Wal Asr Surah Meaning in English, Arabic & Transliteration

Wal asr surah (Surah Al-Asr), the 103rd chapter of the Quran, emphasizes the significance of time and warns about the loss mankind faces, except for those who believe, perform righteous deeds, and encourage each other towards truth and patience.

Wal Asr Surah in Arabic

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

وَالْعَصْرِ (١) إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (٢) إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (٣)

Surah Wal Asr Transliteration

1. Wal asr
2. Innal insaana lafee khusr
3. Illal lazeena aamanu wa ‘amilus saali haati wa tawa saw bil haqqi wa tawa saw bis sabr.

Wal Asr Surah Meaning in English

1. By Time
2. Verily man is in a state of utter loss.
3. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and exhort one another to hold fast to the truth and exhort one another to be steadfast.

Summary of Surah Wal Asr

Name in English	The Time, The Declining Day, The Epoch, The Flight of Time, Success Criteria
Name in Arabic	ٱلْعَصْر
Verses	3
Position in Quran	103rd Surah
Classification	Meccan
Surah Before	Surah At-Takaathur (102)
Surah After	Surah Al-Humazah (104)

This surah affirms that each human being is in a state of loss, except those who engage themselves in four activities. The first is holding or keeping the faith in Allah.

The second is doing good actions. The third and fourth is advising one another to follow the truth and to remain patient against all odds.

This surah was revealed in Makkah and takes its title from the first word of the first aayah. This surah presents a complete reality of life and history.

It is related that every time two of the Prophet’s companions met, they would not leave each other until one of them recited this surah and greeted his fellow with the greeting of peace, that is as-Salaam.

One scholar used to say that he understood the meaning of ‘wal asri innal insaana lafee khusr’ when he heard an ice-seller in the marketplace calling out,

‘Have mercy on a man whose wealth is melting away!’ meaning please buy my ice before it melts away, or I will lose it and have no money with which to feed myself and my family.

Our lives are like blocks of ice; they are passing away with each second, never to return! We will be losers if we don’t make the best use of our time by doing good things, which will be rewarded in the hereafter.

Tafseer Of The Surah

Here Allah swears by Time, which is night and day, in which people’s deeds take place, that every person is a loser, and loss is the opposite of success.

Loss is of various kinds: It may be absolute loss, as in the case of one who loses in this world and the hereafter, who misses out on bliss and deserves hellfire. Or he may be a loser in some ways but not others.

Therefore Allah describes everyone as a loser, except one who has the following four qualities:

• Belief in that which Allah has commanded us to believe in, and belief and faith cannot be sound unless they are based on knowledge, for faith is something that stems from knowledge and cannot be perfect without it.
• Righteous deeds, which include all good deeds, both outward and inward, having to do with duties towards Allah and towards His slaves, both obligatory and recommended.
• Exhorting one another to hold fast to the truth and do righteous deeds. That is, they exhort one another, urge one another and encourage one another to do that.
• Exhorting one another to be steadfast in obeying Allah, in refraining from disobedience towards Him, and in accepting the painful decrees of Allah.

By means of the first two one may perfect oneself, and by means of the last two one may help others to perfect themselves. By perfecting all four things one will be safe from loss and will attain great success.

Lessons From The Surah

1. Mankind struggles massively in valuing time, losing out immensely.
2. Only those who believe, do good deeds and encourage each other in the truth and in patience are saved from loss.
3. After Iman (faith) and doing good deeds, encouraging each other in goodness and patience is extremely important.