The month of Qur'an is here! The question looming before us is: How do we use our time efficiently to strengthen our relationship with the Qur'an? This popular story on Internet forums by an unnamed author is a perfect reminder on how time for Qur'an can be spaced out of our regular chores: Since last night my young son has been unwell. When I got back from work this evening I decided to take him to the hospital despite my exhaustion. There were many waiting to see the doctor. I knew we would be delayed by more than an hour. I took my number and sat down in the waiting room. There were many faces, young and old, but all silent. Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting room. Some of those waiting had their eyes closed, while others were looking around. Most were bored. Once in a while the long silence was broken by a nurse calling out a number. Happiness appears on the one whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly; then silence returns.?However, a young man grabbed my attention. He was reading a pocket-sized Qur'an continuously without raising his head even once. At first I did not think much about him. However, after one hour of waiting my casual glances turned into a deep reflection of his lifestyle and how he utilizes his time. One hour of life wasted! Instead of making benefit from that hour, it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was made. We went for prayer in the hospital's masjid. I tried to pray close to the man who was reading the Qur'an earlier in the waiting room. After the prayer I walked with him. I told him about how impressed I was with how he tries to benefit from his time. He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These are days that go from our lives without us being conscious of them or regretting wasting them. He said he started carrying the pocket-sized Qur'an around when a friend encouraged him to make full use of his time. He told me that the time other people waste, he uses it to read the Qur'an. He gets to read more than what he manages to do at home or in the masjid. Moreover, besides the reward of reading the Qur'an, this habit saves him from boredom and stress. He said he had now been waiting for one-and-a-half hours, asking, “When will you find one-and-a-half hours to read the Qur'an?” I started thinking. We waste so much time. How many moments of our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by. Indeed, several months pass by and we do not even read the Qur'an. I felt a deep respect for my companion, and realized that I will be held accountable of what I did and that time is not in my possession. So what am I waiting for? My thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling out my number. I came to see the doctor, but left wanting to do something else. As soon as I exited the hospital, I went straight to the bookstore and bought a pocket-sized Qur'an. I decided to be mindful of how I spend the time.
