Surah Al-Asr

Translation:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. By (the Token of) Time (through the Ages),
2. Verily Men are In a state of loss,
3. Except those who have Faith,
And do righteous deeds,
And join together
In the mutual teaching Of Truth,
and of Patience and Constancy

SURAH AL-’ASR, a very early Makkan surah is one of the shortest surahs of the Quran. The words used in this
surah are also commonly used in Urdu and are familiar to those who have a fair knowledge of this language. This is
why a sketchy meaning of the surah is grasped without much difficulty by every Urdu-knowing individual. But
studied and pondered over at a deeper level, this Surah opens up a treasure house of knowledge and wisdom.

As a matter of fact, there is a striking analogy between this surah and Surah Al-Ikhlas. Surah Al- ’Asr sums up in a
few concise words the way and practical guidance that leads to eternal success and salvation just as Surah Al-Ikhlas
delineates in a few words the nature and unity of Godhood in Islam. Though very short and compact, both of these
surahs are extremely rich in meaning relating to their respective themes. On this ground Maulana Hamid-ud-Din
Farahi has categorized Surah Al-Asr as an aphorism of great wisdom, whereas lmam Al-Sha’feii maintained that a
deep and thoughtful study of this surah alone provides adequate guidance for attaining one’s salvation. This surah is
composed of three verses. The second verse is of central importance in meaning and significance. This verse
expresses the painful and tragic state of man generally, a state of loss and deprivation. The evidence for this is
presented in the first verse, in the form of an oath or adjuration. The third verse of the surah carves out an exception
from the general condition of man laid down in the second verse.

In this way, this surah is clearly divided into two parts. Its first part ‘By fleeting time, verily man is doomed (or
destined) to loss and ruin’—consists of a statement and its proof and as such is of immense philosophical
significance, whereas the second part of the surah —‘Save those who believe, and do righteous deeds, and unite for
the sake of truth and steadfastness’—is of utmost practical importance, giving the essential requirements and
conditions of a successful life, a precise but nevertheless complete and comprehensive elucidation of the ‘right
path’.

The Real Meaning of ‘Iman’ or Faith:

The first condition of salvation, or deliverance from this sheer destruction, is ‘Iman’ (faith). The word ‘Iman’ has
been derived from ‘aman’ meaning peace. Its literal meaning is to provide peace and tranquillity But in its technical
sense the word ‘Iman’ is used with the prepositions ( _ ) or ( _ ) such as or . In this form its literal meaning is to have
trust or in and to testify. In order to understand the real meaning of ‘Iman’ (faith) it is necessary to realize that any
man who has attained maturity of intelligence obviously starts thinking on perennial questions like ‘‘Who am I ‘?‘‘,
‘‘From where did I come ?‘‘, ‘‘What is the nature of the Universe ?“ and “What is the last destination of the journey
of my life ?“ Those who have studied philosophy, know that throughout the history of human thought many thinkers
continued to ponder over these questions, and tried to find satisfactory answers. Without an answer to these
questions, a human being is in the dark, knowing little about his real self, or about the universe, or his own
beginning, or the beginning or end of the Universe.

It is evident that these questions cannot be answered merely by our physical senses. As yet we have not been able to
fathom the vastness even of the physical world. How can we have any knowledge of its beginning or end? Similarly,
the question whether or not we had any existence before our creation in this world, and whether after death there
will be any continuity of our existence or not, cannot be answered by our senses, because we cannot possibly peep
into the world of existence either prior to our birth or beyond physical death. In short, man is utterly helpless to
attain true and ultimate knowledge.

Despite these natural limitations, there have been in the history of mankind a number of persons who claimed that
they had a special source of knowledge which they called ‘revelation’. On the authority of ‘revelation’ they knew for
certain that this universe did not exist from eternity nor would to remain in existence for ever. It has been brought
into existence by a Creator Who possesses all the attributes of perfection in their utmost degree of excellence, and
He is Unique in His essence and attributes. He had always existed and will continue to exist for ever. It is He Who
has created you, and your life is not the life of this world only, but He would again bring you back to life after death,
and that life will be real and eternal. In that life of the Hereafter, you will face your rewards or punishments for your
convictions, actions and pursuits during this life. This Creator and Master has assigned messengers from among men
and given them the task of proclaiming these verities and the right way of living in this world so that men may be
saved from sheer loss in the life Hereafter
and may achieve success and eternal bliss.

