This is an article I wrote back in 2005. In the Quran, there is a chapter on Time, Chapter 103. One night, I couldn't sleep while thinking about the chapter...the following article is the result.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace
It is once again late night, 2 am to be exact, on July 1st 2005. For all my resolve to sleep early and wake up early, Allah knows me well enough as a night person and hopefully forgive this breach of promise. Tonight, my thoughts turn to Surah Al-Asr:
By Time,
Verily Man is in Loss
Except those who believe and do good
Who remind each other in truth and
Who remind each other in patience and consistency.
Tonight, we observed a minute of silence on the death of a member’s mother in my club. That minute felt very long; yet to us, the day seems to pass so fast. I have heard enough lament as to how time flies. How ironic…By Time.
The examples I mentioned above gives an indication of the relativity of time as we know it. How apt that Allah uses the term “Asr” to describe this time as oppose to “Dahr” which signifies ‘absolute time’.[1] “Asr” indicates measurable, and thus ‘relative time’ much as most of us have experienced. What is it that makes time “flies” such that we do not seem to have enough time? And yet, Allah hints in Surah Al-Asr that this would not happen for those who believe and do good. What then demarcates difference?
The relativity of time, I believe, is dependent on the activity that we do. The hectic pace of life that do not stop to appreciate our surroundings, focused on one goal and one goal only, i.e. the accumulation of materialistic world, distorts this ‘relative time’ just as gravity distorts the space-time continuum in Einstein’s Relativity Theory. So the nature of man’s loss is time itself, for time is the gift that Allah has given to us in order for us to gather our provisions for the hereafter. As time ‘shortens’, our opportunities for gathering these provisions too shrink.
So Allah, in His kind mercy, has shown us the way in the next few verses. Belief is key because it is our belief in Allah that causes us to take heed of His advice. It is our belief of His power over time that leads us to believe that our opportunities are not lost for Allah mentioned in Chapter 10 (Yunus/Jonah):98 that
“Why was there not a single township which believed, - so its Faith should have profited it, - except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the Penalty of Ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.”
The above verse indicates not only Allah’s mercy but also Allah’s ability to manipulate time. So our belief is necessary to ensure the success of the advice.
The next part is “Do good” and here we note that many other places in the Qur’an links belief with “doing good.” But what does “do good” really entails and how does it prevent the loss of time? To my mind, it entails several key ingredients: namely, wisdom, knowledge, and the ability or power to act. There are those who are of the opinion that wisdom is a God-given gift. Perhaps it is true but I also believe that wisdom can be cultivated through being aware of the surroundings, learning to be alert, and try to understand and interpret what is developing around us. In order to have this awareness, then we have to learn to stop being so focused or channeled in our way of thinking, working, and living. We cannot be heedless of the nuances around us for these nuances are where the opportunities for the “gathering of provisions” lay. Knowledge is key to doing good for we are unable to carry out any actions without having the know-how of that action. Is it any surprise then that the very first revelation was “Read, in the Name of your Lord”[2]? The acquisition of knowledge brings us back to the need to address the issue of time. For it is necessary to manage time in order to obtain the knowledge in a timely manner for the action to be undertaken. And of course, without the ability or power to act, we would not be able to “do good.”
In “doing good” we raise ourselves above the primary concern of every man, i.e. himself. In so doing, we learn the value of time for the issues we have to address are more than likely to be time sensitive. Either it is time critical, as was the case during the tsunami or an endangered life, or it is a process that would need a long time for treatment, like in the case of ozone depletion. Then, the perspective now changes from the quantity of time to the quality of time. It then becomes essential for us to understand how best to utilize the time we are given instead of wasting it away.
The Truth is supposed to set you free. True words indeed. After all in knowing the Truth, we are reminded of the position of everything and thus we understand our position vis-à-vis Allah and that with Him lies our journey’s end[3]. In this divine knowledge, we are set ‘free’ from the confines of time. If from Him we come and to Him we are heading to, the concept of the complete circle, of the Singularity in which there is no escape from, enables us to understand that time[4] is basically meaningless and valueless except for whatever artificial value that we ascribe to it. It then becomes only a tool for us to use in our journey to Allah, just like any other tool that Allah has provided for us. Thus the concept of time evolves from encompassing us to us encompassing it. This is the tool for us to “do good” and subsequently help to increase our provisions.
In the last part, “patience” and “consistency” are two key words very much related to the concept of time as well as the action of “doing good.” These are two words which ties the two together. Man, in his very nature, is impatient, wanting results in an instant. Neither is he consistent as he is often distracted away from his goals. We have to be reminded of the need to be patient and to persevere in our undertakings. With our knowledge of the Truth, we are reminded that everything has its time and place, and that time and place is not determined by us. Patience is then an indication of our acknowledgement and acceptance of that Truth and a form of training of the concept of time being meaningless unless we ascribe importance to it. Consistency is the necessary training for us to undergo to ensure that we do not lose sight of the Truth even as we go about our daily lives where distractions abound.
Thus we note at the end that time is a tool whose value is only what we ascribe to it. It becomes valuable if we use it rightly in accordance to Allah’s wish – to “do good.” In order to learn how to use time, Allah has prescribed us to forms of training; patience and consistency. Only then are we set free and no longer in the danger of being in a loss.
[1] From Muhammad Asad, “The Message of the Quran”, Dar Al-Andalus Ltd, 1980.
[2] Chapter 96 (Al-Alaq):1.
[3] Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah):284, Chapter 96 (Al-Alaq):8
[4] Time here refers to ‘relative time’ and not ‘absolute time’ for we truly have no understanding of ‘absolute time’.
