Surah 103. Al-Asr

CONSIDER the flight of time!¹

  - Mohammad Asad

The term asr 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, 'asr bears the connotation of the passing or the flight of time - time which can never be recaptured.

By the time through the ages!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

By the 'passage of' time!

  - Mustafa Khattab

By the declining day,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

By (the Token of) time (through the Ages) ⁶²⁶²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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 ii: 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 gainst 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.

Verily, man is bound to lose himself

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely mankind is in loss,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Surely humanity is in 'grave' loss,

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! man is in a state of loss,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily Man is in loss ⁶²⁶³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.

unless he be of those² who attain to faith, and do good works, and enjoin upon one another the keeping to truth, and enjoin upon one another patience in adversity.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "man is indeed in [a state of] loss, except those....", etc.

except those who believe and do good deeds; exhort one another to the truth and exhort one another to patience.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to perseverance.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Except such as have Faith and do righteous deeds and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth and of Patience and Constancy. ^{6264 6265}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Faith is his armour, which wards off the wounds of the material world; and his righteous life is his positive contribution to spiritual ascent.

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.