These Messengers are known as Prophets of Allah and the affirmation of our belief in them is called ‘Iman’ or belief
in prophethood. This faith has two aspects: verbal confession and certainty in our hearts. We testify verbally that we
believe in all prophets, and, according to their teachings, we believe in Allah with all His revealed attributes, and we
believe in life after death, and in the day of judgement, in reward and punishment, and in hell and heaven. We also
accept these verities with utmost certitude in our hearts. These two conditions constitute our faith or ‘Iman’ Faith is
certitude about the Creator, man and the universe. It leads to two results: The first is that a man’s internal anxiety
must disappear and he must achieve inner peace and satisfaction, when, as a result of this faith, the natural
inquisitiveness regarding his own identity and the nature of universe is gratified. This internal serenity is the gift of
faith. That is why, etymologically, the Arabic word for faith is a derivative of the root word ‘aman’ which means
peace.

The second is a reform of one’s actions and life-style. As the Socratic doctrine says ‘Knowledge is virtue, and
ignorance is vice’. A believer should be adorned with high morals and virtuous deeds, and should be free from
inferior and degrading actions.

This second point is very important because it shows that ‘faith’ and ‘action’ are linked, that faith (Iman) and
righteous deeds (Amal-i-Saleh) are interrelated. Compare for a moment two men. One thinks that this universe has
come into existence accidentally and that its entire system and organization is running automatically. The second
acknowledges that there is an Almighty, Allknowing, All-wise, All-powerful, Supreme Being, Who has ordained
and created this cosmos and that He is the Ordained Who has ordained this Universe and everything in it, and it is
running according to His decrees. Is it possible that the life attitude and actions of these two persons would be
similar? Would not there be a tremendous difference between their attitudes and behaviour?

Similarly, one man thinks that this life which he is leading in this world is the only life and there is no life after
death, there is no accountability, no responsibility, no reward or punishment. Another man is sure that the real and
everlasting life will begin after death, that the life of this material world is nothing but a preamble of that real life
which will start in the Hereafter, and that after death every person will be answerable not only for every action, but
for every word and thought. The attitudes and actions of these two would necessarily be different.

It is quite easy to conclude that the goal of life of the former would be to enjoy every minute of this life, as there is
no life after it. And in this gratification of the instinct of enjoyment, he might not distinguish between right and
wrong, lawful and unlawful. But the second man would take every step in his life with caution and he would be
conscious of his responsibility at all times. A man’s faith necessitates tremendous transformation in his life.

Please do understand clearly that the idea commonly held in our society that ‘faith’ and ‘action’ are separate is only
true about the legal aspect of ‘faith’. In this society a man is considered and pronounced a Muslim on the basis of
verbal confession only. We cannot possibly include his action and conduct in this. But that genuine ‘faith’ which
includes certainty of one’s heart and soul must bring a transformation in one’s actions. If one’s daily life is not
changed, this is an absolute proof that genuine ‘faith’ does not exist in his heart. His faith is no more than a
profession.
This truth has been clarified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in many of his traditions and
sayings. He said:
“A man who betrays his trust has no ‘faith’, and the person who does not fulfil his promise has no religion.”

Now think over it and see how beautiful is our Prophet’s way of expression, and how the thought expressed is as
clear as a basic mathematical proposition. Similarly, once the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) swore three
times, saying:

“By God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer”. The Companions of the
Prophet enquired: “Who is that person about whom you are saying this ?“ He said in reply “It is the person from
whose misconduct his neighbour is not safe.”

Just see how emphatically the Holy Prophet has referred to the complete negation of faith and that too not on
account of committing a major sin, such as, polytheism, unjustified murder, adultery, theft or robbery, but only on
account of something normally regarded as merely poor behaviour. Is there any justification after this for thinking
that ‘faith’ and ‘action’ are separate things and are not co-essential and interrelated? This is why in order to remove
this misunderstanding completely the Holy Quran consistently mentions righteous deeds as the accompaniment of
‘faith’. So long as faith is confined to the stage of verbal confession and it is limited upto an utterance of words only,
actions can be exactly the opposite of it, because the contradiction of word and actions is very commonly found in
this world. But when faith reaches a state of certainty in our heart, when it penetrates our heart and soul and
becomes an unshakable conviction, then our actions will necessarily be changed because the actions of a man are
based on his belief and conviction. For example, we know that fire can burn us, so we would never put even a finger
in it. Even suspicion can influence our actions. We know that all snakes are not poisonous, but still even if we
suspect that a particular snake might be poisonous, we keep away from it. Now if a person believes with utmost
surety that Allah exists and that He is All-seeing, All-hearing, All-knowing; that every movement of his, every word
which he utters and, more than this, even every intention of his heart is known to Him; that after death, he shall have
no alternative but to present himself before Him, and shall have to give full account of his entire life, with no chance
of escaping from the grip of His punishment, nor any hope of deliverance through ransom or intercession; then that
man, believing all these things firmly, would not dare to lead a sinful life. This is the condition which has been
described in the following saying of Prophet Muhammad (SAW):

