Does Time exist??

[hayat84]

:salam2:
to everybody,let me share this strange feeling with you.I can "see" the time running very fast.from the moment I wake up to the one in which I go to sleep it seems only few minutes.I feel Time tighting my days and it's like I have no enough time to do everything.
And another thing I see on the channel of Mecca.There are many muslims going to Ka'ba in every moment.there are some cameras which show on-air different parts of the great mosque by day and by night(all day long) and I feel like if in that place Time doesn't exist!!!I see women,children too praying by night,performing the 'Umra...it's amazing and I feel speechless.on one hand I feel Time slipping away and on the other one it's like it doesn't exist.have you ever reflected about this matter?how does Time fill your days?
can you express your views about this great presence which passes over our lives,and let me read some hadith about the description of Time(if they exist)?thank you very much for any responses.

 

[Aisha. joyo]

Wa Alykum Salam sister,

Your not alone with this, I feel that sometimes espacially when I don't have anything to do for the whole day... I do watch saudi tv live everyday.

There's this article that's sayin "time is not money" I found it from Islamicfinder.

Islam encourages Muslims to care for time, to utilize it and not to waste it. Besides, it holds them responsible for their time. The righteous Salaf were aware of that responsibility, so they acted accordingly. Describing their care for time, Hassan Al-Basry said, "I saw those people and how they were more careful about their time than about their Dirhams and Dinars (i.e. their money)." (Abdullah Ibn-Al-Mubarak, "Az-Zuhd" (Asceticism), p.51.)

An important requirement for a Muslim's life is to be careful about time, to invest it wisely and to benefit from it. In this regard, Ibn-ul Qayyim says, "The highest, most worthy and most useful of reflection is what is intended for Allah and the Hereafter. There are various forms of reflection intended for Allah. One of them is reflecting on time, duty and function and focusing entirely on it, for the knowledgeable one is the breed of his time. If he wastes it, all his interests are wasted, for all interests arise from time. If he wastes his time, he can never regain it." Also, Imam Shafi'i said, "Out of my company with Sufis, I benefited only two things, one of which is their saying: like a sword, time will cut you if you do not cut it. ..." In other words, if you do not spend time doing something useful, you are the loser by wasting it.

As expressed by Imam Hassan Al-Banna, "Time is life itself." This reflects Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah's saying: "One's time is in fact his age. It is the material of his eternal life either in everlasting joy or painful torture. It passes more quickly than clouds do. It is only the time one dedicates to Allah that constitutes one's real life and age. The rest does not count; the life he leads in it is only animal life. Compared to a life of indulgence in appetitive activities, false aspirations and negligence of Allah's remembrance - and at best in sleep and being idle - death is a much better alternative."

Time is considered a vehicle for work. According to Ibn-ul-Qayyim, "The year is like a tree, months are its branches, days are the branch sticks, hours are its leaves, and the breaths are its fruits. Therefore, if one's breaths are in obedience (to Allah and His Messenger), the fruits of his tree are good. If they are in disobedience, his fruits are bitter. The harvest is on the Appointed Day, when one's fruits are found out to be either good or bitter."

Such is the Islamic view of time, and such were the ways of the Salaf ways with it. How do we compare with them now?! Obviously, there is a big gap between the way they cared for time and the way we are wasting it. The sad and painful thing about us now is that "our nation has been improvising ways of wasting time at the public and the private levels. As a result, the world is already proceeding to the future without us, as if we were the 'orphans of history'. If such improvisation is not directed to investing and utilizing our time properly, the gap between us and the future will widen further, and we will remain importers and consumers of cultural products. Eventually, our survival will be entirely dependent on the producers of those products." (Khuldun Al-Ahdab, "Reflections on the Value of Time") Therefore, Muslims must unite their efforts to identify weaknesses for treatment, and must give time its due attention as demanded by Islam.

 

[IbnAdam77]

Assalam 'Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Anas ibn Malik (radiyallahu 'anh) reported that the messenger of Allah said: "The hour shall not come until time will be considered short, and a year will appear like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour and an hour like a flash of fire." (Tirmidhi)

I think the above Hadith says all what I feel.

Wassalam 'Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

 

[hayat84]

maybe the End is approaching and Time slips so fast that it really seems that a day is like a hour.but is it really Time a "relative" thing as many scientists say?when it's rainy it seems that time never passes,while when it's sunny it passes fastly...

