The Inter-relation of the First Two Verses:
It is clear that the first verse is an oath
and the second is the statement for which the oath has been taken. That is, in
the second verse a truth has been stated, and in the first evidence has been presented
for it. The question is: what is the logical sequence between the two?
By contemplating over it, we realize that ‘time’, constantly passing, is like a sheet, which is spread up to eternity. It means that ‘time’ is an entity, which is an eye witness to the entire passage of man’s life, from his birth to death and to the life of the Hereafter.
Hence, the toiling, painful life of man is present before it, and it stands witness also to the momentous events of the rise and fall of nations. The life of the Hereafter, the climax of human tragedy, is also before its gaze. Thus ‘time’ is the greatest witness to the fact that ‘verily man is in a state of loss.
This ascertained truth has an added element of warning implied by “Wal-’Asr’ This warning is, that the real cause of mankind’s ruination, destruction, and utter loss is his negligence, and that by entangling himself in his immediate problems and the trivial affairs of his life, he faces a state of perplexity and self-negation.
The word “Wal-’Asr” is a clarion call to wake him up from his indifference and slumber. It points out: O careless man! your real asset is time, which is passing swiftly, and your real capital is this probationary period of worldly life which is ending quickly, and if you are unable to build up your personality, or according to the words of lqbal, the poet of the East, if you have not achieved any sublimity in your SELF or EGO, then you will have ‘to face eternal loss, and your life will be doomed.
No comments:
Post a Comment