History offers repeated warnings, provided societies are willing to read them honestly. In the final decades of the Mughal Empire, princes often met dawn not with preparation or resolve but in recovery from nights of indulgence. At that same hour, thousands of miles away, British officials in London were already at their desks, beginning the workday with the first light. This contrast reflected two fundamentally different civilisational attitudes toward time.
One culture structured life around daylight, discipline and continuity, while the other drifted toward nocturnal excess and delayed beginnings. History repeatedly shows that neglect of time ultimately manifests as political weakness, economic stagnation and moral decay.
From an Islamic perspective, the organisation of time is neither arbitrary nor cultural. The Qur’an establishes a clear natural order: rest through sleep, cover through night and livelihood through day. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reinforced this order by praying for blessing in the early morning.
This disregard is evident across Pakistan’s major urban centres. In Karachi’s Khadda Market, Lahore’s Anarkali and Islamabad’s Blue Area, shops routinely remain shuttered well into the afternoon. These are not isolated habits but expressions of a broader cultural pattern. Closed markets during peak daylight hours signify more than inefficient scheduling; they reflect collective lethargy. A society that sleeps through its most productive hours cannot expect to compete in a global economy. International development assessments suggest that such inefficiencies impose a substantial and recurring economic cost on Pakistan.
Modern neuroscience reinforces what tradition long recognised. Human cognitive performance follows a circadian rhythm, with peak alertness, creativity and decision-making occurring in the morning hours. Moreover, when parents leave home in the afternoon and return near midnight, meaningful family interaction disappears. Children grow up with limited parental presence and increasing reliance on screens for engagement and guidance. What is often celebrated as urban “nightlife” is, in practice, a quiet erosion of family cohesion.
Daylight is a free and abundant resource. By wasting it, Pakistan increases dependence on costly electricity, generators and fuel during night hours. In a country already grappling with severe energy shortages, this behaviour is economically irrational and environmentally irresponsible. Time does not wait, and history does not excuse those who squander it.
Siraj Ahmed Khatian
Shahdadkot