 

[a_stranger]

Free time For doing good

:salam2:

Ibn Abbas narrated that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

"There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good." (Bukhari 8/421)

 

[a_stranger]

Narrated Abdullah Bin Mas`ud Allah's Messenger salla Allah alaihi wa salam said:

"A man shall be asked concerning five things on the day of resurrection: concerning his life, how he spent it; concerning his youth, how he grew old; concerning his wealth, whence he acquired it, and in what way he spent it; and what was it that he did with the knowledge that he had."

 

[strive-may-i]

on one hand I feel Time slipping away and on the other one it's like it doesn't exist.have you ever reflected about this matter?how does Time fill your days?[/B]

What makes you say "It's like it(Time) doesn't exist"?

 

[hayat84]

What makes you say "It's like it(Time) doesn't exist"?

:salam2:
brother,it's a my own impression,maybe I didn't express well.try to put yourself into what I want to explain and try to image my feeling:everyday I watch the channel of Mecca,it happens that I do it by night.....well,I see thousands of muslims walking around the Ka'ba no-stop,in the sense that there are always people coming there and going away from there,but the "circle"of people that I see around Ka'b while muslims perform 'Umra is in movement,night and day,it never stops to move.how can I explain in a better way?I see how many muslims don't care about late hour of the night,but the important thing is that there are always many people making the 7 turnings around Ka'ba.in conclusion,I feel like the time,for the sitution/landscape I see,it doesn't matter what time is it,because it "doesn't exist"...may my "confused" argument be understood,or maybe I need a psycanalist.
it's obvious that Time exists,but in that contest,I feel like all muslims going to Mecca,don't care about what's happening around them:they are calm and faithful,while out of the walls of the Mosque there is only corruption and war.can you understand what I mean?

 

[IbnAdam77]

Assalam 'Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

I think I got what you meant. The simple answer for it is that the "time" is also a creation (Makhlooq) of Allah (subuhaanahu wata'aala) as like other creations.

For example: The Miracle of Isra wal Mi'raj. If time is like ours when Allah ascended His Prophet (pbuh) to the heavens and returned, do you think his bed will have the warmth? When I asked some very critical questions in regard to that, the answer my lecturer gave me was just very simple and convincing. MashaAllah! He said that when we do ANYTHING, we are imprisoned with two things. That is "time" and "place", and two of them are Allah's Makhlooqs. Therefore it is just simple for Allah to change, stop or do anything with both of them, and he asked me, "now think about that!" My question arised as the Prophet (pbuh) prayed leading all the prophets of Allah (pbut) in Masjidul Aqsa, ascended to each heaven, met a LOT in each heaven and was not in a rush at all, and even went far beyond than the limit which the Gibreel ('alaihissalam) also was not permitted to ascend, and had a lots of incidents etc etc. Then I asked my lecturer, "I trust all that, but I need a convincing answer if somebody asks me how it is possible to return back home after all that, not on warmth of bed, but even before dawn. Up there was the simple answer he gave.

Wassalam 'Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

 

[iqbal313]

tme

maybe the End is approaching and Time slips so fast that it really seems that a day is like a hour.but is it really Time a "relative" thing as many scientists say?when it's rainy it seems that time never passes,while when it's sunny it passes fastly...

It can t be relative because when it rains some where, it is sunny elsewhere..the time is same on these two places..... Allah is the custodian of time...and everything else have an appointed term...

 

[hayat84]

very good answers brothers,I like rflections like these.by the way I'm a little philosophic and maybe few people can understand what I say,if Time is not relative,why it is counted in a different way from place to place?in some countries is still night while in Italy is 11:00 AM.is it true that the speedness of the Light can stop the Time?so that if I'd run at the speedness of 300,000 KM per second out of the Earth and come back,I could see my relatives really old and me as still young?!?What a beautiful creation is Time.
And another my impression:is it possible that the Time in which I'm living has been chose from Allah to make me writesuch reflections?and can it be possible that everything exists from the moment we come to the world and it disappears after we leave it?I've so many questions...even if I am in peace with myself,I still can't understand many things.I hope not to bore anybody with my requests.

