Perished Are the Procrastinators

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said: says,

“هلك المسوفون”

“Halaka l-musawwifūn”

“Those who procrastinate have certainly perished.” Sadaqa RasuluLlah fi ma qāl aw kama qāl.

He ﷺ said, “Those who say, ‘I will do it, I will do it later,’ have perished.” Our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam meant, when it comes to a good deed, don’t put it off until later. If you say, “I’ll do it later,” Allāh ﷻ knows what will happen. This becomes a habit over time. Saying, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it later, I’ll do it in a little while, then I’ll get up, then I’ll go,” never ends. The good deeds that could be done remain undone.

Therefore, in accordance with the blessed words of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam, when you have the opportunity, do not put it off until later. He ﷺ says, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” Whether tomorrow will come is uncertain. When procrastination becomes a habit for people, it leads to laziness.

The shayṭān prevents them from doing the work they want to do and the good deeds they want to perform. While saying, “You’ll do it eventually, you’ll do it later, look at other things now, you’re tired, go to bed, there’s plenty of time for this, don’t rush,” people’s life often passes by without ever doing the work. They think they’ll do many things, but they end up doing nothing.

Therefore, it’s best for a person to do everything immediately while they have the strength and are in their right minds. Whether it’s a worldly matter or a matter of ākhirah, when the opportunity arises, none should be postponed. Because as we said, it’s uncertain how much life Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has given you.

You might say, “I’ll do it later, I’ll come back later,” but whether tomorrow will come is uncertain; there’s no guarantee. Therefore, when you intend to do something, do it immediately. Sometimes, of course, the opportunity doesn’t arise, that’s another matter. But if the opportunity exists, don’t postpone it, don’t leave it for later.

A great scholar—whose name I can’t recall right now—was asked, “How did you acquire so much knowledge? He replied, “I heard this ḥadīth sharīf, and after that, I never put anything off.” That’s how he became knowledgeable. Millions, billions of Muslims have benefited from him. He was a very great scholar, but I can’t remember his name right now. He gained knowledge by benefiting from this ḥadīth sharīf; and people benefited from him.

May Allāh ﷻ protect us from laziness. May He ﷻ not give us the habit of postponing the things we can do, in shā’a Llāh. May Allāh ﷻ grant us all health and well-being, and enable us to perform good deeds, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

•⁠ ⁠Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

5 July 2026/ 20 Muharram 1448

Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul

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