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22. COMMENTARY OF SŪRAT AL-‘AṢR (Q. 103) This sūrat al-‘Aṣr (chapter 103) was a Makkan one, revealed at Makkah, namely, before the Prophet’s migration to Madīnah. It consists of three verses, and has been explained briefly here in my khuṭbah on 11th of March, 2016. A comprehensive interpretation of it is given here, as follows: ينِآ َم ُنواِ َو َعملُوا َِ ِإّلِِالذ.ِانِلَفيِ ُخسْ ر َِ ِإنِِ ْاْل ْن َس.َِو ْال َعصْ ر ِ )3-1ص ْواِبالصبْرِِ(العصر َ اص ْواِب ْال َحقِِ َو َت َوا َ الصال َحاتِِ َو َت َو By al-‘asr (the time) Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and recommend one another to patience (Q. 103:1-3) M. Pickthall’s translation: By the declining day, Lo! man is in a state of loss, Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance. A.Y. Ali’s translation: By (the token of) Time (through the Ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. His introduction to this early Makkah sūrah is that it “refers to the testimony of Time through the Ages. All history shows that Evil came to an evil end. But Time is always in favour of those who have Faith, live clean and pure lives, and knows how to wait in patience and constancy.” Muhammad Asad’s translation: Consider the flight of time! Verily, man is bound to lose himself unless he be of those who attain to faith and do good works, and enjoin upon one another the keeping of the truth, and enjoin upon one another patience in adversity.
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The commentary:
َِو ْال َعصْ ر
“By the (token of) time”; “by the declining day” Asad’s commentary of the term ‘aṣr is as follows: “The term ‘aṣr denotes ‘time’ that is measurable, consisting of a succession of periods (in distinction from dahr, which signifies ‘unlimited time’, without beginning or end: i.e., ‘time absolute’). Hence, ‘aṣr bears the connotation of the passing or the flight of time—time which can never be recaptured.” The right view according to al-Țabarī is that Allah swore with al-‘aṣr, namely, the passage of time, whether the evening, the night or the day, and it included any of these times. Al-Qurṭubī and others mention various and different opinions of early Qur’ān commentators on the meanings of the term ‘aṣr and the above verses, as follows: 1. Ibn ‘Abbās and others: it is like ( الدهْرal-dahr), namely, unlimited time, eternity, such as in the following poetryِ of al-Wa’wā’ al-Diqshī ()الوأواءِالدقشي: لِ ْال َه َوى َوعْ ر ٌَو َبحْ ر ُْال َه َوى َغ ْم ُِر* َو َي ْو ُِمِا ْل َه َوىِ َش ْه ٌِرِ َو َش ْهر ُْال َه َوىِدَهْ ُِر ُِ َسبي The path of love is rough, the sea of love is overflowing, the day of love is a month, and the month of love is eternity. Ibn ‘Abbās says further that Allah swore by time because there were many warning examples and wonders in it. The Prophet ( )ﷺsaidِon the authority of Abū Hurayrah: )لِ َوالن َها ُِرِ(رواهِالبخاري ُِ ّللا ُِ َيسُبِِ َب ُنوِآ َد َِمِالدهْ َِرِ َوأَ َناِالدهْ ُِرِب َيديِالل ْي ِ ِل َِ َقا Allah said: “The sons of Adam curse Time, for I am [the Creator of] Time, night and day are in My Hands.” (Reported by al-Bukhārī) In another ḥadīth the Prophet ( )ﷺalso said: ِ )ّلَِ َتسُبواِالدهْ َِرِ َفإنِِّللاَِِه َُِوِالدهْ ُِرِ(رواهِمسلم ِ Do not curse Time, for verily, Allah is [the Creator of] Time (Reported by Muslim)
