103. Al-Asr
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

How `Amr bin Al-`As was aware of the Qur’an’s Miracle due to this Surah

They have mentioned that `Amr bin Al-`As went to visit Musaylimah Al-Kadhdhab after the Messenger of Allah was commissioned (as a Prophet) and before `Amr had

They have mentioned that `Amr bin Al-`As went to visit Musaylimah Al-Kadhdhab after the Messenger of Allah was commissioned (as a Prophet) and before `Amr had accepted Islam. Upon his arrival, Musaylimah said to him, “What has been revealed to your friend (Muhammad ) during this time” `Amr said, “A short and concise Surah has been revealed to him.” Musaylimah then said, “What is it” `Amr replied;

[ِﺮْﺼَﻌْﻟﺍَﻭ - ٍﺮْﺴُﺧ ﻰِﻔَﻟ َﻦـَﺴﻧِ ﻹﺍ َّﻥِﺇ -ْﺍﻮُﻠِﻤَﻋَﻭ ْﺍﻮُﻨَﻣﺍَء َﻦﻳِﺬَّﻟﺍ َّ ﻻِﺇ ِﺮْﺒَّﺼﻟﺎِﺑ ْﺍْﻮَﺻﺍَﻮَﺗَﻭ ِّﻖَﺤْﻟﺎِﺑ ْﺍْﻮَﺻﺍَﻮَﺗَﻭ ِﺖـَﺤِﻠـَّﺼﻟﺍ]

(By Al-`Asr. Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience.) So Musaylimah thought for a while. Then he said, “Indeed something similar has also been revealed to me.” `Amr asked him, “What is it” He replied, “O Wabr (a small, furry mammal; hyrax), O Wabr! You are only two ears and a chest, and the rest of you is digging and burrowing.” Then he said, “What do you think, O `Amr” So `Amr said to him, “By Allah! Verily, you know that I know you are lying.” I saw that Abu Bakr Al-Khara’iti mentioned a chain of narration for part of this story, or what was close to its meaning, in volume two of his famous book Masawi’ ul-Akhlaq. The Wabr is a small animal that resembles a cat, and the largest thing on it is its ears and its torso, while the rest of it is ugly. Musayli- mah intended by the composition of these nonsensical verses to produce something which would oppose the Qur’an. Yet, it was not even convin- cing to the idol wor- shipper of that time.

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The Evil Of Craving For Wealth And Status
Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

The first type of craving for wealth is that a person has extreme love for wealth and also relentlessly exerts efforts to attain it – via means which are lawful – being excessive in that, striving hard and making painstaking efforts and toiling in order to attain it.

It has been reported that this hadeeth was in response to the appearance of some elements of this, as at-Tabaraanee reports from `Aasim ibn `Adiyy, radiyallaahu `anhu, who said, `I bought a hundred shares from the shares of Khaybar and that reached the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam so he said, “Two ravenous wolves remaining amongst sheep whose owner has lost them will not be more harmful than a Muslim`s seeking after wealth and status is to his Deen.” [It is quoted by al-Haithumee in Majma` uz-Zawaa`id (10/250) and he attributed it to at-Tabaraanee in al-Awsat and said, "Its isnaad is hasan (good)."]

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Explanation of As-Saakhah
Imam Ibn Kathir

Then when there comes as-Saakhah Ibn Abbaas (radiaAllaahu anhuma) said, “As-Saakhah is one of the names of the Day of Judgement that Allah has magnified and warned his servants of.” [Reported in at-Tabari 24:229]

Then when there comes as-Saakhah That day shall man flee from his brother.And from his mother and his father. And from his wife and his children. Every man that Day will have enough to make his careless of others. [Surah Abasa 80:33-37]
Ibn Jareer said, “Perhaps it (as-Saakhah) is a name for the blowing into the Trumpet.” Al-Baghawi said, “As-Saakhah means the thunderous shout of the Day of Judgement. It has been called this because it will deafen the ears. This means that it pierces the ears to such an extent that it almost deafens the ears.”

That Day shall a man flee from his brother. And from his mother and his father. And from his wife and his children.

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Remembering the Destination of Mankind in the Hereafter – A Cure for Weak Iman
Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

Madaarij us-Saalikeen
Quoted in “The Weakening of Faith – Its Symptoms, Causes and Cure” of Shaykh M. S. al-Monajjid

When one’s mind is clear, he will be able to see clearly, thus giving such a person a light in his heart that will allow him to almost witness the Warning and the Promise, Paradise and Hell, and what Allah has prepared in this (Paradise) For His Awliyaa` (loyal friends) and in that (Hell) for His enemies. He will then witness people rushing out of their graves following the call of the Truth (Resurrection).

The angels in the heavens will the descend and will surround them (creation). Allah will then come to judge (between creation) and His Kursi (literally a footstool or chair) will be raised. The earth will shine with the Light of its Lord (Allah, when He comes to judge between His creation), the Book (of Records) will be opened and the Prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward. The Mizan (Scale) will then be established, the books of (individual) records will fly around and the foes will converge, each holding to its foe. Al-Houdh (the pool that runs outside the gates of Paradise from a river inside it) will then appear and its cups will appear close by.

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Aspects of Increasing Imaan
Shakyh Ibn Taymiyyah

Increasing the Iman which Allah commands us to have, and which is a trait of His believing worshipers, can be achieved through different means. The first aspect in increasing Iman is through practicing ijmaal, total, observance and tafseel, detailed, observance of Allah’s commands, for it is the obligation of all mankind to believe in Allah and His Messenger, and of every community to commit itself to all that the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam) has ordered. It is well known that what was obligatory at first differs from what was required after the revelation of the whole Qur’an. Hence, unlike one who does not know about Islam, he who knows the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and their meanings is obliged to have a detailed Iman. That is, if a man, inwardly as well as outwardly, believed in Allah and the Messenger (pbuh) and died before he knew the laws of religion, he would die as a believer. His obligation and what he did are different from the Iman of the one who knew the Islaimic laws and who believed in them and worked to fulfill them. The Iman of such a person is more complete, in accordance with the obligatory and the actual deeds. Indeed, of what he performed in accordance with the obligation is of a more complete Iman and what he did is also considered more complete.

Allah says: “… This day I have perfected your religion for you …” (5:3). In this verse, the word “religion” refers to the legislation of commanded and forbidden actions, but does not mean that everybody is obliged to do what the whole community is ordered to do. It is recorded both in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (pbuh) described women as diminished in intellect and religion. This diminution in intellect made the witness of two women equal in that of one man; the diminution in her religion is due to the fact that she does not pray and fast when she is menstruating. Indeed, this diminution is not a diminution of what she is commanded to do and so she will not be punished because of it. However, if someone is commanded to pray and fast and does so, his religion is complete compared to the one of diminished religion.

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