It happened so once that at the night up-rose the morn, and in the morning down-fell the night. It was the winter with the sun shining bright. The summer following was cold though. There were these toads mating in the day time and the finches singing at dusk. The spring season came with dark and sorrow. There was no vegetation when the people starved, and there was all when the granaries were full. Everything was there as in regular days, but punctuality…the result- nothing but chaos. This was but a tale that tells us the need of punctuality in our life. Not just one, but the entire organization of men is disturbed by even a short error by nature when it no longer remains timely, and it is thus that the most perfect religion stresses on regularity.

But all the clocks in the city

Began to whirr and chime:

"O let not Time deceive you,

You cannot conquer Time.

(Wynstan Hugh Auden)

Think not but of the seasons but the entire world. Is there anything natural that does not show timeliness! The zygote takes its definite time to start undergoing the cleavage. The morula then takes its definite time to develop gradually into a foetus. The foetus in turns takes its definite time to form a neonate. And that neonate takes its definite time to leave the womb of the mother as an infant. And even that child is withheld by the strength of time. He grows into a boy and then a man under the influence of time. Finally he reaches his age and then one day leaves this mortal world for his Creator, yet under the authority of time. Not a moment more can he breathe than what has been written for him by the Divine pen. He is nothing but a puppet under the command of Time.

Forest where all must lose,

Their way, however straight

Or winding, soon or late

They cannot choose.

(Edward Thomas)

Not only the life and death are governed by time but as mentioned before everything is under the control of time. Islam thus itself stresses at the punctuality for men. The basic principles and teachings of Islam all teach men to live in accordance to the principles of time. From the cradle to the death bed, the Muslim is advised by Islam to conquer time by being punctual. It is not so that being a puppet man has no control over time. By adopting regularity in his conduct and actions, man can make time his own slave. Then the time no longer rules him, and he can take out the most from the unfathomable time. Let us overview how this might be possible.

The elementary education of our religion teaches us how to go to the mosque at time to offer the prayers. Once you are late to the mosque, you miss your prayers. Untimely prayers without any reason can get you nothing like piety. A Muslim thus learns punctuality from the humble beginnings of his life. When he is led to the mosque five times a day at regular times, he realizes how important this factor to him is. Being a Muslim he can ask for anything but the anger of his Lord. He knows how he makes his Beloved angry at his delay to the prayers. In this way, he learns the significance of time and being an ideal Muslim, he gets the most out of it.

The devotion and service to Allah result in the soul being made free from all fear and sorrow, as regards the past, present, and future, if we may take an anology from Time for a timeless state.

(Surah 43, Az-Zukhruf Ruku 7)

Man has been told to fast during the Holy month of Ramadan. There are some definite days in which he is asked to fast as per the teachings of Islam. Not just the days, but the time has also been mentioned. He is asked not to eat anything between Fajr and Maghrib. Thus he is told to remain away from all evil, and food too from the dawn to the dusk. He performs the action in order to claim his identity as a Muslim. He is thus once again exhibiting his punctuality. Similarly the Haj is performed in some definite days. We can therefore say that the elements of Islam make a human regular in his actions. They all teach man to be timely in his acts.

Not just the elements, but the principles of Islam also seem to stress at the importance of time to man. He has been told to obey his Lord and not to deviate from the right path to sin. If he does so, the Almighty Allah condemns him and the fire of hell awaits his poor soul. It is not so that being sorry at his acts would make a man free from his sins. He has to understand that he is not right at the right time. If the time passes and then he tries to get an excuse, then the God is not willing to forgive him. A. Yusuf Ali puts it so in the transliteration of Qur’an:

The sands of time are always running, and when a wrong is done, the time for its punishment is approaching every moment. No one should therefore wait. The time for repentance is Now at any given time.

(Surah 47, Muhammad Ruku 2)

Not only morally but both socially and religiously, punctuality can make us successful and bring us the fruit of glory. If a person wants to earn a free conscience, and come out proficient in his profession, timekeeping is a must. We can consequently deduce that punctuality is a key to success and has been therefore stressed in Islam.