103:1-3
“Indeed, mankind is in loss.”
A verdict on the whole human race before the exception is named. Time is the capital each person is given; most people spend it and receive nothing lasting in return.
All Surahs
Surah 103Makki
العصر
The Time
Al Asr
Verses
3
Revelation
Makki
Period
Early Meccan
Surah No.
103 / 114
Overview
One of the shortest surahs, yet Imam al-Shafiʿi said that if Allah had revealed nothing but this surah, it would have sufficed humanity as guidance. Allah swears by time itself, the one capital every person is given equally, and declares that all of humankind is in loss except those who meet four conditions.
أسباب النزول
Occasion of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)
No specific occasion of revelation is recorded. The Companions had a practice: when two of them met and parted, neither would leave without reciting this surah to the other, as a mutual reminder.
Key Themes
Time as witness against wasted lifeThe universal human condition of lossThe four conditions of salvation: faith, righteous deeds, counselling truth, counselling patienceCommunity responsibility, not private piety aloneMutual counsel toward truth and patience as social obligations of the believer
Notable Verses
Virtues of this Surah
Imam al-Shafiʿi said that if people pondered this surah alone, it would suffice them. The Companions would not part from one another without reciting it, making it a mutual pledge to truth and patience.