After reciting the Tauz, the Tashahhud and the first chapter and chapter 103 of the Holy Quran, Imam Zafrullah Domun gave its translation as follows:

By the Time,

Surely man is in a state of loss,

Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to Truth and exhort one another to be steadfast.

During the course of our life many times we have heard sermons on this chapter of the Holy Quran. Some of these sermons might have been quite erudite and some might have been quite superficial. It is not my intention to give an elaborate explanation of this chapter as it has been commented upon by various commentators. My intention is just to state what the obvious simple message of this chapter is. Its message is relevant  today as it has been in the past and it will most probably be  so in the future.

In various places of the Holy Quran Allah cites a natural phenomenon or an abstract idea before making an important statement. Here the idea used is “al asr”. In fact according to Lane’s dictionary its meaning is “time; history; succession of ages; the afternoon or the evening”. In fact what one may infer from this verse is that as the wheel of time moves on , as we see one generation begetting another, as we see one generation replacing another , as we see  the afternoon and evening  everyday we live in the same way man is seen to be at a loss . But Allah does not tell us that all of them are at a loss. There are exceptions. Those who are not at a loss display four characteristics. First of all they are believers. Secondly they do good deeds. Thirdly they exhort one another to stick to what is true. Thirdly they exhort one another to be patient. Those who display these characteristics will not form part of the group of people who are at a loss and who do not know where they are going.

Simply put this is the message of this chapter of the Holy Quran. Expressed thus any simple person can easily understand what Allah wants us to understand. However we should not also forget that there are many great minds throughout the ages who have been grappling with the question what is time. How do we perceive it? It is such an intriguing question that when the physicist Stephen Hawking published a book about “A brief history of time” in 1988, it sold millions of copies. Even after reading the book one cannot really grasp “what is time?” It is a very complicated concept. Nonetheless most of us can easily understand that our life is linked to time. We are born, we grow up, we reach maturity in physical growth, then we start decaying and eventually we die. All these things do not take place all of a sudden. It is a process that is manifested through the days and months and years we live. In other words, we perceive all these through what we understand as “time”. Hence our life unfolds through time. This is the natural order and we cannot escape it. That is why Allah mentions it. Allah the Knower of all things and who is very compassionate towards His creatures want them to understand that just as one cannot escape time similarly one will not escape a state of loss unless one displays the four characteristics mentioned above.

Before I say more about the characteristics of those who are not in a state of loss, let me tell you a few words about people who are in a state of loss. The word used to describe the state of loss is “khusrin”. The root of this Arabic word is “kha sa ra” which means among other things “to go way from the road and to be lost; to be deprived; to suffer a loss.” Hence the word “khasroun or khousroun” means “loss, damage, deprivation or even deception”. I have used the Qur’anic dictionary by Maurice Gloton for this word. When Hazrat Adam was deceived by Satan Allah taught him the following prayer in order not be among the losers: “Rabbana zalamna anfosana wa illam taghfirlana wa tarhamna lanakounanna menal khasereen”. The translation is “O Our Lord we have wronged our selves (souls), if you do not forgive us and have mercy upon us we will surely be among the losers.”(7:24).This is a very beautiful prayer of repentance which I advise all our members to remember and to recite as often as they can especially when they have sinned.

Recently I read a report about an international poll about the country where most people want to emigrate. Of course it is theUSA. Most people want to go there because they think that life is better over there. The fact is that those who have made it in America themselves do not share such an idea. Some time back I read an article by a journalist where he depicted how people in the most prosperous country in the world live. Since then this article has been circulated on the net. But in view of its importance I will read an extract to you so that we or our next generation might not fall into this trap of looking only for what is material in life. From the Islamic point of view the Muslim should aim for the life of the hereafter without neglecting his lot in this world. We should never forget the spiritual dimension of life in our quest for material well being.  Here are some extracts from the the article:

“The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but
shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray  seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to
life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but
have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.
We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air,
but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold
more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small
character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of
two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer,
to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stock room. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.”

At the time when this article was written there were no SMS and no chatting. But these days this is quite common place. How many persons these days seem more interested in those who are far away rather than those who are near them? How many husbands or wives and children spend more time in chatting with others rather than with each other? How many amongst us really know how to listen to others? Although we know what is proper behaviour we seldom practice it until it is too late. So let us all avoid falling into a state of loss by following the teachings of Islam as we understand they should be practiced so that we might know what true happiness is.

Now we come to the last verse of the chapter under discussion. As we have already said those who will escape this state of loss are those who believe and do good deeds. When we speak of belief we mean belief in the message of the Holy Quran. We do not pick and choose what to believe. We do not believe in some verses and reject other verses. We do not invent some notions and give them more importance than Allah gives them. We do not interpret verses to colour them with our own limited understanding. We believe in the message of the Holy Quran and we try our best to follow what we have understood. We do not mix our ugly cultural practices with the noble teachings of the Holy Quran and we boldly and brazen facedly say that this is the Islamic Shariat!

Belief is insufficient. It has to be accompanied by good deeds. A good deed is the water that nourishes the garden of belief. One is incomplete without the other.  Hence as a good Muslim we should have the correct belief and also practice good deeds. In the next part of the verse Allah says that those who are not in a state of loss exhort one another to Truth. Now in order to exhort we have to keep lines of communication open.  The fact is that TRUTH in itself is greater than what our mind can comprehend. By an exchange of views we arrive at deeper understanding. Even in the world of religion we should tolerate divergent views. But we should always be constantly searching for truth, in other words be on the look out for a deeper understanding of what Allah is(because He is TRUTH) and exhort one another towards this understanding. By confronting our ideas with that of others we deepen our own understanding. But if we are just happy being imprisoned in our mental cells and prefer the nourishment of our own prejudices amongst our selves rather than confronting our ideas with others, then we will not display the characteristic that Allah has mentioned of those who are not in a state of loss.

Furthermore when there are exhortations and exchange of views, many times passions flare up. That is why Allah says that we should also display patience. But unfortunately for many of those who think that they have a monopoly on truth, they have an insignificant measure of patience in themselves. Patience is a noble virtue. It is cultivated over time. It is not something that we are borne with. In fact it is the trials of life that makes one patient.

Members of Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemeen should continue to display the boldness that was displayed by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who was a personification of courage and who did not at all fear to confront the world with his divinely inspired ideas. Today this tradition is disappearing. We need to keep it alive. We are not at all afraid to have friendly exchange of ideas with anyone in the search for truth. Allah knows best and Allah guides whomsoever He likes to the straight path. In utter humility I may say that Allah has told me that I am on the straight path and I guide to the straight path. We end by the prayer “ Rabbana waj’alna menal lazina aamanou wa aamelous swalehaate wa tawaasaw bil haqqe wa tawaasaw bis sabr”. The translation is “O Our Lord make us amongst those people who believe and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to Truth and exhort one another to be steadfast.” Ameen Ya Rabbal Aalameen.

On waking up this morning Allah revealed to me “Yaa Ayyohal lazina aamanou kounou ma’as swadeqeen”. The translation is very simple and it confirms what we have already said above. It can be translated as “O ye who believe be among those who are truthful”. May Allah continue to unfold upon us what is true and may we all and our future generation stick to what is true always whatever the circumstances. Ameen