Class 3
PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity in Islam
A person can be busy all day and still be failing. Another may appear to do fewer things yet be advancing in both this life and the next.
When people hear the word “productivity,” they often think of work output, achievements, or efficiency. When religious people hear it, they may think only of prayer, Qur’an, and worship.
Islam is broader than both.
Productivity in Islam is not limited to ritual worship. Nor is it restricted to worldly success. It is the disciplined and intentional use of time to grow in ways that please Allah and benefit creation.
And it means using your time in a way that increases your value — spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially — while fulfilling the rights that Allah has placed upon you.
Time, for a Muslim, is not neutral. It must fall into one of these categories:
Worshipping Allah directly.
Strengthening yourself so you can serve better.
Benefiting others.
Earning lawfully and building stability.
Relaxing or resting intentionally so that you can return stronger.
If time is not used in one of these ways, it begins to slip into waste..
A productive Muslim understands that life is an amanah (trust). Allah has rights over him. His body has rights over him. His family has rights over him. His community has rights over him.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Your Lord has a right over you, your body has a right over you, and your family has a right over you.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
This hadith is the framework of Islamic productivity. True productivity is giving each of these their due.
Allah has rights — worship, obedience, remembrance.
Your body has rights — sleep, nourishment, health, moderate enjoyment.
Your family has rights — attention, care, presence, guidance.
Your community has rights — contribution, service, benefit, unity.
Productivity is not choosing one and neglecting the others. It is giving each its due in balance.
It is worshipping Allah without neglecting your health.
It is working hard without abandoning your family.
It is resting without falling into heedlessness.
It is building skill and knowledge so that you can serve the ummah with strength.
Islam does not promote isolation from the world. It produces individuals who are spiritually grounded and socially beneficial.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though there is good in both.” (Ṣaḥiḥ Muslim)
Strength here is not only physical. It includes strength of faith, discipline, skill, resilience, and usefulness.
A productive Muslim does not aim to merely survive. He aims to become strong enough to serve Allah and benefit others more effectively.
Learning a skill, improving health, earning lawfully, managing time wisely — all of this becomes worship when the intention is correct.
Productivity in Islam, therefore, is growth in every dimension — with intention directed toward Allah.
A Muslim understands that life is short and accountability is certain. Therefore, his time must serve a mission. So you are either:
Building yourself,
Building others,
Building your Hereafter,
Or recovering in order to build again.
Everything else is leakage.
Doing the Right at the Right Time
The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah said: “My servant does not draw nearer to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
When ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd رضي الله عنه asked which deed was best, the Prophet ﷺ replied: “Prayer in its proper time.” (Bukhārī & Muslim)
So obligations come first. Timing matters. True productivity requires awareness of priority.
Ibn al-Qayyim explained that the best act of worship is what Allah loves most at that specific moment.
At one time, the best deed may be prayer.
At another, serving parents.
At another, earning halal income.
At another, resting to regain strength.
Shayṭān may not stop you from good deeds — but he may distract you from the most appropriate deed at that moment. True productivity requires awareness.
How This Principle Builds Worldly Success
The same rule that governs worship governs worldly growth.
Consider a business owner. If financial instability is approaching, and instead of reviewing accounts and strategy he spends time redesigning logos or attending unnecessary meetings, he is active — but misaligned. The right thing at that time is financial clarity and planning.
Those who rise in skill, leadership, scholarship, or influence are not those who do the most things — they are those who do the most important thing at the moment it matters.
Misplaced Effort Is a Silent Destroyer
Many capable people stagnate not because they are lazy, but in these day an age they are suffering with ADHD and because they lack priority awareness.
They:
answer every message immediately but never complete deep work.
start many projects but finish few.
react to urgency instead of acting on importance.
fill time with activity but avoid the difficult task that would move them forward.
Islam corrects this by teaching priority through worship. If a Muslim understands that prayer cannot be delayed beyond its time without consequence, he begins to understand that other important duties also have windows. Every responsibility has its moment. Miss the moment, and growth is delayed.
Discipline in Timing Creates Strength
The Prophet ﷺ did not live randomly.
When it was time to worship, he worshipped.
When it was time to lead, he led.
When it was time to consult, he consulted.
When it was time to rest, he rested.
This precision is what creates strength. In worldly matters, this translates into:
Deep focus during work hours.
Full presence during family time.
Real rest during rest.
Structured learning during study.
PRODUCTIVE HABITS
OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE — AND HOW THE SUNNAH PRECEDED THEM
Across industries — business, scholarship, athletics, leadership — highly productive people share certain habits.
These habits are not uniquely modern. Many of them are deeply aligned with the Sunnah.
The difference is that the believer practices them not for ego or fame — but for purpose and accountability before Allah.
Let us examine some of these habits.
