Surah Al-Asr

Surah Al-Asr

(EVENTIDE OR THE EPOCH)

Surah #103 Consisting of 3 Ayahs


بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ

In Allah's Name, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.



By the eons of Time!
وَالْعَصْرِ

Surely, Man is ever in a state of loss!
إِنَّ اْلإنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ

except for those who believe and do good deeds,
إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ

and encourage one another to the Truth,
وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ

and encourage one another to be steadfast.
وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ






والْعَصْرِ

By the eons of time!

In this Surah, Allah (swt) starts with the idea of the importance and power of time through the ages. Allah is saying that time never stands still. It goes on. We are running a race against time because whenever we do not follow the principles of Islam we shall be behind. It is only the spiritual part of us that can conquer time. After this brief introduction, God says:



إِنَّ اْلإنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ

Surely, Man is ever in a state of loss!

Allah says if man pays all his attention to material things, he will lose in the long run. Material things are only of some importance, but not the ultimate goal. To be influential can be important too, but it is not the ultimate goal either. If we are after possession and riches, if we are after power or reputation, we may stand to lose, since they are not the ultimate goals either.

What really counts goes beyond these material goals—it is faith. This spiritual part is most important, since it is the side of us that can lead to eternal bliss.

Here Allah is making a comparison of a materialistic loss to a spiritual loss. Because people understand concepts related to commerce, Allah puts this idea into a market value.

The Ayah says most people are losing, are in a state of loss in their spiritual state, just the same as someone might be constantly losing money in a commercial venture EXCEPT



إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ

except those who believe and do good deeds,

The only people who will not be losing all the time are those who accept the Religion of Islam—who have faith in it and do good deeds.

Allah Almighty says man is a loser if he is only after material wealth and worldly aims. The person who wins is the one who truly believes in Allah and Islam, and does good deeds, he will earn Paradise.

Allah had mentioned those phrases in many Surahs because they are so important. The two phrases are:

Those who believe and do good deeds.

If a person believes in Islam and has full faith, he will improve himself and become a person of integrity. Rituals of the faith alone are not enough. It is doing the good deeds that complements faith, and both count high in Islam. Doing good deeds is highly valued. Doing good deeds is a form of worship. It is perform­ing the religious duties. Doing good deeds is practicing your religion.

Belief and good deeds go hand in hand, each complimenting the other.



وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ

and encourage one another to the Truth,

Allah adds that the truly successful ones constantly are in a search for the Truth and encourage others to seek the Truth.

The successful are the believers who do good deeds, who encourage others to hold to the Truth and spread it.



وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ

And encourage one another to be steadfast.

A Muslim not only does good deeds and encourages others to adhere to the Truth, but will also encourage others to be steadfast in their belief in Allah. A Muslim will encourage others to think and consider, not to make haste, to have hope, and to have confidence in Allah. No matter what happens to a Muslim he knows that it is from the hand of Allah and that is the best for him.



THROUGH SURAH AL-ASR ALLAH WANTS US TO LEARN:

that time on this earth is extremely valuable, we should take advantage of it.

that we should put our time to good use and not waste it.

that if we do not use our time to advance our spiritual well-being, we stand to lose.

that the only people who are not losing or running behind are believers in Allah.

the truly faithful constantly help others and do good deeds.

that the genuine success is to look for and follow the Truth.

that the only people who are not losing are those who encourage others to hold on to their faith in Allah and practice patience.



Briefly said, Spiritual success comes through:

Ø Iman, or faith of Islam,

Ø Doing good deeds,

Ø Encouraging others to stick to the Truth and to spread it,

Ø Encouraging others to be patient and wait for what might show up.