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Recitation: Sa'ad Al
Ghamdi
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Introduction and Summary
This early Makkan Surah 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 know how to wait, in patience and constancy.
Cf. the
theme of S.95.
C.283 (The running Commentary, in
Rhythmic Prose)
Waste not, nor misuse, your life. Time
Through the Ages bears witness that nothing remains
But Faith and Good Deeds, and the teaching of Truth
And the teaching of Patience and Constancy.
But for these, Man against Time is in loss!
وَالْعَصْرِ
﴿١﴾
1. By
(the Token of)
time
(through the Ages),
C6262.
Al-Asr may mean:
(1) Time through the
Ages, or long periods, in which case it comes near to the abstract idea of Time,
Dahr;
(2) or the late
afternoon, from which the
Asr canonical prayer
takes its name
(see n. 271 to 2:238).
An appeal is made to Time as one
of the creations of Allah, of which everyone knows something but of which no one
can fully explain the exact significance.
Time searches out and destroys
everything material. No one in secular literature has expressed the tyranny of
"never-resting Time" better than Shakespeare in his Sonnets.
For
example, see Sonnets 5 ("never-resting Time"), 12 ("Nothing
against Time's scythe can make defence"), and 64 ("When I have seen by Time's
fell hand defaced The rich proud cost of outworn buried age").
If we merely run a
race against Time, we shall lose. It is the spiritual part of us that conquers
Time. See verse 3 below.
For the "afternoon"
idea see next note.
إِنَّ
الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ
﴿٢﴾
2. Verily
Man is in loss,
C6263. If life be
considered under the metaphor of a business bargain, man, by merely attending to
his material gains, will lose. When he makes up his day's account in the
afternoon, it will show a loss.
It will only show profit if he
has Faith, leads a good life, and contributes to social welfare by directing and
encouraging other people on the Path of Truth and Constancy.
إِلَّا
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
...
3. Except
such as have
-
Faith,
-
and do
righteous deeds,
C6264. Faith is his
armour, which wards off the wounds of the material world; and his righteous life
is his positive contribution to spiritual ascent.
...
وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ
...
-
and
(join
together)
in the mutual teaching of Truth,
C6265. If he lived only
for himself, he would not fulfil his whole duty. Whatever good he has,
especially in moral and spiritual life, he must spread among his brethren, so
that they may see the Truth and stand by it in patient hope and unshaken
constancy amidst all the storm and stress of outer life.
For he and they will then have
attained Peace within.
وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
﴿٣﴾
-
and of Patience and
Constancy.
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