“No adulterer commits adultery while he has faith. No thief commits a theft while he has faith. And no drunkard
drinks intoxicants while he has faith.”

In fact these sins are committed only at a time when due to one reason or another the real faith of a man has
dissipated or vanished from his heart. Faith and righteous deeds are interdependent and each of them is essential for
the other. Righteous deeds, good morals and a lofty character are sine qua non of true faith. This is why in Surah
Al-’Asr’, after faith, righteous deeds have been mentioned as a necessary condition of salvation.

The Real Meaning of Righteous Deeds:

The phrase righteous deeds is commonly translated as good actions. But, if we look deep into it, we would discover
more significance hidden behind it. The two locutions ‘action’ and ‘activity’ are generally taken to convey the same
sense. But there is a subtle difference in their meaning. Any kind of movement or work can be called activity, but
the word action usually implies some strenuous or arduous work. On the other side, the word ‘virtuous’ or
‘righteous’ denotes something which had developmental characteristics and potential for enhancement. By
combining these two, we would realize that the actual significance of this term is that it is necessary for man to put
up a hard struggle to achieve that real goat for which he was potentially created, and he had to ascend certain heights
to attain that goal. All this is conveyed by the comprehensive word ‘righteous deed’.

Surah ‘At-Teen’ in many respects resembles Surah Al‘Asr. Verses 4, 5 and 6 of the surah state:
‘Surely we created man of the best stature. Then we reduced him to the lowest of the low, save those who
believe and do good works, and theirs is a reward unfailing.’ (XCV: 4-6)
This means that, in reality, man was created for the most sublime rank, and Allah conferred on him superiority not
only over ]inn (Genie) but also over angels. He was even endowed with the vicegerency of God. But in his terrestrial
existence the spiritual self is imprisoned in his gross body of clay, wherein he falls a prey to the clutches of his
carnal nature and is reduced to the lowest of low. Now to regain his lost status and sublime rank, it is necessary for
him to obtain real knowledge.

He must illumine his inner self with the light of faith and must perform good deeds, adorning his outer self with
righteous actions, observing the canonical law of Islam and following the Prophet’s way of life. These are the prime
prerequisites of his salvation.

The Meaning of Mutual Exhortation:

In the last part of Surah Al- ‘Asr, the word ‘tawasau’ has been used twice. Its verbal noun is ‘tawasi’ and it is
derived from ‘wasiyyat’ which means admonition, exhortation with persistent emphasis. Again, this infinitive is
formed from the stem of the verbal noun ‘tafaul’, whose first attribute is mutual cooperation and the second is
emphasis to the point of exaggeration. It means that this action of exhortation is required with the greatest fervour
and intensity. This stage necessitates the establishment of a collective community or Ummah based on the principles
of mutual preaching of truth and patience.

The Meaning of ‘Haqq’ or Truth:

Similarly, the connotation of the word ‘Haqq’ is very extensive. Its meaning includes everything which is actually
real (that is, it is not imaginary or based on presumption). It also connotes what is acknowledged by reason or is
necessary ethically, or is purposive and not useless or vacuous. Hence exhortation to truth means confirming,
acknowledging, inviting to and preaching every thing which is factually true and real, is ethically necessary and is
proved by reason. Thus the spectrum of ‘truth’ encompasses on the one hand the testimony of the evident facts of
our existence and, on the other hand, the testimony of the ultimate metaphysical truths of existence. Exhortation to
truth includes a whole range of activities, from giving personal moral advice to the clarion call of the greatest truth,
the truth that the real Lord and master of this universe is Allah, and that it is He who deserves that His Commands
should be promulgated and that His laws should be enforced in this world. And this truth should not merely be
pronounced verbally, but a vigorous struggle should be launched for its practical implementation and actualization.

