The third stage of the Qur'anic prohibition of riba & total eradication of riba from the economy

THE PROHIBITION OF RIBA IN THE QUR’AN AND SUNNAH

THIRD STAGE OF THE QUR’ANIC REVELATIONS FOR THE PROHIBITION OF RIBA: THE TOTAL ELIMINATION OF RIBA FROM THE ECONOMY

It was a matter of great moment that the Prophet (s) chose his sermon on the occasion of the farewell pilgrimage, just three months before his death, to launch the effort for the final and complete elimination of riba from Muslim society:

O People, listen to my words, for I do not know whether I shall meet you again on such an occasion in the future. . .

All interest (riba) obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however is yours to keep (in accepting the return of only the principal sum lent) you shall neither be inflicting injury nor yourselves suffering inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest (riba) and that all the interest due to 'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib shall hence-forth he waived . . .

What the Prophet (s) did was to enforce the legislation prohibiting riba (revealed in Surah ale-'Imran) retroactively. Thus the third stage of the process of dealing with riba was one which witnessed the total and complete eradication of riba from the society.

Some two months later came the last Qur’anic revelation on riba, which was also the last revelation in the Qur’an and which come down to complete the revelation of the entire Qur'an. It was revealed shortly before the death of the Prophet (s) and it confirmed the third stage which had already been promulgated by the Prophet (s) at A’rafat applied the prohibition against riba retro actively in order to achieve the complete eradication of riba from economy. It annulled all outstanding riba transactions, thus effecting a total and complete elimination of riba from the economy. It instructed Muslims to recover only the principal sum lent, and thus eliminated even small interest payments or service charges. It urged the creditor to forego even the principal in case of the borrower’s hardship thus bringing about debt relief. The revelation again severely censured riba, but this time it responded to those who argued that riba is but a form or trade. The Qur’an rejected that argument and went on to establish a clear distinction between trade and riba:

Those who spend their wealth by night and by day, secretly and openly - surely for such (people) there is reward with their Lord, nor shall they have cause for fear or grief.

Those who live off the interest (riba) on loans behave but as might behave those whom Satan has confounded with his touch; That is because they say: Trade is similar to taking interest (riba). Yet Allah has permitted trading and forbidden taking interest (riba). Anyone who receives such an instruction from his Lord and thereupon desists (from riba) may keep his past gains (i.e the riba he previously accepted), and his affair rests with Allah (i.e. it will be for Allah to judge him). But as for those who return to it - they are destined for the fire, therein to abide forever!

(And remember that) Allah deprives riba (usurious gains) of all blessings, whereas He blesses charitable deeds with manifold increase. And Allah does not love anyone who is stubbornly ingrate and persists in sinful ways. (So do not be stubborn and persist in riba even after this revelation has reached you).

Verily those who have attained to faith and do good works and are constant in prayer and dispense charity - they shall have their reward from their Lord and no fear need they have and neither shall they grieve. O you who have attained to faith! Remain conscious of Allah and give up all the riba which is outstanding (i.e. which people still owe you) if you are truly believers.

If you do not do so (i.e. if you do not give up outstanding riba) then take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger (i.e. take notice of an ultimatum of war for the liberation of debtors unjustly dealt with and oppressed). But if you turn away (i.e. if you give up riba) then you shall have (i.e. you will be entitled to) only your principal sums (which you had lent on the basis of riba) (i.e. you may have only the principal, - not the principal plus a reasonable amount of interest).

You deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with unjustly. (This might more properly be understood as follows: In accepting the return of only the principal sum lent you will not be inflicting injustice on the borrower. and in giving up the interest which was due will not, yourself, be subjected to any injustice.)

If the debtor is in difficulty, grant him time until it is easy for him to repay. But if you remit it (i.e. if you write off the debt) by way of charity, that will be best for you. if you only knew.

And fear the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah, then every soul will be paid what it earned and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.

(Qur’an: al-Baqarah:- 2:275-281)

An indication of the tremendous importance which Allah, the Most High, devoted to the elimination of riba can be discerned from the fact that this was, as we noted earlier, the last revelation of the Qur’an to be sent down (the last revelation was in fact, verses 179-181 and so 174-178 must have been revealed earlier). The dedication of war against usurers by Allah, the Most High, and His Messenger (s) is by far the most forceful language used in the Qur’an against sinners.

