Surah al Asr in my Life – Part 2

Rana Rais Khan – Founder Hiba Family Resource Centre

Surah al Asr, is short and a very popular Surah. It is usually among the first Surahs to be taught to children to recite in their Salah as well. 103^rd in order in the Quran, Surah al Asr, holds deep meanings as the remaining divine scripture does.

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ

Verse 3 “Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.”

In the third verse Allah (swt) shares the plan for smart believers who can convert the eternal loss into eternal success. How? A believer should have:

Iman (Faith)
Amal-e-Sualeh (Beautiful Deed)
Tawasi (Advise)

Iman

Iman means your core belief system. Also to submit to Allah (swt) and enter peace (Aman). It is the foundation of Aqueedah. Aqueedah translates to English as creed or doctrine.

The Quran gives us a definition of a Momin (believer with Iman): “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith and upon their Lord they rely – The ones who establish prayer and from what We have provided them, they spend.” (Al Anfaal 8:2-3)

Similarly, at another place in the Quran, the Momin has been described as: “The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allah and His messenger and then doubt not but strive with their properties and their lives in the cause of Allah. It is those who are the truthful.” (Al Hujraat 49:15)

When Iman enters the heart, our intellect submits. It is a spiritual state. Iman increases through acquiring Ilm (divine knowledge) and practicing Amal-e-Sualeh (good acceptable deeds).

Iman lives in the heart and its actual manifestation takes place through the tongue and the limbs. When the tongue speaks the truth and the limbs act righteously.

Zirr ibn Hubaysh relates that Abdullah ibn Masud (rta) was once offering Salah. When he reached verse 100 of Surah an Nisa he began to make Dua. The Prophet (sa) told him: “Ask and you will be granted” thrice. Abdullah (rta) made the following Dua:

اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ إِيمَانًا لاَ يَرْتَدُّ، وَنَعِيمًا لاَ يَنْفَدُ، وَمُرَافَقَةَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلى الله عَلَيه وسَلم فِي أَعْلَى جَنَّةِ الْخُلْدِ

“O Allah! I ask you for Iman that does not retrogress, bounties that do not deplete and the companionship of Muhammad (sa) in the highest levels of the eternal Jannah.” (Ibn Hibban)

This is a beautiful Dua we can make in our Sajdah too.

Amal – e – Sualeh

These are virtuous deeds that are authenticated by the Quran and the Sunnah. Allah (swt) has never asked us to perform millions of deeds, impractical deeds or perfect deeds.

Believers are always encouraged to perform Ehsan (beautiful deeds) that reach the level of excellence as described by Allah (swt). We cannot invent virtues. Amal-e-Sualeh can be few and small but if performed consistently they become live manifestations of a believer’s Iman. And they are beloved to Allah (swt).

Sualiheen (Those who practice Amal-e-Sualeh) have been promised Jannah. Even in the world the believers are successful because they are constantly growing in productivity and reach their potential.

But we must understand that only Allah (swt) grants the Toufiq (divine guidance and ability to achieve good). Hence when we receive an opportunity for Amal-e-Sualeh, we must thank Allah (swt) and give Him credit for its accomplishment. We are taught a beautiful Dua to acknowledge this:

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ

“All Praise belongs to Allah (swt) by Whose grace good deeds are perfected.” (Sahih Ibn Majah 3803)

Allah’s (swt) entire creation plan is based on excellence. Every creation of His is performing its role as commanded by Allah (swt) for e.g. the sun, wind, planets, animals, plantation, angels, prophets (in the past), etc. Those who use their freewill and act opposite to Amal-e-Sualeh choose corruption and become non-beneficial for others and themselves.

Another beautiful Dua to be made in Sajdah for Amal-e-Sualeh is:

اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً

“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds” (Ibn Majah)

Tawasi

The term ‘Tawasi’ in Arabic means for people to mutually recommend, urge or enjoin one another.

This word has been derived from ‘Wasiyah.’ Wasiyah may include: Will, command, Naseehah (advise), wealth, truth, instructions, etc. that you give to your loved ones.

In the Quranic context it roughly translates to ‘recommending to each other,’ ‘exhorting one another’ or ‘jointly advising.’ The word implies a two-way or group action where people advise, encourage and remind each other of important and moral implications.

Every believer is expected to offer ‘Tawasi’. He has to remind others of Haqq (the truth, established fact and Shariah) and Sabr (patience).

Man is a social being. He belongs to some family or society where he interacts with other humans. He has certain rights over them and they have some specific rights over him that benefit both.

Hence Islam does not encourage the life of a loner or aloofness. We are commanded to interact, stay informed and be active in our relationships with people around. When we find goodness for ourselves by the grace of Allah (swt), we must share it with others.

Our actions are either for the Creator (swt) for e.g. when we worship Him or otherwise our actions will be toward the creation, when we deal with them. As believers we require to exhort each other towards the truth (Haqq) and patience (Sabr). We also need to demonstrate the same traits in our own conduct.

Among the Arabs ‘Marhama’ was a specific name for the term Haqq which meant to be compassionate and merciful as you would invite each other to the truth, an established fact that was morally and intellectually sound.

Similarly, among the Arabs, exhibiting Sabr was a sign of strength and determination. Patience was not devalued or considered to be a sign of humiliation. Allah (swt) has praised the quality of Sabr among His Anbiyah too.

Remember, that Haqq opens the doors to all goodness and Sabr closes the doors to all evil.

Imam Ibnul Qayyim quotes Imam Shaafi: “If the Quran had no other Surah in it, Surah al Asr would have sufficed by itself.”

The Surah describes 4 qualities that enable a believer to reach excellence:

The understanding of Haqq
Following Haqq with action
Encouraging the one who is not following Haqq
Exhibiting Sabr in learning and acting upon Haqq

Imam Ibn Ashoor believes that As Sualihaat include all such virtuous deeds that Deen of Islam commands and to abstain from all such evils that Islam prohibits.

Imam Shaikh As Saadi states that a believer completes himself through Iman and Amal-e-Sulaeh. And he completes another believer by exhorting him to Haqq and Sabr.

Its like a small investment that reaps huge rewards. ‘Tawasi’ is the real sign of brotherhood. It was a Sunnah among the Sahabah to recite Surah Al Asr upon meeting each other and before parting. It served as a reminder of the true objective of life. We can earn eternal success through a temporary life.

Read up the first part of this series to find out about Allah’s (swt) warnings about man’s eternal loss.

(Partially adapted from a course titled ‘In depth study of Juzz 30’ taught by Safiya Khan).

Surah al Asr in my Life – Part 2