Many people used to pay me social visits and I likewise, until I realized that time is a most noble and precious thing and hence began to dislike visiting. However, I became caught between two possibilities: if I refused their visits, I would feel lonely and miss something which I had grown accustomed to, but if I accepted their visits, my time would be wasted. Consequently, I began to avoid visits to the best of my ability and if it became unavoidable, I would limit the conversation in order to hasten the visit’s end. I also prepared work to do during my visits so that no time would pass idly by.

—Ibn al-Jawzi [d. 597H]

The Devil’s Deception. Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution. UK: 1996.