Now a declaration of war by Allah, the Most High and His Messenger (s) must definitely implicate the believers. The implication is that the oppressed were given a divine sanction to wage war, to kill and to be killed, in an effort to extricate themselves from the oppression that is inherent in riba. The believers were also required to wage war to eradicate riba from any society and from any territory whose oppressed people were crying out for help. My teacher of blessed memory Maulana Dr. Muhammad Fadlur Rahman Ansari (may Allah have mercy on him) further argued the case for the use of force in view of the fact that the Qur’an: . . enjoins active steps, through coercive authority for ending exploitation. He quoted, in this connection the following verse:

If two parties among the believers fall into a quarrel, make peace between them. But if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other then fight (all of you) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah.

(Qur ’an: al-Hujurat: 49:9)

He went on to explain that the verse in its general bearing ... provides also the principle that if a group of Muslims tries to exploit another group, it is the duty of the Islamic State to restrain the exploiters by force. And he concluded by pointing out that: The prohibition of usury and interest (riba), whereby the rich exploit the poor, is part of the Qur’anic legislation (requiring the use of force for eradicating it). . .

Finally the last revelation to be sent down concerning riba continued the process of education which characterized all previous revelations on the subject. In the last revelation Allah, the Most High, again effected a contrast between ‘charity’ and ‘riba’ and between ‘spending’ and ‘riba’. Of course spending should not be understood in terms of conspicuous consumption, spending on luxury items, etc.

When people spend of their wealth, wealth circulate, in the economy. Everybody benefits from such. Or anyone can benefit from such. When spending bypasses the market, however which is what happens in riba transactions then only some will benefit. Thus when an economy is based on riba it should be as clear as daylight that the rich will always remain rich and the poor will be permanently poor. In fact it is worse than that. The rich will keep on growing richer and the poor will become poorer. That is a recipe for the breakdown of any social order. And that is precisely what the world has been witnessing for at least one hundred years now.

Thus the last stage of the Qur’anic revelation dealing with riba accomplished the following:

• retro-active enforcement of the legislation prohibiting riba; 
• sanction for waging war to eradicate riba ; 
• debt relief; 
• process of education continued.

Source: IMRAN N. HOSEIN

to be continued . . . . 

The Prohibition of Riba (Interest) by Imran Hosein

The Prohibition of Riba (Interest) (Q&A) by Imran Hosein

THE FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

THE FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

After the accomplishment of the Call, the proclamation of the Message and the establishment of a new society on the basis of ‘There is no god but Allâh,’ and on Muhammad’s mission, a secret call uprose in the heart of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) telling him that his stay in the Lower World was about to terminate. That was clear in his talk to Mu‘adh whom he had dispatched to Yemen in the tenth year of Al-Hijra: 

“O, Mu‘adh! You may not see me after this current year. You may even pass by this very Mosque of mine and my tomb.” Upon hearing that Mu‘adh cried for fear that he would part with the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).  

Allâh’s The Most High, care was so bounteous as to let the Prophet (Peace be upon him) see the fruits of his Call for the sake of which he suffered various sorts of trouble for over twenty years. Those twenty years had elapsed actively. He used to spend his last days meeting, at the outskirts of Makkah, members of tribes and their representatives who used to consult him and learn the laws and legislation of Islam from him, and in return he used to exact their testimony that he had delivered trust and communicated the Message and counselled the people.  

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) announced an intention to proceed with this blessed pilgrimage journey himself. Enormous crowds of people came to Madinah, all of whom seek the guidance and Imamate of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) in the pilgrimage (Al-Hajj).

On a Saturday of the last four days of Dhul-Qa‘dah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) started the departure preparations procedure. He combed his hair, applied some perfume, wore his garment, saddled his camel and set off in the afternoon. He arrived at Dhul-Hulaifa before the afternoon prayer. He performed two Rak‘a and spent the night there. When it was morning he said to his Companions:  

“A comer, sent by my Lord, has called on me tonight and said: ‘Pray in this blessed valley and say: I intend ‘Umrah combined with pilgrimage (‘Umrah into Al-Hajj).  