 

[Asja]

Assalamu allaicum wa raahmatullah wa baarakatuhu

Dear sister, time (Al-'Asr) is also one of the creations of Allah subhanahu wa teala like Allah tells us in Quran:

"By Al-'Asr (the time).

"Verily! Man is in loss,

" Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma'ruf)which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar)which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad, etc.). "

Imam Shafi rahimahullah said for this Ayah that if Allah subhnahu wa teala did not revealed to mankind any other Ayah from Quran, this Ayah would be enough for them.

In some Hadeehth our beloved Prophet sallahu alyha wa saalam has warned us on shortness of time on Dunya and how our life on Dunya will pass so fast, as Allahs Messanger sallahu alayha wa salam said in one Hadeeth: " Dunya toward Ahirah is like if one of you would put his finger in the sea so let him see what he is getting back" ( Muslim)

Time is also one of the blessing of Allah for us, between other goods that Allah gaved us and as Muslims we should try to use our time on the most benefical way and spend our time in doing good deads and that how Allah is pleased,because Inshallah we will be asked on day of Judgment for every minute of our life and how we used our time.

I also feel like that sometimes sister, as after all day it passed and when it comes night I feel as it it passed only one minute of time and not all day, SubhanAllah. And this is exactly on what Allah is warning us Muslims all the time that this Dunya is illusive and that it is passing so fast, but that Ahirah is Inshalllah forever. Once we come to pass on other World Inshallah, we will feel like we spend only few days on Dunya, SubhanAllah.

May Allah help us to spend our time on doing good deeds and how Allah is pleased and protect us from doing bad deeds which Allah is not pleased, because Inshallah we will respond for all our deeds. Ameen.

Assalamu allaicumu wa raahmatullahi wa baarakatuhu

 

[Mojah441]

Time does not exist!

There are two concepts of TIME.

First concept referes to keeping count of days and years. The second concept is of time an entity or reality.

In the first case, since it is for keeping track of days and years, etc. therefor, one can say, it exists and quote the verses of the Quran which refers to it. That is fine.

But, in the second sense, time does not exist as a reality like gravity, etc. Because time is a tool to measure something, like duration with a watch or night/ day with sun, it is just that; A tool like a yard stick to measure distance.

So, as far as going back in time, or into future, or slowing down the time with high speed, as Einstein would have you belive, are all wrong. One can not slow down a tool. And, one can not travel back 'in' a yard stick.

One might say, you have to be stupid or a genious to say something contrary to Einstein. I would say, no, neither because science allows us to think independently and differently inorder to improve an existing, even well accepted, theory. Science is self correcting. And, I am making that correction.

One might argue, but what about us growing tall year after year? Correct, but those are atoms and molecular cells dividing, growing, dying, repairing, etc. It means Matter and Motion exists not time. All that is happening in one time all the time.

Allah knows best!

 

[strive-may-i]

About time as measure, about relativity being questioned

I wanted to make sure, am correctly understanding your viewpoint..

Time is a progressive measure of events
(Now time defining time correctly I will leave it to best of scholars to come up with an answer )
We are bound by time, there is no doubt about it, our journey here on earth has a duration, there is no doubt about it, One can choose to measure his duration here on earth, And those wanting to know, the past before one was born will most likely stick to one of the calendar systems to understand the chronology of historical events.
This year as per various calendar system ...
its 1432 -Hijri
Its 2011 - Gregorian Calendar
Its 5013 - Hindu Calendar
Its 5771 - Judish calendar
Its 12.19.18.14.4, 10 Kan 12 Yax.- Mayan Calendar - Picked From http://www.tondering.dk/claus/cal/maya.php


Einsteins theory of relativity seems to contradict some latest experiments - Read more here (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/opinion/30iht-eddas30.html)
(incase you have read it already forgive me..)
So Speed of light could possibly be exceeded, and therefore strange things could happen. But Theory of Relativity is very much applied in day to day life.
It took a genius to simplify E=MC2 and enlighten us with fact energy and matter are interchangeable. Guess we have to wait for another Human genius to help us understand better


Phew the mystery deepens!!

 

[hayat84]

so Time is relative!every culture counts the Time in a different way.and what is making us older everyday more?The "Time" or the biologycal reactions in our bodies?I feel strange by thinking a lot about this matter.