1. They Guard Their Mornings
Many high performers guard the early hours of the day. They use mornings for:
deep thinking
planning
learning
focused work
Why? Because mornings are quiet. The mind is fresh. Distractions are minimal.
The Prophet ﷺ made du‘ā’: “O Allah, bless my ummah in their early mornings.”
He would always get up for Tahajjud. He encouraged early starts. He disliked unnecessary sleep after Fajr. He dispatched delegations in the morning.
This is not coincidence. Barakah and clarity are placed in early hours. Those who waste them often spend the rest of the day trying to recover.
Practical connection: Even one protected hour before or after Fajr, can become the most productive hour of your day.
2. They Focus on Deep Work, Not Constant Distraction
Successful individuals do not constantly multitask. They schedule uninterrupted periods of deep focus. They understand that scattered attention produces shallow results.
The Prophet ﷺ was not fragmented. He ﷺ demonstrated presence in everything he did:
When he prayed, he was fully engaged.
When he spoke, he spoke with clarity.
When he listened, he listened attentively.
Islam teaches khushū‘ in prayer — it is focused presence.
If a person cannot focus for 20 minutes without checking their phone, productivity collapses.
Practical connection: Set protected blocks of focused work. During that time, eliminate notifications and distractions. Presence multiplies output.
3. They Prioritise What Matters Most
High achievers do not attempt everything at once. They identify the most important task and tackle it first. This is precisely the principle we discussed earlier — doing the right thing at the right time.
Obligations come before optional actions. Likewise in worldly matters: Important tasks must come before easy tasks.
Practical connection: Each day, identify one priority that truly advances your goals. Complete it early.
4. They Maintain Physical Strength
High performers value physical health because energy fuels productivity.
Strength includes physical vitality. The Prophet ﷺ:
walked long distances,
participated in battles,
engaged in physical activity,
encouraged archery, riding, and swimming.
Exhaustion and neglect of health weaken both dunya and akhirah productivity.
Practical connection: Sleep properly. Move daily. Eat consciously. You cannot serve at a high level with a depleted body.
5. They Build Consistency, Not Intensity
Modern productivity research repeatedly confirms that small, consistent habits outperform dramatic bursts of effort.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if they are small.”
Consistency builds momentum. Momentum builds identity.
Practical connection: Instead of aiming for two hours of reading daily, begin with 20 minutes — but do it every day.
6. They Eliminate What Does Not Matter
Highly productive people are selective. They do not attend every meeting. They do not respond to every request. They guard their energy.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “From the excellence of a person’s Islam is leaving what does not concern him.”
This hadith alone is a productivity revolution. Most time loss happens through unnecessary involvement. Gossip, Unneccsarry discussions, arguments etc all happen on things that actually do not concern us.
7. They Think Long-Term
Successful people do not live only for today. They think in years, sometimes decades. They are willing to endure short-term discomfort for long-term gain.
This is engrained in is Islam, sabr in this world for reward for eternity.
This is long-term thinking. The one who seeks quick results often abandons effort early. The one who understands long-term reward persists.
8. They Protect Their Energy
High performers understand something simple: energy important to make use of time.
A tired mind wastes hours. A focused mind accomplishes much in less time.
The Prophet ﷺ practiced balance. He slept. He encouraged moderation. When companions overburdened themselves, he corrected them. He ﷺ said: “Your body has a right over you.”
A PRODUCTIVE MUSLIM
Islamic productivity is not divided into “religious” and “worldly.” It is integrated.
You worship Allah.
You strengthen yourself.
You serve others.
You build skill.
You rest intentionally.
You return stronger.
Every right is given its due. When this balance is maintained, growth happens in both worlds. Productivity is about becoming more — more disciplined, more useful, more aligned, more sincere.
And when time is structured, priorities are clear, and habits are consistent, growth becomes steady — in this life and the next.
Coming Next
In the next class, we will focus on Building Habits — how habits form, why they fail, and how to structure your time in a way that makes discipline automatic rather than exhausting.
TIPS FOR THE TEST
Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.
Remember the Habits and references from the Sunnah.
ASSIGNMENT
There will be an Assignment Question asked in the Test. Marks will be given based on the following: -
I. Invite atleast 10 people to the course (can invite via WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, telegram or word of mouth) 4 Marks. (check the note below for exceptions)
Note:
Those who have already invited whether on Whatsapp, Email or FB, do not need to invite again.
It does not matter, whether people join or not, our job is to invite.
II. Reflect on yourself and make changes in your actions/attitude to make better use of Time by using any of the tips given this course. 5 Marks.
III. Talk to 3 people (friends or family) about any three topics from the course - (5 Marks)
IV. Pray for the Ummah, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and Maghfirah of the Muslims who passed away. Pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. - 1 Mark
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