Before performing the noon prayer, he bathed for Ihram (ritual consecration), and ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) perfumed him on both his body and head with her hand with a Dharira (a plant) and with a perfume containing musk. The thick sticky layer of perfume could be seen among his parts of hair and beard. He left it unwashed, wore his loincloth and garment. He performed the noon prayer shortened, two Rak‘a. He proclaimed pilgrimage procedure associated with ‘Umrah at his prayer-place. He, then mounted his she-camel ‘Al-Qaswa’, and proclaimed: ‘There is no god but Allâh’. When he moved into the desert, he acclaimed the Name of Allâh.  

He proceeded with his journey till he approached Makkah. He spent the night at Dhi Tuwa and entered Makkah after performing the dawn prayer. He had a bath on Sunday morning, the fourth of Dhul-Hijjah the tenth year of Al-Hijra. He spent eight days on the way, which was an average period. As soon as he entered Al-Haram Mosque he circumambulated Al-Ka‘bah and walked to and fro (Sa‘i) between As-Safa and Al-Marwah. He did not finish the Ihram (ritual consecration) because he was Qarin (i.e. intending ‘Umrah and Al-Hajj associated). He then took Al-Hadi (i.e. the sacrificial animals) in order to slaughter them. He camped on a high place of Makkah — Al-Hajun. As for circumambulation, he performed only that of Al-Hajj (pilgrimage circumambulation).  

Those of his Companions who had no Hadi with them to sacrifice, were ordered to observe Ihram (i.e. the state of ritual consecration) into ‘Umrah (i.e. lesser pilgrimage), and circumambulate Al-Ka‘bah and stride ritually to and fro between As-Safa and Al-Marwah. After that they could relieve themselves from Ihram. They, however, showed reluctance to do what they had been told. 

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: "Had I known beforehand what I knew afterward, I would not bring Hadi, and if I did not have Hadi, I would break Ihram." On hearing these words, his Companions obeyed the orders to the latter.  

On the eighth day of Dhul-Hijjah — that is the Day of Tarwiyah, he left for Mina where he performed the noon, the afternoon, the sunset, the evening and the dawn prayers. — i.e. five prayers. Then he stayed for a while till the sun rose up then he passed along till he reached ‘Arafah, where there was a tent built for him at Namirah. He sat inside till the sun went down. He ordered that Al-Qaswa’, his she-camel, should be prepared for him. They saddled it and had it ready, so he went down the valley where a hundred thousand and twenty-four or forty-four thousand people gathered round him. There he stood up and delivered the following speech:  

“O people! Listen to what I say. I do not know whether I will ever meet you at this place once again after this current year. It is unlawful for you to shed the blood of one another or take (unlawfully) the fortunes of one another. They are as unlawful, (Haram) as shedding blood on such a day as today and in such a month as this Haram month and in such a sanctified city as this sacred city (i.e. Makkah and the surrounding areas).”  

“Behold! all practices of paganism and ignorance are now under my feet. The blood-revenge of the Days of Ignorance (pre-Islamic time) are remitted. The first claim on blood I abolish is that of Ibn Rabi‘a bin Harith who was nursed in the tribe of Sa‘d and whom Hudhail killed. 

Usury is forbidden, and I make a beginning by remitting the amount of interest which ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib has to receive. Verily, it is remitted entirely.”  

“O people! Fear Allâh concerning women. Verily you have taken them on the security of Allâh and have made their persons lawful unto you by Words of Allâh! It is incumbent upon them to honour their conjugal rights and, not to commit acts of impropriety which, if they do, you have authority to chastise them, yet not severely. If your wives refrain from impropriety and are faithful to you, clothe and feed them suitably.”  

“Verily, I have left amongst you the Book of Allâh and the Sunnah (Traditions) of His Messenger which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray.”  

“O people, I am not succeeded by a Prophet and you are not succeeded by any nation. So I recommend you to worship your Lord, to pray the five prayers, to fast Ramadan and to offer the Zakat (poor-due) of your provision willingly. I recommend you to do the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of your Lord and to obey those who are in charge of you then you will be awarded to enter the Paradise of your Lord.”  