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This is because people in pre-Islamic Arabia were used to associate calamity and accidents with Time, as if it was the cause of these calamities, whereas in fact they are all Allah’s divine decrees. It is like saying, “His suffering will be cured by the passing of time.” It is Allah Who cured, not time. However, it is also reported that, according to Ibn ‘Abbās, it also means “a part of the times of the day” (ِساعةِمنِساعات )النهار. Therefore, the oath of Allah with time, means a warning with the vicissitude of time indicating the existence of the creator, Allah. ْ namely, between 2. Al-Ḥasan, Mālik, and Qatādah: It is ِال َعشي, noon and sunset. It is also reported that according to Qatādah it is the last part of the day-time. Here Allah swore by the evening, as He swore by the forenoon, when He said: ِ)1:“ َوالضّحىِ(الضّحىBy the forenoon” (Q. 93:1). 3. The term ‘aṣr is applied to the day time as well as the night time, the morning as well as the evening. 4. Muqātil: it means the ‘aṣr (evening) prayer. Allah swears by it, because of its merit. Allah says in the Qur’an: ُ َحاف ِِ)832:ِ(البقرة...ِظواِ َعلَىِالصلَ َواتِِ َوالص ََلةِِ ْالوُ سْ َطى Guard strictly (five obligatory) prayers especially the middle prayer (i.e., the best prayer – ‘asr)…(Q. 2:238) In a ḥadīth narrated by Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ( )ﷺsaid: ِصَلَِةُِ ْال َعصْ ر َ ِالصَلَِةُِالوُ سْ َطى The middle prayer is the ‘asr prayer.1 ‘Ali said that the Prophet ( )ﷺmissed the ‘asr prayer on the day of the Khandaq campaign until after sunset; then the Prophet ( )ﷺsaid: There are seven views about what is meant by ( الصَلَةِِ ْالوُ سْ َطىthe middle prayer): ‘asr (evening) prayer; ẓuhr (afternoon) prayer; maghrib (after sunset) prayer; fajr (dawn) prayer; one of the five-daily prayers; Jum ‘ah (Friday) prayer; and congregational prayer of any obligatory prayer. 1
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ُورهُمِ َناراِِ َش َغلُو َنا ِ َِ ل ِ َماِلَهُمِ َم َ ّللا ُِقُلُو َبهُمِ َوقُب َُِعنِِالصَلَةِِ ْالوُ سْ َطىِ َحتىِ َغا َبتِِالش ْمس Why Allah has fill their hearts and their graves with fire, they have distracted us from performing the middle prayer until the sun sets. 5. The term ‘aṣr is applied to the time of the Prophet ()ﷺ. Allah swore by the Prophet’s time for its merit wherein prophethood was revived, and swore by his place in the Qur’ān, as follows: )8-1:تِحلِِبه َذاِ ْال َبلَدِِ(البلد َِ ّلِأ ُ ْقس ُِمِبه َذاِ ْال َبلَدِِ َوأَ ْن I swear by this city (Makkah), and you are free (from sin, and to punish the enemies of Islam on the day of the Conquest) in this city (Makkah). (Q. 90:1-2)2 6. The term "( َو ْال َعصْ رBy the time") means ِ“( ِِ َو َربِِ ْال َعصْ رBy the Lord of time”) 7. Mālik ibn Sa‘d: The term ‘aṣr means one year. He said that if someone swore not to talk to a man for an ‘aṣr he would not talk to him for a year. َّانَّلَفِيِ ُخ إسر ََّ س َ إِنََّّ إاْلِ إن “Verily, man is in loss; Lo! man is in a state of loss” 1. Ibn ‘Abbās: it means that non-believers are in loss. It was specially directed to a group of idolaters: al-Walīd in Mughīrah, al-‘Āṣ ibn Wā’il, al-Aswad ibn ‘Abd Al-Muṭṭalib ibn Asad ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzzā, and al-Asad ibn ‘Abd Yaghūth. Then the meaning becomes man in general, especially nonbelievers These non-believers will be in a state of loss with punishment for losing their family and place in Paradise, or 2
After the conquest of Makkah it became a sanctuary. Ibn ‘Abbās narrated that the Prophet ( )ﷺsaid on the day of the conquest of Makkah: “Allah has made this town a sanctuary. Its thorny bushes should not be cut, its game should not be chased, and its fallen things should not be picked up except by one who would announce it publicly.” (Reported by al-Bukhārī)
