2:14 There are two…5:16 The most beloved of…7:34 if you do not take…20:41 Man shall be given…
Youth & educationFrom the masjid's own video, Jul 31, 2026.

Small consistent steps make time count

EPIC · Yasir Qadhi

“The most beloved of all deeds to Allah are those that are consistent even if they're small.”

The khateeb, at 5:16

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

Time is one of the greatest and most neglected blessings from Allah, and Muslims, especially youth, should maximize it using five productivity principles drawn from the Quran, Sunnah, and Seerah.

The khutbah in 8 steps

  1. Opening: summer is ending; ask yourself what you accomplished with your time
  2. Hadith of the two neglected blessings: free time and health
  3. Principle 1: begin with small, consistent steps
  4. Principle 2: have a schedule and routine; take ownership of your time
  5. Principle 3: prioritize the most important tasks first and eliminate distractions
  6. Principle 4: do everything with ihsan, ikhlas, and itqan; every permissible act can be worship
  7. Principle 5: never give up; success is effort, results are with Allah
  8. Second part: reflections on visiting Syria, optimism for the ummah, and calls for dua and support
Try this week
Break large tasks into small daily steps and work on them consistently (e.g., memorize one ayah a day, write one paragraph a day)
Build a personal daily schedule anchored around the five daily prayers and take ownership of your time
Make written goal lists across religious, educational, financial, and family domains and prioritize the most important task first
Remove distractions (cell phone, TikTok, Instagram) when sitting down to work, as the Prophet removed distracting designs from his prayer space
Do every task with full focus and excellence (ihsan/itqan), and renew your intention so even studying and sleeping become rewarded worship
Never quit when results are slow, keep putting in effort, tie your camel, and trust Allah with outcomes
Use all time frames: early morning, afternoon, and even part of the night
Support Syria: make dua, have husn al-dhan for its people, and consider visiting/spending money there as a tourist
Sources the khateeb cited
Quran 3:102Standard opening command to have taqwa of Allah
Sahih al-BukhariMost people are shortchanged regarding free time and health; you only value them when gone
Sahih al-BukhariBasis for principle 1: small consistent steps beat procrastination
Quran 59:18'Let every soul look at what it has sent forth for tomorrow', used to argue for planning and scheduling
Sahih al-BukhariAllah says nothing draws a servant closer than fulfilling the obligatory deeds, basis for prioritizing the most important first
Sahih MuslimBe eager for what benefits you, used to teach goal-setting and prioritization in deen and dunya
Jami` at-TirmidhiPerfection of iman is abandoning what brings no benefit, basis for eliminating time-wasters and distractions
Sahih MuslimAllah ordained excellence in everything, even slaughtering an animal, basis for doing all work with itqan
Sahih al-BukhariAim for the bullseye, get as close as you can, use all time frames, steady gradual effort reaches the goal
Jami` at-TirmidhiEffort is required of you; results are in Allah's hands
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“There are two blessings that the majority of mankind take for granted.”
EPIC · Plano, TX
Play from 2:14
“The most beloved of all deeds to Allah are those that are consistent even if they're small.”
EPIC · Plano, TX
Play from 5:16
“if you do not take ownership over your own time, if you do not schedule your own schedule, others will schedule it for you”
EPIC · Plano, TX
Play from 7:34
“Man shall be given only what he strive to achieve.”
EPIC · Plano, TX
Play from 20:41
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi reminded us that summer is ending, and asked each of us: what did I do with this time that will never come back? He shared a hadith that free time and health are two blessings most people take for granted, we only notice them when they're gone. He then gave five principles from the Quran and Seerah for using our time well: start with small, consistent steps; make a schedule and take ownership of it; do the most important thing first; remove distractions and do everything with excellence and sincere intention; and never give up, because Allah rewards our effort, not just our results. He taught that even studying, eating, and sleeping can become worship if we link them to Allah. He ended by reminding us that on the Day of Judgment, one of the first questions will be: what did you do with the time I gave you?

  1. If you could memorize 'one ayah a day,' what big goal could you finish in a month, and what's your first tiny step tomorrow?
  2. What's the 'frog' on your to-do list this week that you keep avoiding?
  3. If your free time was a gift you had to report back on, what would you want to say you did with it?
Where it was given

The masjid

East Plano Islamic Center4700 14th Street, Plano, TX 75074Jumu'ah First Jumu'ah 12:30 PM · second Jumu'ah 2:00 PMKhateebYasir QadhiMore khutbahsArchiveAll khutbahs at EPIC165 khutbahs
Keep listening

More on Youth & education

All on this topic
Muhammadi Masjid · Elmont, NY · Sep 25, 2026Parents must teach Islam at home“You have to save yourself and then you have to save your family from the fire of Jahannam.”It starts at home by presenting the real role model for our children.29:05TARIC · Downsview, ON · Oct 31, 2026Parents shape their children's faithICOPS · Lynnwood, WA · Oct 17, 2026Parents must teach children Islam