Similarly, the comprehensive term ‘exhortation to truth’ embraces within itself concepts which underlie many
technical terms of the Holy Quran, such as preaching virtues and holding back people from vices. It implies asking
and inviting people to do good deeds and stop them from falling in the snare of every kind of evil, exhorting them to
be merciful, to have compassion for each other and to be kind to each other; and calling people towards Allah,
persuading them to seek real knowledge and devotion before their Real Sovereign and Master, Allah. Also it
includes efforts in the path of Allah, that is, struggling hard for the establishment of the supremacy of the true
religion of Allah and spending one’s wealth for this purpose and sacrificing one’s life for this noble cause.

The Meaning of Patience:

The meaning of patience is very comprehensive. Its real essence is that a person should continue to maintain himself
upon the chosen path, without allowing any trouble, or temptation to deviate him from it. No amount of persecution
or trial should cause him to desist. He must remain steadfast in every situation, and should display firmness,
perseverance, bravery and fortitude. He must not only persevere in following the truth but must also continue to
persuade others to accept it and comply with it.

Exhortation to Truth and Exhortation to Patience are co-essential:

As faith and righteous deeds are inter-related; so are exhortation to truth and exhortation to patience. This is
because the invitation to truth is usually not welcomed and it has often to face resistance. It is necessary for those
who are dedicated to truth to put up with oppression and persecution.
Perhaps all of us have experienced that even a little piece of moral advice can be disliked by people. For example, if
a person owes five dollars to some one, and is putting off its payment and you ask him to pay that amount to his
creditor, he will frown at you. If he is in an angry mood, he may warn you not to interfere in his affairs. Now you
can well imagine how much resistance would be offered and to what extent people will oppose the preaching which
demands from them the fulfilling of their major obligations and religious duties.

And this is the point where a person faces the real test of his character and conviction. It is a fact that mere
apprehension and recognition of truth is not so difficult, as is adopting it for oneself and inviting others to act upon it
and to remaining firm in this struggle. In Quranic terminology, this is called ‘istiqamat’ i.e., steadfastness. This is
the acid test which proves to what extent a person is committed to his objectives and whether he possesses anything
which can be termed stability of character and commitment.

This is why the Holy Quran lays so much emphasis on the fact that true believers necessarily have to face tests and
ordeals, and the truthfulness of their claims to have faith is to be examined and tested in many ways. Only those are
regarded as sincere in their faith who remain firm in the face of ordeals and provide concrete proof of patience and
perseverance.

The Interrelation of Faith, Righteous Deeds and Mutual Exhortation:

We have seen that faith and righteous deeds are interdependent and also exhortation to truth and exhortation to
patience. Now, if we understand the relationship between these two pairs, we will have a complete view of this
surah.
Nothing and no one can avoid influencing his environment and being influenced by it. The coldness of ice will
necessarily chill its surroundings and the heat of fire will surely make them warmer. The same is true in the field of
morality. If the spirit of righteous deeds is really engendered in a person, it must have an impact upon his
environment and he will necessarily be a source of diffusing goodness and virtue. The natural outcome of righteous
deeds is the propagation of truth in society.

This principle operates in ethics very forcefully. If the social environment favours evil, it will necessarily bring
about deterioration in the lives of its citizens. The only possible way to escape from this is to change that
environment or at least to struggle vehemently to change it. Even if a person cannot change it, he can at least in this
way, act on the principle that the best defense is a good offence, and repel it defensively. Thus the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) said:

“lf any one among you observes a vice, it is his duty to change it by force, If he is not able to do so, he should
protest against it verbally. If he does not possess even this much of courage, he should detest it by his heart and
soul, which means that his heart should regard it as bad, and that he should regret that he could not stop it, and
this is the weakest degree of faith”.

The nobility of a man’s character demands exhortation to truth because the goodness in any person who has
discovered truth and adopted for himself necessarily demands that he should present it to others, that the greatest
number of people may benefit from it, and should partake of its blessing. Thus the Holy Prophet said:

“No one among you can be regarded a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

The self-respect and ardent zeal of a man who has accepted truth demand that he should preach it to others. He
should uphold it, propagate it, and should sacrifice his life and wealth in the struggle to make it supremely
established in society.

