" Who avoid vain talk." (al-Mu'minun, 23/3) Are the films and matches we watch and the books that we read for fun regarded as vain?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Verse 3 of the chapter of al-Mu'minun:

"Who avoid vain talk."

What is mentioned in the verse is a characteristic of perfect believers. It does not fit believers to be engaged in vain things. It is not an attribute of believers to be engaged in vain things. However, if a believer is engaged in vain things, we cannot say that he has become a sinner. However, he cannot be a perfect believer. 

Allah vows by time in the chapter of al-Asr and states the following:

"1. By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), 2 Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.."

Life is the most valuable capital of man; he earns whatever he earns with it. His lifespan is a piece of time. It flows with it. For man, time does not consist of his lifespan and even the moment in which his lifespan is. Every moment that passes without gain is a loss from that nice capital. 

However, after a lifespan that is lost for years, if man manages to do a good deed that enables him to gain eternal Paradise in the last moment, he will get rid of loss by atoning for the previous losses; thus, the most honorable thing and whole time will consist of that moment for him. Thus, man manages to find time to a certain extent to atone for the opportunities he has missed by regarding every second of his life as an opportunity. As a matter of fact, that is indicated in the verse below:  

"And it is He Who made the Night and the Day to follow each other: for such as have the will to celebrate His praises or to show their gratitude." (al-Furqan, 25/62)

It means to be aware of the value of the time. Sufis say, "A sufi should be ibnul-waqt (son of the time); that is, he should value his life, especially the moment he is actually in, and he should try to gain whatever good deeds and profits for his hereafter.” Those who do not believe in the hereafter by saying ‘there is no tomorrow for today’ say, ‘This is the time; whatever we should do do now’ in order to take pleasure from the world as they wish.” They want to be “ibnuz-zaman (son of the time)” in the sense of making use of the time they are in and want to go with it when the time passes. Their aims are different but they like to recite the following couplet:

Learn the customs of the age and the language of the time / Look at human nature and speak in accordance with the time."

For, time is something that is used to earn and to consume, for profit and loss. Time is such an opportunity; lifespan is a capital that is exposed to both profit and loss with all of its moments; time is a boon that can be consumed and increased; therefore, there are important meanings in Allah’s vowing by time in order to attract attention to the value of time and the value and real nature of lifespan.

(ELMALILI MUHAMMED HAMDİ YAZIR, KUR'AN-I KERİM TEFSİRİ)

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