سُوْرَةُ الْعَصْرِ
Surah Al-Asr (103) — Ayah 1
وَٱلْعَصْرِ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
By Al-‘Asr (the time).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱلْعَصْرِ
wal-ʿaṣri
By the time
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
This surah is among the shortest surahs of the Noble Qur’an, yet it is extremely comprehensive. Ibn Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, states in “Miftah Dar al-Sa’adah” that Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “If people were to reflect on this surah, it would be sufficient for them.”
(Ayah 1 to 3) ➊ { وَ الْعَصْرِ (1) اِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ لَفِيْ خُسْرٍ … :} The oaths mentioned in the Noble Qur’an are generally evidence for the claim that is mentioned after the oaths. To understand the meaning of this surah, it is necessary to keep in mind the concept of loss. Loss or profit occurs in some kind of trade and sale in which a person invests his capital; if the capital is sold and the income exceeds the capital and effort, then this is profit, otherwise it is loss. In this surah, by swearing by time, it is logically established that except for people with four qualities, every human is in loss, because the only capital a human has is a portion of time, that is, his lifespan, as He said: « اَوَ لَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيْهِ مَنْ تَذَكَّرَ وَ جَآءَكُمُ النَّذِيْرُ » [ فاطر : ۳۷ ] “And did We not give you a life long enough for whoever would take heed to take heed, and the warner came to you.” And this capital is such that it is rapidly and automatically depleting; if, before it ends, one attains something more valuable from it, that is, those four qualities, then it is profit, otherwise it is nothing but loss. Just as an ice seller, if he sells his ice before it melts and gets a good price for it, then it is profit, otherwise the ice will not wait for him but will melt away after a while by itself, so what doubt is there in his loss?
➋ { اِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ لَفِيْ خُسْرٍ:} The reality is that it is very difficult for a person to be saved from loss, because loss is the wasting of capital, and a person’s capital is his lifespan, and it is rare that a person is not wasting his life, because if the moment that passes over a person is spent in disobedience to Allah, then there is no doubt about the loss; if it is spent in permissible and lawful activities, even then it is loss, because from that moment the person could not gain anything for the Hereafter; and if it is spent in obedience and good deeds, then he could have done that good deed in a better way or could have done an even better good deed, because there is no limit to the degrees of good deeds, nor to the levels of Allah’s majesty and wrath. Now, to the extent that a person has knowledge of these degrees, acts upon them, teaches them to others, and himself practices patience and advises others to be patient, to that extent the loss keeps decreasing, otherwise, settling for a lower degree instead of the higher one is also a kind of loss. In summary, a person is always afflicted with some kind of loss. (Summary from Razi)
➌ { اِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ:} Some people have deduced from this surah that deeds are separate from faith and are not included in it, and that even if they are absent, faith is still complete, because both are mentioned separately with conjunction. But this is not correct; rather, faith is the name for the actions of the heart, tongue, and limbs altogether. If, because of the conjunction, these two are separate, then it would have to be accepted that enjoining the truth is not included in righteous deeds but is something separate from righteous deeds. Similarly, advising patience would be something separate from enjoining the truth and righteous deeds, whereas none of these three things is correct. The truth is that after faith, righteous deeds are mentioned separately so that no one considers this part of faith insignificant and neglects it, and enjoining the truth and advising patience are mentioned separately from righteous deeds so that no one thinks that by acting righteously for himself, he is now safe from loss. No, rather, he must teach this knowledge and action and patience to others as well.
➍ { وَ تَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ:} To be saved from loss, faith without action is not sufficient, nor is it enough to act only for oneself; rather, it is also necessary to enjoin one another to the truth. By “truth” is meant the guidance that has been revealed from Allah in the form of revelation, which includes both the Qur’an and Hadith. Then, in these three things—believing in the truth, acting upon it, and conveying it to others—one may face countless hardships and difficulties; one must be patient over them, and it is obligatory upon all Muslims that they advise one another to patience. Here, {’’ تَوَاصَوْا ‘‘} (advise one another) is mentioned, not {’’أَوْصَوْا‘‘} (advise), which means that all Muslims advise one another to truth and patience. The obligation is not fulfilled by a few people performing it.