If a man adopts a particular way of life and his environment adopts another, then there are only two possibilities. He
must either adopt himself to his environment, in that way, removing the discrepancies and resolving clash and
discords or, if he finds the environment totally against his wishes, he should put up a tough resistance, should wage
war against it, and should try to change it, according to his point of view. Now it is obvious that for a man of
dignity, honour, and zeal, a man of earnest concern, the only course open to him is the second one. He would be glad
to sacrifice his life for the sake of truth, but would never tolerate that by leading a life of ease and comfort, he should
treacherously distort and misrepresent the truth. Faith, righteous deeds, exhortation to truth and exhortation to
patience are indispensable requirements for salvation, and also dependent upon each other. All four are indivisible
aspects of a unit, and are inseparable factors of one single totality. In fact, what are all these four except an
exposition or commentary of the word faith? If faith has in reality penetrated a person’s heart, it will necessarily
result in the performance of righteous deeds and if the habit of doing righteous deeds has become one’s second
nature, its natural outcome would be exhortation to truth; and if the preaching of truth is done with real sincerity and
dedication, it will necessarily lead to the stage of exhortation to patience and endurance. The reverse order also
holds good. If the stage of preaching patience and endurance is not encountered, then this is a certain proof that the
preaching is not of the whole truth, but only of a harmless part of it. If the stage of taking up missionary work is
missing, then this implies that a man’s actions are not righteous and that he lacks religious zeal. And if his actions
are not being performed on the right lines, then this is a categorical proof that genuine faith has not entered his heart.

The path of salvation which is pointed out by Surah Al-’Asr, the path of success and triumph towards which it
guides and directs us has four mile-stones: faith, righteous deeds, exhortation to truth and exhortation to patience.
The most perfect example of the pattern delineated above is the life-story of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) wherein all these four components are present in their utmost perfection. At first the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) tried to discover the reality of his own identity and that of the cosmos. A Quranic
verse asks:

“And did He not find thee perplexed (and unable to find the right course by thyself) and so He guided (thee)”?

The angel Gabriel revealed to him the truths he required. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) confirmed them
and affirmed his faith in them, as stated in the Glorious Quran:

“The Messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord, and so do the believers.”

The life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was the perfect model of moral excellence and unparalleled example of
sublime character. The Holy Quran states: “And thou standest on an exalted standard of character”. After fulfilling
these fundamental requirements of faith and righteous deeds to perfection, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
spent twenty three years in the untiring struggle of preaching the truth and declaring and promulgating the grandeur
and glory of Allah. He bravely tolerated all troubles for this purpose, courageously suffered all afflictions and faced
all the persecutions and oppressions of his opponents. In the canyon of Bani Hashim, he endured severe hardships
during three long years of imprisonment. In the streets of Taif, he was stoned and ridiculed by rascals and urchins.
The lives of his dear relatives and his beloved companions were sacrificed for the pleasure of his Lord and in order
to uphold divine truth. After indefatigable efforts, struggling night and day for twenty-three years, finally he made
the truth reign supreme. And only after making the divine religion ‘Islam’ the dominant force in the Arabian
peninsula, did he return to his Divine Lord, Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah be showered on him and on
his companions. In short, the biography of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) embodies the contents
of Surah-Al-’Asr in action. So, this is a concise explanation of the significance of Surah Al-’Asr. Now you must
have realized why I regarded it is the most comprehensive surah of the Holy Quran, and why Imam Al-Shafeii had
said, that if people were to contemplate it seriously, this brief surah would be sufficient for their direction and
guidance.

Its relation to the surahs before and after:

Finally, let us cast a glance on the surahs of the Holy Quran which precede and follow Sarah Al- ’Asr. I had stated
that the righteousness of a man’s character is based upon the establishment of the real criterion of success and failure
in his heart and soul and his willingness to act according to it always. If this criterion is not established, then the aim
of his life may be reduced to amassing wealth, material comforts and luxuries. The desire for greater material well-
being may overwhelm and over-power his mind to such an extent that it makes him oblivious of the greater realities
of his life and the universe. The curtain of this negligence and indifference is only lifted at the time of death. This
state of affairs has been described in Surah ‘AI-Takathur that blessed surah of the Glorious Quran which precedes
Surah Al-’Asr. As a result of this negligence a man becomes unable to differentiate between right and wrong, lawful
and unlawful, approved and forbidden. He sees success as a matter of hoarding and piling up wealth, and he
becomes bereft of all good qualities of character and morals, and his personality becomes replete with sins arid
vices. This picture has been revealed in Sarah ‘AI-Humaza’ which comes after Surah Al-’Asr I seek refuge in Allah,
and pray to Him to protect us from such a grievous, dreadful and disastrous end to our lives. Amen!