Balancing one’s time
Dear questioner,
May Allah bless you and increase you in good.
Noble intentions
Every action that we do could be noble by their intention behind them.
That is based upon the famous hadith narrated by sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab that the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, “Verily actions are by their intentions, and one shall only have that which one intended.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
Imam Ibn Ata’illah (Allah have mercy upon him) said, “Actions are lifeless forms whose souls are the secret of sincerity in them.”
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said, “How often it is that a small action is made great by its intention, and a great action is made small by its intention.”
Therefore, the regular education you’re seeking for a worldly reason could be transformed into an act of worship by you intending the following;
(1.) seeking that education to earn lawful income
(2.) intending through it to benefit others
(3.) intending through that education to free you from asking others
These are just some primary intentions you can make. Certainly, you can add a lot more to it.
Balance in time
Efficiently balancing your time will undoubtedly depend on your ability and consistency. You know yourself. Calculate how much time you can give weekly to learning sacred knowledge of the deen. Take the proper steps to ensure that you (a.) consistently progress, (b.) learn in a structured, systematic manner.
(c.) that you consult someone knowledgeable who will guide you in your learning. With proper focus and sincere dedication, you will be surprised at how much you will grow in your education.
Example: Set up a schedule of at least an hour a day with maybe 2-3 hours on the weekend. That will be about 8 hours every week. It is a good start. It is up to you to set the time you can commit to without overdoing it. If you take on too much, you may end up quitting sooner than later.
Start with the obligatory personal knowledge [fard a’yn] of creed and practice and spirituality. That is reflective of Islam, Iman, Ihsan.
Depending on what law you want to follow in fiqh, there are many good texts you can start with.
Look up the steps curriculum at SeekersGuidance to help you achieve this goal in all the ways described above.
Allah knows best
[Imam] Yama Niazi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