 

[K-A-K]

Time as we know it does exist but it really is an illusion. I mean look at the other planets, their 1 day may only be a few hours of earth or a couple of years of earth. Time exists there too but in another way. Time, therefore, is relative. It is the rotation and revolution that makes us think that time is passing by, but really, is it just that what makes time. We do not know. Space and Time are two medium that came into existence with matter. That`s how science understands it.

Time as other brother and sisters said, is a creation. It can be manipulated by God in whatever way He wants. Isra & Miraaj are yet another example of time relativity. God isn`t bound by time but His creations are. When Muhammad saww ascended to the other realm, another time frame was binding him. He could`ve travelled faster than light.. and recent studies show that there are things that move even faster than the speed of light.. Even Quran talks about it... Angels and deeds ascending to Him in another time frame...

I was reading something about death, soul and near death experiences yesterday, and the scientist had quite a lot of good things to say. He said that it is very much possible that when the soul leaves the body, it is now under another time frame, it might as well be 1 minute of this world, but 4 hours of another world... Thus, time for us on earth is just weeks, days, hours, etc, in whatever way we want to divide it basically. But in reality, Time isn`t this, it is much more. Similarly, he gave the example of the electromagnetic field. How the magnets attract eachother though are eyes can`t see anything. yet the attraction exists. He said that there is a possibility that soul could be like that. (Not that it is like magnets.. just a parable). We can`t see the soul like the attraction forces but we can know and feel it.

This reminds me of the saying of one of the Caliphs: Time or Life is just an illusion. Death is the final awakening.

We are literally living in an illusion created by our mind.. whatever we want life to be, it is. But the life after death is a totally different life, a life with brand new dimensions.

And i can`t agree more. Time these days is speeding up. We still have the same hours, days, weeks, etc but the feeling exists that time is racing. And i do not like it. Its as if the Barakah has gone. I remember when i was young, it was as if Ramadan took 10 years to return, and the eids too. But now.. don`t even talk about it. Its as if it returns after a couple of months or so... Look, 2012 is just around the corner. Doesn`t feel that we`ve spent another year... :S not a good feeling.

Prayers. Wasalam.

 

[Hajjerr]

very good words sister and the fact that time is different in the life after death is the ayah :
“He (God) will say: How many years did you stay on earth? They will say: We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account.” (Quran 23:112-113)
inchallah we make the best of what we have in present, in this very right second in order to feel less scared about how fast we approach of something inevitable. to hold on of His robe and if He alowes us to be good muslim,the end of the time as we know it will be only in our advantage Allah knows best

 

[mufakkir]

There are two concepts of TIME.

First concept referes to keeping count of days and years. The second concept is of time an entity or reality.

In the first case, since it is for keeping track of days and years, etc. therefor, one can say, it exists and quote the verses of the Quran which refers to it. That is fine.

But, in the second sense, time does not exist as a reality like gravity, etc. Because time is a tool to measure something, like duration with a watch or night/ day with sun, it is just that; A tool like a yard stick to measure distance.

So, as far as going back in time, or into future, or slowing down the time with high speed, as Einstein would have you belive, are all wrong. One can not slow down a tool. And, one can not travel back 'in' a yard stick.

One might say, you have to be stupid or a genious to say something contrary to Einstein. I would say, no, neither because science allows us to think independently and differently inorder to improve an existing, even well accepted, theory. Science is self correcting. And, I am making that correction.

One might argue, but what about us growing tall year after year? Correct, but those are atoms and molecular cells dividing, growing, dying, repairing, etc. It means Matter and Motion exists not time. All that is happening in one time all the time.

Allah knows best!

Salaam 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuhu,

Its been while since i posted anything, but the phenomena of 'time is always a fascinating issue and i am much intrigued by the original poster's reflections.

A few observations:

I have to disagree with brother Mojah441 in his statement that time does not exist in reality as gravity. Contrary to this you will find that the dominant understanding amongst scientists today (and in fact during Einstein's time!) is that Time is a real phenomena and effects us in the same way that other aspects of the universe do, such as gravity, electromagnetic force, nuclear force and so forth. This is also in accordance with the commonly accepted belief of scholars of Islam. The latter cite many verses from the Quran (some of which has already been mentioned here) and ahadiths - I recall one, though i cannot remember the reference - 'Do not curse Time for verily, Allah is the owner of Time...'