                     “And if you were asked about me, what wanted you to say?”  

They replied:  

•  “We bear witness that you have conveyed the message and discharged your ministry.”  

He then raised his forefinger skywards and then moved it down towards people while saying:  

•  “O Allâh, Bear witness.”  

He said that phrase thrice.  

The one who repeated the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) statements loudly at ‘Arafat was Rabi‘a bin Omaiyah bin Khalaf. As soon as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had accomplished delivering the speech, the following Qur’ânic verse was revealed to him:  

“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [5:3]  

Upon hearing this verse ‘Umar cried. “What makes you cry?” He was asked. His answer was: “Nothing succeeds perfection but imperfection.”  

Bilal called for prayer after the speech, and then made the second call. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) performed both of the noon and the afternoon prayers separately, with no prayers in between. 

He then mounted his she-camel Al-Qaswa’, approached the location of the vigil, directed his face towards Al-Qiblah, kept on standing till sunset when the sky yellow colour vanished a bit and the disc of the sun disappeared. Osamah added that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) moved onward to Muzdalifa, where he observed the sunset and the evening prayers with one ‘First call’ and two ‘second calls’. He did not entertain the Glory of Allâh between the two prayers. Then he lay down till it was dawn prayer time. He performed it with one first call and one second call at almost daybreak time. Mounting on his Al-Qaswa’, he moved towards Al-Mash‘ar Al-Haram. He faced Al-Qiblah and started supplicating: “Allâh is the Greatest. There is no god but Allâh.” 

He remained there till it was clear morning and before the sun rose high, he made his way to Mina. He walked a little and threaded the mid-road leading to the big Jamrah where he stopped and pelted seven pebbles at it saying “Allâh is the Greatest” each time. They were like small pebbles hurled from the bottom of the valley. Then he set off to the sacrificial place, where he sacrificed sixty-three camels with his hands, and asked ‘Ali to slaughter the others, a hundred and thirty-seven altogether. He made ‘Ali share him in Al-Hadi. A piece of meat from each slaughtered animal was ordered to be cooked in a pot and from which both men ate, and drank the soup.  

Then the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) mounted his she-camel and returned to the House where he observed the noon prayer at Makkah and there he came upon the children of ‘Abdul Muttalib were supplying drinking water to people at Zamzam Well. “Draw up water, children of ‘Abdul Muttalib, I would draw up with you if I were not afraid that people would appropriate this honour after me.” They handed him a pail of water and he drank to his fill.  

At the daytime of the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah on the Slaughtering Day (Yaum An-Nahr) The Prophet (Peace be upon him) delivered another speech. That was at high time morning, while he was mounting a grey mule. ‘Ali conveyed his statements to the people, who were standing or sitting.  

He repeated some of the statements that he had previously said the day before. The two Sheikh (Bukhâri and Muslim) reported a version narrated by Abi Bakrah who said:  

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) made a speech on Yaum An-Nahr (day of slaughtering) and said:  

•  “Time has grown similar in form and state to the time when Allâh created the heavens and the earth. A year is twelve months. Four of which are Sacred Months(Hurum). Three of the four months are successive. They are Dhul-Qa‘dah, DhulHijjah, and Al-Muharram. he fourth Month is Rajab Mudar, which comes between Jumada and Sha‘ban.”  

“What month is this month?” He asked. 
We said: “Allâh and His Messenger know best of all.” 
He kept silent for a while till we thought he would attach to it a different appellation. 
“Is it not Dhul-Hijjah?” He wondered. “
“Yes. It is.” We said. 
Then he asked, “What is this town called?” 
We said: “Allâh and His Messenger know best of all.” 
He was silent for a while till we thought he would give it a different name. 
“Is it not Al-Baldah? (i.e. the town)” asked he. 
“Yes. It is.” We replied. 
Then he asked again, “What day is it today?” 
We replied: “Allâh and His Messenger know best of all.” 
Then he kept silent for a while and said wondering: 
“Is it not ‘An-Nahr’ (i.e. slaughtering) Day?” 
“Yes. It is.” Said we. 
Then he said:  

“(Shedding) the blood of one another and eating or taking one another’s provisions (unwillingly) and your honour are all inviolable (Haram). It is unlawful to violate their holiness. They must be as sacred to one another as this sacred day, in this sacred month, in this sacred town.”  

