Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 12 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surat Al-Asr
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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"The Graceful Commentary on the Book of Identification Cards
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for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"
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by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nassif,
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may Allah preserve him.
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Surat al-'Asr.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
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May peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
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and upon his family and all his Companions.
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We are still with "The Graceful Commentary on the Identification Cards,"
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and specifically with Surat al-'Asr.
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I have three points of reflection upon it.
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The first reflection
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is that this surah,
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despite its extreme brevity,
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is a miracle from Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,
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which falls within the threshold of inimitability (i'jaz),
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as the scholars have mentioned:
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namely, that
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inimitability—
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the inimitability of the Qur'an—is realized even in its shortest surah.
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This includes Surat al-Kawthar,
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as well as Surat al-'Asr, which is before us.
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This surah is miraculous,
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and consequently, it demands deep contemplation,
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care,
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and close attention. Do not look at the surah merely as being short,
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but look at it as being from Allah,
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and that it incapacitated mankind—
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indeed, both humans
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and jinn.
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That is why scholars have devoted great care to this surah,
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their praise of it is well-known,
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and independent treatises have been authored on it.
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Among these, I recall the book by Dr. 'Abd al-Fattah
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Qari'
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on the Tafsir of Surat al-'Asr.
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The second reflection
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concerns the theme of the surah,
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which serves as an alert to the value
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of time,
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and that it is the capital through which one achieves
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either profit or loss.
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The criterion of loss and profit
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lies entirely in
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how man uses
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his time.
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This is no secondary matter;
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upon it hinges
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man's ultimate destiny.
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This is intrinsically tied
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from the outset to the fact that man is engaged in a trade.
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For this reason, scholars said that "loss" (khusr)
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is the opposite of profit in commerce.
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Thus, man is implicitly in a trade,
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but he is trading with his very self.
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As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"Every person goes out in the morning
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and trades with his soul,
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either freeing it or ruining it."
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So, you are in a trade,
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and profit or loss
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is entirely dependent upon the utilization of time.
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As for the third and final reflection,
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it pertains to the themes conveyed in the segments of the surah,
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and that it contains
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a complete methodology for life.
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This statement is not mere rhetorical flourish, my brothers;
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it is not just an oratorical phrase
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spoken casually,
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but rather an absolute reality.
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All of mankind
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have their own methods
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in formulating their philosophies in life
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and in managing their lifespans
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so as to benefit from them;
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yet all of them
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are in a state of loss.
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Consider those who have written about time management,
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achieving goals,
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and the like,
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from among those who are distant from divine revelation.
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Revelation—
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no matter how much they get right,
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they inevitably remain in loss.
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Nor can there ever be
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an escape,
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or salvation from this loss,
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except
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through
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the four qualities mentioned
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in this surah,
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the first of which is faith (iman).
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Therefore, compare
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all that has been written—
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and they indeed have written good things—
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on the value of time,
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all that has been written
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by Western scholars
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and their thinkers,
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and then reflect upon a single book
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from the books of Muslims who have discussed the value of time;
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you will recognize the vast difference,
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and you will see the distinction between
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darkness and light.
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I mention here a book entitled
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"How to Extend Your Productive
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Lifespan,"
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a book grounded in revelation,
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specifically drawing upon the hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
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which elucidate immense rewards
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for simple deeds
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through which
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a person multiplies their lifespan
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and truly capitalizes
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on time.
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This is something that can never be attained
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or arrived at by man apart from divine revelation.
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So, praise be to Allah for
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the blessing of Islam and for the blessing of the Qur'an.
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O Allah, grant us
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the ability to benefit from our deeds,
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and make them a proof for us,
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and do not make them a proof against us.
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And Allah knows best. May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon his family and all his Companions.
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And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.