind of service in the deen; so they want to sit with me and chat as
people chat about what people are talking about, and what does not concern anyone, and
what may be backbiting.
This is what many people do these days, and the one who is visited may ask for that, or
long for it, and feel lonely when no one visits him, especially when there is a celebration or
on Eid. So you see them going to visit one another, and they don’t limit it to offering
greetings and saying salaam, rather they add to that a great deal of what I call wasting
time.
When I realized that time is the noblest thing, and that it should be spent in doing good, I
hated that, and I had two choices with regard to them: if I cursed them it would cause
problems, and if I accepted it from them then I would be wasting time… So I began to
avoid meeting people as much as I could, then if I did meet them I would try to keep the
conversation brief so that I could leave quickly.
Then I prepared things that I could do to prevent talking to them when they met me, lest
time be wasted. Some of the preparations that I made for meeting them were cutting paper
for writing, sharpening pens and putting papers together to make notebooks, because these
things are essential, but they do not need any thought or focus. So I kept them for the times
of their visits so that none of my time would be wasted.
And here we have the reality that one must recognize that time is precious and also combat the
many struggles, trials and tribulations that accompany this awareness. As those listening to the
khutbah of the Prophet (saws) were so easily distracted so too we must recognize that the
shaytan lures us by alluding to our interests with what is mundane and unimportant. It is
therefore of utmost importance that we occupy our time with things that Allah (swt) has
confirmed are good for us. Allah (swt) has sent down a religion that, if practiced, should raise
these realizations inside ourselves. The ayaat that precede the verse of leaving what is of benefit
for trade and entertainment includes the command to attend the jumuah khutbah on Fridays. In
them Allah (swt) says,

!!! !! !!! ! !! !!! !!ƒ

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O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday, hasten earnestly to the
Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business: That is best for you if you but knew! And
when the Prayer is finished, then may you may disperse through the land, and seek of the
Bounty of Allah and celebrate the Praises of Allah often (and without stint): that ye may
prosper.
Here the believer is told to hasten to the remembrance of Allah, given a regiment of commanded
departure from trade, but is then given permission to disperse through the land and seek the
Bounty of Allah (swt) afterwards. It is in this respect that contemporary academics compare and
contrast the spirit of the Islamic message juxtaposed against the spirit of other religions. While
the Christian West is given credit for its Protestant work ethic and subsequent ability to promote
and allegedly birth capitalism, closer scholarship now documents that the spirit of the Quranic
message birthed a society that expanded largely due to its trade where strict adherence to what
became the Bible after the Roman Empire’s adoption of Christianity and its selective adherence
to the doctrine of Paul birthed a civilization of feudalism, where poverty was considered pious
and where taxes burdened a peasantry in order to pay for religious wars. In reality, today we call
this the Dark Ages, and finally study history realizing that the Dark Ages were not so dark at all
in the Muslim world.

Today we look at the verses of trade in the Quran and the way they were interpreted and
implemented throughout the centuries of Islamic rule and we recognize the reality that Islam is a
religion that promotes worldly success. However, as it says after prayer we should seek the
bounty of Allah it also includes a reminder to remember Allah much while doing so. The tafsir
of Ibn Kathir states, “Allah's statement, ‘and remember Allah much, that you may be successful’
means, while you are buying and selling, giving and taking, remember Allah much and do not let
this life busy you from what benefits you in the Hereafter.” And there is a hadith that states,

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Whoever enters a marketplace and says, "La ilaha illallah, He is alone without partners, His is
the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things.'' Then Allah will record a
thousand-thousand (a million) good deeds for him and will erase a million.

From this we understand that seeking trade and commerce can be worship and it would be wrong
to imitate the spiritual gurus and monks of other religions in denouncing all of what is worldly.
Indeed Islam is a moderate religion and the ummah of Muhammad (saws) is a balanced nation.
We are told however to give Allah (swt) His rights first and especially with regard to the prayers.
It was recorded in Malik’s Muwatta that Umar ibn al-Khattab (raa) wrote to his governors,
saying, "The most important of your affairs in my view is the prayer. Whoever protects it and
observes it carefully is protecting his deen, while whoever is negligent about it will be even more
negligent about other things." So we must prioritize the salawaat, but we cannot isolate the
prayers from the everyday affairs. Indeed while a major problem in the ummah today is
negligence and absence of salat, those that pray can more often than not be found in between the
prayers preferring entertainment and amusement over beneficial leisurely activity and engaging
in a very narrow understanding of tijarah, working in endeavors and with manners that are not of
benefit to Islam. Thus we must be conscious of our utilization of time as an ummah.

The Prophet (saws) also said: “Make the most of five things before five others: life before death,
health before sickness, free time before becoming busy, youth before old age, and wealth before
poverty.” However, today we tend to waste our time with video games, music, senseless
conversation, jokes and games and then wonder why the ummah is disgraced with onslaught,
lack of dignity, and inability to establish Islam in the land.