“You will go back to be resurrected (after death) to your Lord. There you will be accounted for your deeds. So do not turn into people who go astray and kill one another.”  

“Have I not delivered the Message (of my Lord)?” 
“Yes you have.” Said they. 
“O Allâh! Bear witness! Let him that is present convey it unto him who is absent. For haply, many people to whom the Message is conveyed may be more mindful of it than the audience.” said he.  

In another version it is said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had said in that very speech:  

“He whoever plunges into misfortune will certainly aggrieve himself. So let no one of you inflict an evil upon his parents. Verily Satan has utterly despaired being worshipped in this country of yours; but he will be obeyed at your committing trivial things you disdain. Satan will be contented with such things.”  

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) spent At-Tashreeq Days (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Hijjah) in Mina performing the ritual teachings of Islam, remembering Allâh (praying), following the ways of guidance of Ibrahim, wiping out all traces and features or polytheism. On some days of AtTashreeq he delivered some speeches as well. In a version to Abu Da’ûd with good reference to Sira,’ the daughter of Nabhan; she said: 
“The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) made us a speech at the Ru’us (Heads) Day in which he said: “Is it not this the middle day of At-Tashreeq Days.”  

His speech that day was similar to that of An-Nahr Day’s. It was made after the revelation of Surat An-Nasr. On the second day of An-Nafr (i.e. Departure) — on the thirteenth of Dhul-Hijjah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) proceeded with An-Nafr to Mina and stayed at a high place of a mountain side at Bani Kinanah from Al-Abtah. He spent the rest of that day and night there — where he performed the noon, the afternoon, the sunset and the evening prayers.  

Then he slept for a short while and mounted leaving for the Ka‘bah. He performed the Farewell Circumambulation (Tawaf Al-Wada‘), after ordering his Companions to do the same thing.  Upon the accomplishment of his religious rituals he quickened his move to the purified Madinah. He went there not to seek rest but to resume the strife and struggle in the way of Allâh.  

THE LAST EXPEDITIONS:  

The pride of the Byzantine State made it deny Muslims their right to live. The Byzantine arrogance made them even kill those agents of theirs, who embraced Islam. Killing Farwah bin ‘Amr Al-Judhami, who was their agent on Mu’an, was an evidence of their arrogance. Due to that arrogance and presumptuousness of the Byzantines, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) started to mobilize a great army in Safar in the eleventh year of Al-Hijra and made it under the command of Osamah bin Zaid bin Haritha with orders to have the horses of Muslims tread on the lands bordering Al-Balqa’ and Ad-Darum of Palestine. His aim was to terrorize Byzantines and to implant confidence into the hearts of Arabs who were settled at the borders of the Byzantines. His other purpose was to deliver a message to everybody there, so that no one may dare say that the Church brutality can’t go with impunity; and that Islamization is not synonymous with fear and vulnerability.

  

The leadership of Osamah was subject to criticism. Because he was still too young, people tarried at joining his expedition. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) addressed people saying:  

“No wonder now you contest his leadership, for you have already contested the exleadership of his father. Yes, by Allâh, his father, who was one of the most beloved people to me, was quite efficient for leadership; and this son of his is one of the most beloved individuals to me after his father.”  

So people started tending towards Osamah and joined his army. The number of volunteers in his army was so enormous that they formed such a long queue that they had to descend the escarpment — which was a parasang off Madinah. The anxiety-provoking news about the Messenger of Allâh’s sickness, however, made the expedition tarry again in order to know what Allâh had willed as regards His Messenger (Peace be upon him).  

It was Allâh’s Will that Osamah’s expedition would be the first one dispatched during the caliphate of the veracious Abu Bakr. 

Source: Ar Raheeq al Makhtum

The Way to Salvation - BIG IMPACT

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.

Source: The Way to Salvation (Book by Dr Israr Ahmed)