Timekeeping in Islam

Shaykh Muhammad Naasiruddin al-Albaani Rahimahullah:

Shaikh Abu Islaam Saalih Taahaa said, “Shaikh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, used to teach us to be precise for appointments. An example of that is when I would invite him to visit me or if I accompanied him to an invite, he, may Allaah have mercy on him, would not turn up late or early for the set engagement.

Once I invited him over at 1 pm and he arrived in his car before that by a quarter of an hour, and remained seated in it and did not get out until the time was due … I was not aware of the Shaikh’s presence, it was the people who accompanied him who told me about that [later]. When I asked the Shaikh about that, he said, ‘Because before the [set] time you’re busy preparing for the guest’s arrival at [that] specified time … if we were to come in before it, we’d divert you from your preparation for your guests.’

So may Allaah have mercy on our Shaikh, how precise his understanding was! And how keen he was to act upon the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم.

And when he, may Allaah have mercy on him, was invited to a place he would not take anyone with him unless the host had permitted him to. One time I invited him saying, ‘Our Shaikh! I invite you to lunch with me tomorrow,’ and by that I meant him and his wife, Umm al-Fadl. The next day he came alone so I said to him, ‘Where is Umm al-Fadl?’ So he replied, ‘You didn’t mention to me that I should bring Umm al-Fadl with me. And we stick to being precise in what is said.’”

[Al-Aqeedah Awwalan Law Kanu Ya’lamun, pp. 17-18.]

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