➎ { وَ تَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ:} The meaning of patience is to bind and restrain oneself. It is of three types: (1) Patience upon the truth and its constant adherence, such as steadfastness in monotheism, following the Sunnah, and being regular in prayer and fasting. (2) Patience in refraining from evil, such as patience in avoiding shirk, adultery, unjust killing, lying, etc. (3) Patience in the face of calamity and refraining from all kinds of panic and distress.
(Ayah 1 to 3) ➊ { وَ الْعَصْرِ (1) اِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ لَفِيْ خُسْرٍ … :} The oaths mentioned in the Noble Qur’an are generally evidence for the claim that is mentioned after the oaths. To understand the meaning of this surah, it is necessary to keep in mind the concept of loss. Loss or profit occurs in some kind of trade and sale in which a person invests his capital; if the capital is sold and the income exceeds the capital and effort, then this is profit, otherwise it is loss. In this surah, by swearing by time, it is logically established that except for people with four qualities, every human is in loss, because the only capital a human has is a portion of time, that is, his lifespan, as He said: « اَوَ لَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيْهِ مَنْ تَذَكَّرَ وَ جَآءَكُمُ النَّذِيْرُ » [ فاطر : ۳۷ ] “And did We not give you a life long enough for whoever would take heed to take heed, and the warner came to you.” And this capital is such that it is rapidly and automatically depleting; if, before it ends, one attains something more valuable from it, that is, those four qualities, then it is profit, otherwise it is nothing but loss. Just as an ice seller, if he sells his ice before it melts and gets a good price for it, then it is profit, otherwise the ice will not wait for him but will melt away after a while by itself, so what doubt is there in his loss?
➋ { اِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ لَفِيْ خُسْرٍ:} The reality is that it is very difficult for a person to be saved from loss, because loss is the wasting of capital, and a person’s capital is his lifespan, and it is rare that a person is not wasting his life, because if the moment that passes over a person is spent in disobedience to Allah, then there is no doubt about the loss; if it is spent in permissible and lawful activities, even then it is loss, because from that moment the person could not gain anything for the Hereafter; and if it is spent in obedience and good deeds, then he could have done that good deed in a better way or could have done an even better good deed, because there is no limit to the degrees of good deeds, nor to the levels of Allah’s majesty and wrath. Now, to the extent that a person has knowledge of these degrees, acts upon them, teaches them to others, and himself practices patience and advises others to be patient, to that extent the loss keeps decreasing, otherwise, settling for a lower degree instead of the higher one is also a kind of loss. In summary, a person is always afflicted with some kind of loss. (Summary from Razi)
➌ { اِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ:} Some people have deduced from this surah that deeds are separate from faith and are not included in it, and that even if they are absent, faith is still complete, because both are mentioned separately with conjunction. But this is not correct; rather, faith is the name for the actions of the heart, tongue, and limbs altogether. If, because of the conjunction, these two are separate, then it would have to be accepted that enjoining the truth is not included in righteous deeds but is something separate from righteous deeds. Similarly, advising patience would be something separate from enjoining the truth and righteous deeds, whereas none of these three things is correct. The truth is that after faith, righteous deeds are mentioned separately so that no one considers this part of faith insignificant and neglects it, and enjoining the truth and advising patience are mentioned separately from righteous deeds so that no one thinks that by acting righteously for himself, he is now safe from loss. No, rather, he must teach this knowledge and action and patience to others as well.
➍ { وَ تَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ:} To be saved from loss, faith without action is not sufficient, nor is it enough to act only for oneself; rather, it is also necessary to enjoin one another to the truth. By “truth” is meant the guidance that has been revealed from Allah in the form of revelation, which includes both the Qur’an and Hadith. Then, in these three things—believing in the truth, acting upon it, and conveying it to others—one may face countless hardships and difficulties; one must be patient over them, and it is obligatory upon all Muslims that they advise one another to patience. Here, {’’ تَوَاصَوْا ‘‘} (advise one another) is mentioned, not {’’أَوْصَوْا‘‘} (advise), which means that all Muslims advise one another to truth and patience. The obligation is not fulfilled by a few people performing it.
➎ { وَ تَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ:} The meaning of patience is to bind and restrain oneself. It is of three types: (1) Patience upon the truth and its constant adherence, such as steadfastness in monotheism, following the Sunnah, and being regular in prayer and fasting. (2) Patience in refraining from evil, such as patience in avoiding shirk, adultery, unjust killing, lying, etc. (3) Patience in the face of calamity and refraining from all kinds of panic and distress.
