ʿAbd Allah ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ؒ (d. 1242 AH) was asked about the interpretation of Sūrat al-ʿAṣr (Time). He responded:
The Oath and Belief
The speech regarding this is lengthy but we are going to mention to you what the people of knowledge have mentioned by way of summarisation. They have mentioned that al-ʿAṣr is a time period, which Allah created, and He swears by that which He wills from His creation, as for the creation it is forbidden for them to swear except by Allah.
The Prophet said:
مَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا فَلْيَحْلِفْ بِاللَّهِ أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ
“Whoever swears an oath should swear by Allah or remain silent.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, hadith 2679; excerpt.)
The answer of this oath is that:
إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ
“Indeed, mankind is in loss.” [Q 103:2]
, Mankind meaning all the children of Adam, then He (Allah ) made an exception by saying
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
“Except those who believe” [Q 103:3] (excerpt)
, meaning those who believe in Allah, His Messengers, His Books, the Last Day, and having certainty about that belief in the heart and also they believe that which Allah informed them of in His Book, and upon the tongues of His Messengers that is the truth that which there is no doubt concerning it.
Righteous Deeds and Sincerity
Then He says:
وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
“and do righteous deeds” [Q 103:3] (excerpt)
, meaning acting upon that which He has legislated in His Book and upon the tongue of His Messenger , carrying it out with their own limbs. It is a must that righteous actions fulfil two conditions: 1- That your actions are sincerely for Allah seeking His Face alone 2- That your actions be according to what the Prophet has legislated. Allah says:
فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
“So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.” [Q 18:110] (excerpt)
When Allah says: “a righteous deed”, this refers to legislated action and His saying: “and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord”, this is referring to sincerity seeking Allah’s face. This has two levels:
- Believing in Allah and His Messenger.
- Doing righteous good deeds, this is knowledge that Allah has revealed and acting upon it.
Recommending the Truth
If a person comes to know that which Allah has revealed then upon him is to act upon it, if he was to do a righteous good deed then upon him is the third level (to recommend to the truth), which is to recommend other than him to follow the truth and teach the ignorant ones that which Allah has taught him unlike those whom Allah has mentioned:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَشْتَرُونَ بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۙ أُولَـٰئِكَ مَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ إِلَّا النَّارَ
“Verily, those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book, and purchase a small gain therewith, they eat into their bellies nothing but fire.” [Q 2:174] (excerpt)
Patience
If the believer was to do that which Allah has ordered him from recommending to the truth and command the good which Allah has ordered with, and forbidding the evil which Allah has prohibited from, upon him is the fourth stage which is having patience upon the harms of the creation and having patience with their mistreatment for Allah’s sake like the way the Prophets and Messengers of Allah and the people of knowledge from his creation remained patient upon these harms. If one were to act upon these four levels he will be from the friends of Allah those that fear him and be with His successful party.
We ask Allah to give us and our brothers understanding, of this chapter and to act upon it, Allah mentioned the four stages in this short chapter, brief in wording but vast in meaning as Ash-Shāfiʿī said:
لو عمل الناس بهذه السورة لكفتهم
“If people acted upon this chapter, it would suffice them.”
References
The Qurʾān: 103:2–3; 18:110 (excerpt); 2:174 (excerpt).
ʿAbd Allah ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, explanation of Sūrat al-ʿAṣr, Ad-Durar as-Saniyyah fī al-Ajwibah an-Najdiyyah, Arabic republication cites 13:442.
Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī ؒ (d. 256 AH / 870 CE), Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, hadith 2679, for swearing by Allah or remaining silent.
