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Chapter 103

Timeal-ʿAṣr ( العصر )

3 verses • revealed at Meccan

»The surah that opens with the oath of the Divine One swearing by the decline of Time and humankind’s absolute loss of every single thing but righteousness, truth, patience, and faith. It takes its name from the phrase “by time” (wal- ʿāṣr) as mentioned in verse 1. The surah shows the way to salvation. The image of a declining day suggests the stage in the day, or in life, when only a short while is left for those wishing to make up for lost time.«

The surah is also known as Afternoon, The Decline of Time, The Declining Day, The Epoch, The Late Afternoon, Time and Age, Time through the Ages

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

Ali Unal: IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE ALL-MERCIFUL, THE ALL-COMPASSIONATE

1
وَالعَصرِ

Ali Unal

This sūrah of three verses, revealed in Makkah, takes its name from the word al-’asr (time heavy with events) in the first verse. As pointed out by all interpreters of the Qur’ān and linguists, this short sūrah contains the basic teachings of the Qur’ān in a compacted form. It is because of this that Imam Shāfi’ī said: “If no other sūrahs had been revealed, this short one would have been enough for the happiness of people in both worlds” (Yazır). When the Companions joined in a gathering, they did not usually leave there without reciting this sūrah (al-Bayhaqī, “Shu’ab al-Īmān,” 6: 501). This shows their deep understanding of the Qur’ān.
By Time (especially the last part of it, heavy with events),1
  • Al-’Asr has various meanings, such as time, day and night together, the afternoon, the last part of time, etc. It also implies being full of things and ready to be emptied. Our Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, says that he is the Prophet of al-’asr, meaning the afternoon (al-Bukhārī, “İjārah,” 8, 9). If we consider all these meanings and the whole of the sūrah, we can say that by al-’asr, the sūrah is referring to time from the beginning to end, as far as the events it contains are concerned; and it draws attention in particular to the last part, during which God’s Last Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was sent with the last, universal Message of God. It also implies the latest period of this part – from modern times until the Last Day – when extremely important events do and will take place.