Back Home 

Surah Al-Asr

(EVENTIDE OR THE EPOCH)

Surah #103 Consisting of 3 Ayahs

Listen to Surah Al-Asr

 

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!  go to top of page

     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!  go to top of page

     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,  go to top of page

     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, go to top of page

     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:   go to top of page

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

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

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

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

  5. the truly faithful constantly help others and do good deeds.

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

  7. 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.

 

 QUESTIONS  go to top of page

  1. What is the meaning of:      وَالْعَصْرِ?

  2. Why is time so important?

  3. Do you think time will eventually show the winner from the loser?

  4. What is meant by:       لَفِي خُسْرٍ?

  5. Why will man lose if he is only after worldly gains?

  6. Who will be the winners in the long run?

  7. Can a man with a firm faith win?

  8. What is meant by:       وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ?

  9. If a man has faith and if he does good deeds, will that be enough?

  10. What is the meaning of:       وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ?

  11. Do you encourage others to the Truth (Islam)?

  12. What is the meaning of:       وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ?

  13. Can you list the four things you should do to not be a loser?

  14. What is the importance of patience?

  15. Time conquers everything eventually, except eternity.  How is that?

  16. Recite the third Ayah of Surah Al-Asr.

  17. Recite the first Ayah of Surah Al-Asr.

  18. What is the meaning of the third Ayah of Surah Al-Asr?

  19. What is the meaning of the first Ayah of Surah Al-Asr?

  20. What do we learn from Surah Al-Asr?

 

 

MEANING OF WORDS  go to top of page

In the name of

بِسْمِ

Allah

اللهِ

 

The Gracious

  الرَّحْمنِ

The  Merciful

الرَّحِيمِِ

By

وَ

 

the eons of time

الْعَصْرِ

Surely

إِنَّ

Man

اْلإنسَانَ

 

In

لَفِي

State of loss

خُسْرٍ

Except

إِلاَّ

 

For those who

الَّذِينَ

Believe

آمَنُوا

And do

وَعَمِلُوا

 

Good deeds

الصَّالِحَاتِ

Encourage one another

وَتَوَاصَوْا

To the Truth

بِالْحَقِّ

 

Encouraged one another

وَتَوَاصَوْا

To be steadfast

بِالصَّبْرِ