The Salaf’s Keenness to Gain Time and Fill it with Goodness
The pious predecessors and those successors who followed their way were the keenest of people to gain time and to fill it with good deeds, whether they were scholars or worshippers, for they raced against the hours, and used every instant, being very careful with their time, so that they may not lose any part o f it.

Hold the Sun So I Can Talk to You
It was narrated about Amir ibn Abd Qays, one of the ascetic Tabiin, that a man said to him: “ Talk to me.” Amir ibn Abd Qays replied: “Hold the Sun.” What he meant was, “Stop for me the sun or prevent it from continuing its movement so that I can talk to you.” For time is ever moving, and does not return once it has passed, such that its loss is an irreplaceable loss that cannot be regained, for each time has its own actions to fill it.

Ibn Masoud’s Regret Over a Day that Passes of His Life
The eminent companion "Abdullah ibn Mascud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “ I have never regretted anything as much as my regret over a day on which the sun sets and my life span decreases while my good deeds have not increased.”

Night and Day are Ever Working on You, Thus Work in Them The pious caliph Umar ibn cAbd al-cAziz, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “ Night and day are ever working on you, thus
work in them.”

O Son of Adam, You are But Days!
Al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “O Son of Adam, you are but days, such that with every day that goes by, part o f you departs with it.” He also said: “ I have seen people who were more protective o f their time than you are o f your dirhams and dinars” [denominations o f money].

From the book: THE VALUE OF TIME / By Shaikh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah