BIG IMPACT
It is not my aim to write down, in the
following pages, an exegetical explanation of this surah('Asr), firstly because this
venture calls for greater scholarship and deeper insight than I can claim and,
secondly, because in my opinion Maulana Hameed-ud-Din Farahi has already done
full justice to the elucidation and exposition of the profound meaning of this
surah. In the following discussion an attempt has been made merely at
explaining some general principles of the surah and, in particular, some
crucial points of its second part so that a detailed and synoptic view of the
obligations and duties that Islam enjoins upon us is put in bold relief.
If we look at this surah as a whole, we
realize that the note of warning and admonition is much more pronounced than
the conditions for hope given at the end. Firstly, its very opening statement
produces a big impact on the reader. The words ‘By (the token of) time, verily man
is in a state of loss even if considered only in their vocal effect, are
capable of giving a big jolt and arousing the listener from his slumber. A full
realization of its meaning must produce a still more potent effect.
Secondly; the statement, ‘Verily man is doomed
to failure’, has been laid down as an all-compassing and categorical assertion.
On the other hand, the verse starting with the words, ‘except those who have
faith. . .‘ grants an exception to the general statement. This is tantamount to
saying that whereas the loss or doom of man is almost a universal truth,
salvation is an exception to be achieved by only a few.
A statement very similar to this has been made
in Surah At-Teen (XCV). The verse of this surah, “Then we reduced him to the
lowest of the low” describes the depraved condition of mankind as a whole,
while the next part of this verse ‘Save those who believe and do good deeds’
marks out the persons saved from the state of depravity.
But in Surah At-Teen two optimistic points
have been made to lighten the note of warning. One, prior to, “Then we reduced
him to the lowest of the low” a re-assurance of the primordial goodness of man
has been given in these words:
“Surely we created man in the best of moulds”.
Two, immediately after the words “Save those who believe and do good deeds”, a
heart-warming promise of eternal salvation has been made in the same verse,
‘and theirs is a reward unfailing’.
In Surah AI-’Asr, on the contrary, not only
there is no reassurance of man’s creation ‘in the best of moulds’, but also it
lacks a positive promise of an ‘unfailing reward’. It ends with a mere
statement of the possibility of deliverance from loss and ruin. Further, in
Surah At-Teen only two conditions have been laid that exempt one from falling into
a depraved state i.e., belief and good deeds, Surah Al-‘Asr demands for the
exemption from universal ruin, in addition to faith and good deeds, two
stringent requirements of faith—exhorting one another to truth and exhorting
one another to endurance.
A statement of Prophet Jesus is very helpful
in understanding a subtle difference in the subject matter of Surah At-Teen and
Swift Al-’Asr. In the famous Sermon of the Mount he said:
“Go in through the narrow gate; because broad
and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones
who go in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading
to life, and few are the ones who find it”
Surah At-Teen and Surah Al-’Asr both contain a
reference to the two paths alluded to by Jesus. The main emphasis of Surah
Al-’Asr is on that broad path which the large majority of humanity is treading
in its blind worship of carnal desires, gratification of sex and hunger, belief
in ”wishful thinking” and polluted traditions and unauthentic existence, coming
nearer every moment to a dreadful end of an eternal doom. On the contrary, the
light of Surah At-Teen is converging on the other type of path, which, though
narrow and followed by a handful of men, ultimately leads to ‘openness’ and
eternal success and well being.
When a thoughtful and sensitive person would
think in the light of Surah A/-’Asr about the wretched plight of so many and
visualize the doom they shall meet, he may well be overwhelmed by a deep sense
of dejection and hopelessness. It is just possible that he might lose faith in
the natural and primordial goodness of man. In the darkness of this stark
pessimism, Surah At-Teen appears as a shining ray of hope and confidence. In
its light we have a glimpse of some pious and saintly persons following the
right path, and also the evidence of man’s natural and original goodness and
his potential for the pinnacle of excellence. And this quells the darkness of
pessimism, giving a man self-confidence and hope about his future.
The universal truth, “Verily man is doomed”
has been supported by the equally comprehensive evidence, ‘By (the token of
time’. This is so because the substantive proposition and its evidence are both
almost universal and open to common observation. On the other hand, the rather
little known truth expressed in the verse ‘Surely we created man in the best of
moulds’ has been instantiated by a few holy persons who walked under the ‘fig
and olive trees’, or conversed with the Lord on the Mount of Sinai, or were
witness to the spiritual greatness of man in the City of Security.
The thundering call of ‘By (the token of)
time’ jolts the mind of a sensitive and thoughtful person out of absorption in
his petty personal involvements, and presents to him the vast panorama of world
history as unfolded in time. The primary purpose of this adjuration, therefore,
is to make the reader ponder over the deeper meaning and value of the
vicissitudes of world history.
The truth of the matter is that complete
preoccupation with the demands of his immediate environments and personal
problems is a manifestation of man’s intellectual bankruptcy. In this way the
entire expanse of his conscious being is often confined to these demands, and
he is rendered incapable of any intuitive illumination emanating from his
inner-most self or comprehension of the astounding signs (‘ayat’ in Quranic
terminology) present throughout the universe. Very insignificant and minor
issues of daily life are blown quite out of proportion, and he exhausts all his
time and energy in struggling for trifles and petty desires.
The Holy Quran has
delineated two ways that help a person in coming out of this mental and
psychological confinement. First, the way of attaining the ultimate truth
through a deep soul-searching, a listening to the affirmations of one’s inner
self. Second, the way of reflecting and meditating on the signs found in the
cosmos and the clear testimonies provided by history. The contents of Surah
Al‘Asr guide us to this latter way.
It is only due to sheer negligence or
insensitivity that we take time to be something static. On the contrary,
everything, which exists today in the world, will perish before long.
Similarly, human beings who are busy now in managing the manifold activities of
a full life, will in a matter of few years yield place to other generations.
The fleeting passage of time is itself a warning to unmindful persons and
should be sufficient to bring home to them that they and all their worldly
pursuits will shortly come to an end. Our short lease of life is expiring
rapidly, and after a little while we will disappear in the mist of past.
