Value Your Free Time
Addressed to: Khwājah Sharaf al-Dīn Ḥusayn (may Allah have mercy on him)
All praise is due to Allah, and peace be upon His chosen servants.
O beloved son, free time is a blessing, a valuable opportunity — it should not be wasted on useless pursuits. Rather, it should be spent in acts that earn the pleasure of Allah, Glorious and Exalted.
Offer the five daily prayers with inner presence, in congregation, and with due care in performing each posture correctly. Do not neglect tahajjud (the night prayer). Do not waste the early morning hours in heedlessness — devote that time to seeking forgiveness (istighfār). Avoid deep slumber that makes you forgetful. Do not become infatuated with fleeting pleasures that are quickly gained. Remember death and constantly keep the terrors of the afterlife in mind.
In summary: turn your attention away from the world and direct it towards the Hereafter. Engage in worldly affairs only to the extent of necessity, and fill the rest of your time with deeds that will benefit you in the Hereafter.
The essence of the matter is this: free your heart and soul from the grip of love for anything other than Allah, and adorn your outward life with obedience to the rulings of Sharīʿah.
This alone is the true purpose. Everything else is meaningless.
All other matters are well. Wa-s-salām.