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the decrease of man’s good deeds after becoming old and dead. 2. It means that man in general, namely, mankind is ( لَفيِ َغبْنin a state of being fraudulent, deceived, in error). 3. Al-Akhfash: man is in a state of being in ( َهلَ َكةtotal loss, ruin, disaster, danger) 4. Al-Farrā’: man is in a state of being punished )(لَفيْ ِ ُعقُ ْو َبة. There is a verse in the Qur’ān where the term ( ُخسْ رloss) means ( ُعقُ ْو َبةpunishment), namely, ِ )9:كانِعاق َب ُِةِأَمْرهاِ ُخسْ راِِ)الطَلق َِ ِ َو... …, and the consequence of its affair (disbelief) was loss [destruction in this life and an eternal punishment in the Hereafter] (Q. 65:9) 5. Ibn Yazīd: man is ِ( لَفي ِ َشرin a state of being in mischief, calamity, disaster; harm, damage; wickedness; vice, sin). 6. (Unknown): man is ِ( لَفي ِ َن ْقصin a state of loss, diminution, deficit, shortage, blemish, deficiency, imperfection). Al-Qurṭubī says that all these interpretations are close to each other. َِّ ِينَّآ َم ُنواَّ َو َع ِملُوا الصال َِحا ت ََّ إِّلََّّالذ “Except those who believe and do righteous deeds (good works)” 1. Ibn ‘Abbās: except those who believe in Muhammad s.a.w. and the Qur’ān, and obey their Lord. 2. Mujāhid: except those who believe in Allah and declare Him to be one, and obey Him, do good deeds, carry out what He enjoins, and avoid what He prohibits. َّص إواِ ِبا إل َحق َ َو َت َوا “and recommend one another to the truth” 1. Qatādah and al-Ḥasan: they recommend one another to the necessity of applying what Allah revealed in His Book, obeying His command and avoiding what He prohibited. So, “the truth” here is “the Book of Allah”.
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2. Ibn ‘Abbās: the term “the truth” here means ( الت ْوحِْيدbelief in the oneness of Allah). 3. Al-Suddī: the term “the truth” is Allah the Almighty. ص إواَّ ِبالص إب َِّر َ َو َت َوا and recommend one another to patience 1. Qatādah and al-Ḥasan: the term “patience” means “obeying Allah.” 2. Ibn ‘Abbās: it means recommend one another to patience in carrying out Allah’s ordinance and avoiding disobedience against Him, and be patient in facing calamities and disasters. In conclusion, here is al-Khāzin’s commentary in his tafsir: Human beings are always in loss, and waste their times, as every time passed would be either in obeying or disobeying Allah. In disobeying Allah the loss is clear and self-evident, while in obeying Allah they are also in loss compared to those who obeyed Allah more and better. Moreover, it is said that men’s love for worldly matters instead of seeking salvation in the Hereafter would render them in loss by wasting their lives. If men here are the non-believers, the believers would not be in loss, as their lives spent in obeying Allah, they would get reward for it. If men in general become old, their condition would deteriorate, except believers and do good deeds, as they would get the rewards of their deeds in the Hereafter. (CIVIC, 10 February, 2017)ِ :المراجع المكتبةِالشاملة (ِهـ313ِ.تفسيرِالطبريِ(ت ( ِهـ171ِ.تفسيرِالقرطبىِ(ت َّ (ِهـ777ِ.تفسيرِابنِكثيرِ(ت ِ )ِم127ِ-ِ119ِ/ِِهـ12ِ-ِِقِهـ3(ِتفسيرِابنِعباس ِ )م1371-1823ِ/ِِهـ771-172(ِتفسير الخازن Muhammad Asad. The Message of Islam. Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. The Glorious Qur’an. Abdullah Yusuf Ali. The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an. ِ ِ