It is once again late night, 2 am to be exact, on July 1st 2005. For all my resolve to sleep early and wake up early, Allah knows me well enough as a night person and hopefully forgive this breach of promise. Tonight, my thoughts turn to Surah Al-Asr:
By Time,
Verily Man is in Loss
Except those who believe and do good
Who remind each other in truth and
Who remind each other in patience and consistency.
Tonight, we observed a minute of silence on the death of a member’s mother in my club. That minute felt very long; yet to us, the day seems to pass so fast. I have heard enough lament as to how time flies. How ironic…By Time.
The examples I mentioned above gives an indication of the relativity of time as we know it. How apt that Allah uses the term “Asr” to describe this time as oppose to “Dahr” which signifies ‘absolute time’.[1] “Asr” indicates measurable, and thus ‘relative time’ much as most of us have experienced. What is it that makes time “flies” such that we do not seem to have enough time? And yet, Allah hints in Surah Al-Asr that this would not happen for those who believe and do good. What then demarcates difference?
The relativity of time, I believe, is dependent on the activity that we do. The hectic pace of life that do not stop to appreciate our surroundings, focused on one goal and one goal only, i.e. the accumulation of materialistic world, distorts this ‘relative time’ just as gravity distorts the space-time continuum in Einstein’s Relativity Theory. So the nature of man’s loss is time itself, for time is the gift that Allah has given to us in order for us to gather our provisions for the hereafter. As time ‘shortens’, our opportunities for gathering these provisions too shrink.
So Allah, in His kind mercy, has shown us the way in the next few verses. Belief is key because it is our belief in Allah that causes us to take heed of His advice. It is our belief of His power over time that leads us to believe that our opportunities are not lost for Allah mentioned in Chapter 10 (Yunus/Jonah):98 that
“Why was there not a single township which believed, - so its Faith should have profited it, - except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the Penalty of Ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.”
The above verse indicates not only Allah’s mercy but also Allah’s ability to manipulate time. So our belief is necessary to ensure the success of the advice.
The next part is “Do good” and here we note that many other places in the Qur’an links belief with “doing good.” But what does “do good” really entails and how does it prevent the loss of time? To my mind, it entails several key ingredients: namely, wisdom, knowledge, and the ability or power to act. There are those who are of the opinion that wisdom is a God-given gift. Perhaps it is true but I also believe that wisdom can be cultivated through being aware of the surroundings, learning to be alert, and try to understand and interpret what is developing around us. In order to have this awareness, then we have to learn to stop being so focused or channeled in our way of thinking, working, and living. We cannot be heedless of the nuances around us for these nuances are where the opportunities for the “gathering of provisions” lay. Knowledge is key to doing good for we are unable to carry out any actions without having the know-how of that action. Is it any surprise then that the very first revelation was “Read, in the Name of your Lord”[2]? The acquisition of knowledge brings us back to the need to address the issue of time. For it is necessary to manage time in order to obtain the knowledge in a timely manner for the action to be undertaken. And of course, without the ability or power to act, we would not be able to “do good.”
In “doing good” we raise ourselves above the primary concern of every man, i.e. himself. In so doing, we learn the value of time for the issues we have to address are more than likely to be time sensitive. Either it is time critical, as was the case during the tsunami or an endangered life, or it is a process that would need a long time for treatment, like in the case of ozone depletion. Then, the perspective now changes from the quantity of time to the quality of time. It then becomes essential for us to understand how best to utilize the time we are given instead of wasting it away.
The Truth is supposed to set you free. True words indeed. After all in knowing the Truth, we are reminded of the position of everything and thus we understand our position vis-à-vis Allah and that with Him lies our journey’s end[3]. In this divine knowledge, we are set ‘free’ from the confines of time. If from Him we come and to Him we are heading to, the concept of the complete circle, of the Singularity in which there is no escape from, enables us to understand that time[4] is basically meaningless and valueless except for whatever artificial value that we ascribe to it. It then becomes only a tool for us to use in our journey to Allah, just like any other tool that Allah has provided for us. Thus the concept of time evolves from encompassing us to us encompassing it. This is the tool for us to “do good” and subsequently help to increase our provisions.
In the last part, “patience” and “consistency” are two key words very much related to the concept of time as well as the action of “doing good.” These are two words which ties the two together. Man, in his very nature, is impatient, wanting results in an instant. Neither is he consistent as he is often distracted away from his goals. We have to be reminded of the need to be patient and to persevere in our undertakings. With our knowledge of the Truth, we are reminded that everything has its time and place, and that time and place is not determined by us. Patience is then an indication of our acknowledgement and acceptance of that Truth and a form of training of the concept of time being meaningless unless we ascribe importance to it. Consistency is the necessary training for us to undergo to ensure that we do not lose sight of the Truth even as we go about our daily lives where distractions abound.
Thus we note at the end that time is a tool whose value is only what we ascribe to it. It becomes valuable if we use it rightly in accordance to Allah’s wish – to “do good.” In order to learn how to use time, Allah has prescribed us to forms of training; patience and consistency. Only then are we set free and no longer in the danger of being in a loss.
[1] From Muhammad Asad, “The Message of the Quran”, Dar Al-Andalus Ltd, 1980.
[2] Chapter 96 (Al-Alaq):1.
[3] Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah):284, Chapter 96 (Al-Alaq):8
[4] Time here refers to ‘relative time’ and not ‘absolute time’ for we truly have no understanding of ‘absolute time’.
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