The phenomena of Time is a very complicated issue and scientists will readily say that they do not comprehend its full reality. When they refer to time, they are not refering to the measure of Time. These are two distinct matters. We often get confused by the two and believe that when we talk of time, say 11:00 pm and 3 minutes etc, we are talking of Time. That is incorrect. We are in fact talking about the measurement of Time, the 'yardstic' that the brother above has mentioned. Also, when scientist talk of Time being relative, again they are not refering to Time being different in different countries, or how its is measured, rather they are refering to the effect of Time or the 'time of Time' being relative to where you are in reference to things which affect Time. For example, the speed of Time or the rate at which Time moves (and these are problematic terms) will depend on the space and speed at which you are travelling.

Einstein observed that light is bent by great gravitational forces, such as stars, and hence the speed at which this light travels is also affected. And since space, time and distance are intricately related, each is affected by the other. The evidence that Time is a real phenomena is observed from that fact that it can be manipulated. If Time was a mere tool of reference, a 'ruler' it cannot change, and yet scientists say that it does. For example, scientists have used two identical and incredibly accurate timers to conduct an experiment. They put one on an extremely fast plane and the other on the ground. Remember that the 'yardstick' for measuring time was the same on both these timers - i.e. they counted 1 second at EXACTLY the same rate. What they found was that the timer on the plane actually counted slower than the one on the ground. For the scientists, it was clear proof that speed affected the 'rate' of Time.

As far as our religion is concerned, we are reminded that Time is a precious commodity that we must put to good use. It is as Ibnul Qayyim said, 'life in itself'. We should also remind ourselves that this does not become knowledge whch does not benefit - do we really need to know its full reality?

On a side note, the phenomena of Time is an useful tool in possibly understanding aspects of Qadr and Atheists' claim that it contradicts freedom of will (refer to an earlier post).

 

[Mojah441]

TIME does not exist.

1) Two clock experiment is flowed because as you move faster and faster, the magetic (and gravitational forces) effect the result of insturments more and more and thus you are reading the cause and effect of your motion interacting with outside forces not time. In other words, if I take the battery out of my clock, will the time stop for me? No.

2) Just because light is bent with gravity (because light is both a wave and particale), it has nothing to do with TIME itself. The only reason time is in that equation is because some one wants to know speed of light. If light is slowed down, which it does depending upon medium it is in, will TIME stop? No, because just like time doesn't stop when your car stops at the lights. Light or it's speed does not control the TIME.

3) Nothing special happens when light or any particle travels faster than speed of light. Agels travel faster than speed of light all the time. They do not go back in time. They get there on time (very quickly) like to save prophet Abrahim (pbuh).

3) Did Allah said in the Quran, that he created TIME? I am not interested in hadiths and other verses mention where Allah is taking oath of time. I am interested in knowing specifically, did Allah said he created TIME.

4) Miracle of Isra & Maraj happened not because of TIME but Allah is able to stop all motion of all the matter he created but allowed Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) to move (along with his ride and others, etc). So, when Rasool of Allah (peace be upon him), came back every thing started back up, and that is how he came back to same place and time after spending very long time away.

5) No one is cursing TIME. We are just sharing our understanding and thoughts. And, no one is denying the soul either. Please stick to the subject.

Allah knows best!

 

[K-A-K]

i mentioned soul as a parable. We cant see it but it exists. It has no direct relationship with time. Nor was i being off topic.

Well, what is time then, if not a creation. Time as we know it started off with the very moment this universe started. Time happens to be an abstract creation which can only be felt or perceived. And perhaps Time existed before this universe too in some other way. Or maybe it didn`t. How can we know what existed before this universe. Nevertheless, Time doesn`t exist for God, He is beyond that. It is our way to understand things.

Plus, how do you know things were static when Muhammad pbuh ascended to the heavens. It is very much possible that he went with Jibrail A.S. at his speed into another dimension. This world is a multi dimensional one. The fact that we can`t see or feel all those dimensions, doesn`t mean that we cannot enter them (by God`s will).

You said we can`t go back in time. Well we can if God wants us to. When Muhammad saww. was showed samples of people from jannah and Jaheem, how do you know he wasn`t exactly taken into future and then back into the present time. I don`t say this happened, because it is beyond my ability of comprehension. However, a possiblity exists. Science already talks about wormhole theories!