Because we fear poverty and want success as defined by the dominant societies crafting our
realities, barraging us with the religion of hedonism, the corporate shirk of the marketing
industry from Brittney Spears to Brand Obama we oftentimes forget that the real trade and
commerce we will exchange is our deeds on the Day of Judgment and there is no better
utilization of time than in working in the way of Allah (swt). Ibn Al-Qayyim reported in his
collection of wise sayings in his chapter on The Reward of Being Busy in the Service of Allah
that,
If the servant of Allah begins the day and the evening, without having any other concern
except Allah, the Almighty, He will fulfill all his needs and relieve all his worries. He will
empty the servant’s heart for the sake of His Love, his tongue will constantly remember
Him and he will have the strength to perform religious duties for His sake.
And if he begins the day and the evening, without having any other concern except the life
of this world, Allah, the Almighty will cast worry and grief into his heart. He, the Almighty
leave him to himself, and keep his heart busy with things other than His Love. His tongue
will not remember Allah but will only be concerned with the creation. He will use all his
strength in things other than the sake of Allah, and he will remain busy in the service of the
creation. He will work very hard in the service of others. Just like a bellows that pumps
itself up and then squeezes itself to the utmost in the service of others. Therefore, whoever
refuses to submit to Allah, to obey and love Him, will be affected with the servitude, love
and service of the creation.
Our intention in all action must be to please Allah (swt) and all of the allurements of this world
are to take us away from focus on worship via acts Allah (swt) has declared pleasing to Him.
One of the unfortunate realities we should all recognize living in non-Islamic societies is the
effect the external realm has on behavior. The Prophet (saws) stated that we are born on fitrah
but that it is our parents that make us Jews, Christians or Fire-worshippers; this is an allusion to
the fact of environmental effects on the behaviors of individuals. Societies shaped according to
Islam encourage and entice the individual to do good. In reality, it was a caravan of disbelief that
intruded into the Muslim society and distracted the believers with trade and entertainment. It was
not an indigenous threat but one that came from without. Therefore there is perhaps no more
important matter at hand than in giving our time, our wealth and our concentration in
reestablishing the shariah on Earth. As Syed Qutb (raa) emphasized in Milestones:

Islam cannot fulfill its role except by taking concrete form in a society, rather, in a nation;
for man does not listen, especially in this age, to an abstract theory which is not seen
materialized in a living society. From this point of view, we can say that the Muslim
community has been extinct for a few centuries, for this Muslim community does not denote
the name of a land in which Islam resides, nor is it a people whose forefathers lived under
the Islamic system at some earlier time. It is the name of a group of people whose manners,
ideas and concepts, rules and regulations, values and criteria, are all derived from the
Islamic source. The Muslim community with these characteristics vanished at the moment
the laws of God became suspended on earth. If Islam is again to play the role of the leader
 of man- kind, then it is necessary that the Muslim community be restored to its original
form.

Today we are a plagued and defeated nation, preoccupied with commerce and entertainment.
Recently one of the most popular Islamic scholars Yusef Qaradawi praised Qatar’s winning bid
to host the World Cup in 2022, explaining that it was a victory over America. It is this
shortsightedness and lack of insight that leads to destruction. The enemy we face as an ummah
today is not one of nation state versus nation state, it is one of ideological variety, a capitalist-
secularism that promotes vice and shuns virtue. By promoting the lure of soccer, games,
entertainments and consumerist attitudes, individuals can be lured away from any effort at
understanding the satanic system that has infested each and every land. This system will enhance
an already all too present mentality in the Muslim world that entertainment (lahwi) and
commerce (tijara) are the most important things in life. Along with the World Cup will come
alcohol, dancing girls, commercials, corporate brand names and a caravan of entertainment and
commerce the likes of which have never been seen. Along with the depletion and destruction of
the American consumer, spiritually dead, politically unaware, overweight and uninsured will
come the boost of investment and efforts to stimulate demand in the lands that once belonged to
Darussalam. It is only in understanding the reality of these temptations and in training ourselves
to give our time in the pursuit of what Allah (swt) has encouraged that we may lift this
humiliation and establish a society that is conducive to Islam. Elsewhere in the Quran Allah
(swt) asks,

What is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the Cause of Allah, you
cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the
comfort of this life, as compared to the Hereafter. (al-Tauba: 38)

When confronted with the contemporary caravans of lusts, desires and senseless pleasures we
must contemplate what is best, train ourselves to do what is of benefit and strategize means by
which we can shun the ignorant and protect ourselves and family. As much as the majority of the
ummah has slipped into nonsensical engagement, large segments of the ummah are also engaged
in establishing outlets for consumption of time that are conducive to Islam and that work to
establish Islam in its entirety. Therefore we should involve ourselves with enhancing these
institutions and outlets and all do our part to combat the temptation of worldly allurement by
understanding this religion in essence and embodying that essence in all that we do.