Qimat al-Zaman inda al-Ulama
- Author died
- 1417 AH
- Editions
- Maktab al-Matbu'at al-Islamiyyah
Qimat al-Zaman ‘inda al-‘Ulama (The Value of Time According to the Scholars) is a book by the Syrian traditionist and jurist Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda (1336–1417 AH / 1917–1997 CE), dedicated to illustrating the reverence and meticulous preservation of time among classical Islamic scholars .
Origins and Composition
The nucleus of the work originated as a brief ten-minute speech delivered by Abu Ghudda on the night of Monday, 28 Sha‘ban 1391 AH, during a shared public lecture organized by the College of Sharia in Riyadh . The text of that talk was subsequently published in the fifth issue of the college’s journal, Adwa’ al-Shari‘ah, in 1394 AH .
Abu Ghudda later expanded the piece into a dedicated monograph, completing its initial introduction in Riyadh on 18 Jumada al-Ula 1402 AH . He noted that the material was the culmination of roughly twenty years of reading and research across diverse disciplines, including Quranic exegesis (tafsir), hadith, jurisprudence (fiqh), history, biographical evaluation (rijal and tarajim), geography, lexicography, grammar, literature, and ethics . The first edition appeared in 1404 AH (1984 CE) in Beirut .
Structure and Methodology
The author arranged the biographical anecdotes chronologically according to the death dates of the scholars rather than thematically, in order to show the unbroken succession of generations upholding the habit of safeguarding time . In the fifth edition, Abu Ghudda added further material, dividing the work with explicit section headings and appending an index of named persons .
Abu Ghudda’s method relied on gathering authentic passages directly from classical sources, cross-referencing and checking variants, and attributing each narrative to its earliest compilations . While acknowledging that time has different meanings for philosophers, merchants, farmers, soldiers, and politicians, he confined his study exclusively to the value of time among scholars and students of Islamic learning .
Contents and Themes
The book begins with discussions on time as one of God's greatest blessings, its status in the Quran and prophetic tradition, and the discipline ingrained by time-bound religious obligations such as prayer . It then presents narratives detailing how early scholars structured their days to prevent idle moments, prioritized reading while walking or eating, and avoided superfluous conversations, food, and social visits .
Prominent figures featured include the Hanbali jurists Abu al-Wafa Ibn Aqil and Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi, as well as Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi, highlighting their routines of copying, writing, and worship . The book also discusses prolific authors who produced dozens or hundreds of volumes—such as Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, al-Nawawi, and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani—citing Jamil al-Azm’s ‘Uqud al-Jawhar on scholars who authored fifty to over a hundred titles . In its concluding sections, the work outlines practical aids for making use of time, including task organization, avoiding empty gatherings, and keeping company with diligent peers .
Reception and Influence
The work achieved broad circulation among students and scholars, going through multiple reprintings, including a fourth edition in 1406 AH, a fifth edition, and a tenth edition issued by Maktab al-Matbu‘at al-Islamiyyah . It was also translated into Turkish and English .
The book prompted other authors to write on the subject; Abu Ghudda noted later works that drew heavily upon his material, including al-Waqt Huwa al-Hayah (1406 AH) by Abd al-Sattar Nuwayr, Ta’ammulat wa-Sawanih fi Qimat al-Zaman (1407 AH) by Khaldun al-Ahdab, and al-Waqt ‘Imar aw Dimar (1407 AH) by Jasim Muhammad Badr al-Mutawwa‘ .
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