Kitab ini merupakan karangan termahsyur penulis yang telah diterjemahkan ke dalam pelbagai bahasa di beberapa buah negara di Eropah. Kitab ini menjadi rujukan di beberapa buah universiti Eropah dan Asia. Kitab ini menyingkap persoalan pengertian masa di sisi para ulama' berdasarkan kupasan al-Quran dan Hadith yang menjadi asas kehidupan manusia.
1917-1997. Shaykh Abdul Fattah bin Muhammad bin Bashir bin Hasan Abu Ghuddah (ra) was born in the city of Aleppo in the north of Syria in the year 1917 (CE).
He studied at the Islamic Arab Institue in Aleppo, and then at the Khesrevia Madrassah (now known as Shari'ah Secondary school). He graduated in 1942. He continued his pursuit of knowledge at Al-Azhar, in Cairo, in the school of Shari'ah between 1944 and 1948 in psychology and principles of education, faculty of Arabic language, and graduated from Al-Azhar in 1950.
After he had completed his studies in Egypt, Abu Ghuddah returned to Syria in 1951 where he was chosen as the leading teacher in Islamic Education, winning first prize. He taught Islamic Studies for eleven years in Aleppo, wrote text books in this field and also taught in Madrassah Sha'baniyah, a Shari'ah school specializing in producing scholars and orators. He then transferred to the College of Shari'ah in the University of Damascus, where he taught Usul Al-Fiqh, Hanafi Fiqh and Comparative Fiqh for three years.
After that he directed the production of an Encyclopaedia on Islamic Fiqh in the College of Shari'ah in Damascus for about two years, during which he also completed a Dictionary of Fiqh Al-Muhalla of Ibn Hazm which had been started by some of his colleagues. This was produced by the University of Damascus in two large volumes.
In 1962, he was elected as a member of Parliament for Aleppo City, despite the fierce opposition he faced from other contenders. He used this position to help and promote the interests of Islam and Muslims in Syria. He was imprisoned in 1966 and spent eleven months in prison with other scholars before being released in June 1967.
After his release, he returned to Aleppo, but eventually moved to Saudi Arabia. There he taught at Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud University in Riyadh during the years 1965-1988. He also helped to develop and plan courses and programs at the University.
He was invited as a visiting Professor at Um Durman Islamic University in Sudan. He also participated in many seminars and conferences and also worked for a period in King Saud University in Riyadh.
In recognition of his scholarly achievement, Muslim scholars nominated him in 1995 for the Prize of Sultan Brunei for Islamic Studies. The prize was offered to him by the Oxford Centre for Islamic studies, in a ceremony in London attended personally by the Sultan and other dignitaries and scholars.
Abu Ghuddah passed away in the early hours of Sunday 9th Shawwal 1417 / 16th February 1997. He was buried in Jannat al-Baqi` in Madinat al-munawwara.
Terjemahan daripada kitab Bahasa arab iaitu قيمة الزمن عند العلماء. Dikarang oleh Syeikh al_Muhaddith Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah Ulama di bidang hadith dan feqah. Diterjemahkan oleh Dr Shuhadak Mahmud dan Ustaz Muhammad Khushairi Hamthan.
Terdapat dua bahagian iaitu teori berkenaan masa. Bab ini menafsirkan ayat al-Quran dan beberapa potong hadith yang menunjukkan kepentingan masa dalam kehidupan khususnya dalam menuntut ilmu agama. Bahagian kedua mengenai kisah-kisah daripada pelbagai para ulamak dalam memanfaatkan masa secara praktikal.
Buku ini sangat menarik kerana cuba membangkitkan semula semangat para pemuda dalam menuntut ilmu. Sekadar memetik satu syair yang bermaksud: Sesungguhnya masa muda merupakan masa menikmati keagungan dan kemuliaan, Kita merasakan kenikmatannya ketika itu, tetapi tidak lagi dirasakan ketika tua. Menunjukkan masa muda adalah zaman keemasan dalam bersemangat untuk melakukan banyak perkara, namun masa tua zaman yang penuh halangan dengan kelemahan dan kepayahan seperti datangnya penyakit, lemahnya kudrat dalam membuat sesuatu.
Berkenaan dengan sifat malas dan suka mencari alasan. Sikap penuntut ilmu dan mahasiswa yang semakin malas dalam mengasah pemikiran mereka. Berasa seronok dengan aktivit keseronokan, bersuka ria berbanding bekerja keras untuk ilmu. Oelh itu, syair ini dibuat oleh Imam Ahmad bin Faris al-Razi al-Lughawi (w.395H) yang berbunyi: “Apabila engkau merasa tidak selesa dengan panasnya musim kemarau, Dengan keringnya musim gugur serta dinginnya musim sejuk, Dan engkau terleka dengan indahnya musim bunga, Maka katakana kepadaku Bila lagi engkau akan menuntut ilmu?”
Bahagian kedua yang mendominasi terlalu banyak memuatkan kisah-kisah para ulama, dan nasihat yang berguna untuk dijadikan pedoman sebagai penuntut ilmu. Bahkan kisah-kisah mereka mampu menjentik hati nurani kita supaya menginsafi diri sebagai Muslim supaya sentiasa mencari ilmu. Kitab ini sesuai untuk dibaca pada semua peringkat.