The Flight of Time
\r\n Al-Asr (The Flight of Time) - Chapter 103: Verses 1-3
![](\"/_img/quran-issue626.gif\")
"By the flight of time, man is in total loss. Except for those who have faith and do good works; who exhort each other to uphold the truth and to perseverance."
This brief surah summarizes the essence and outcome of all human activity for all time.
\r\nTime goes on, and people live and die, generation after generation, and era after era. People of the same generation may live under similar circumstances and traditions, but their destinies may go in totally different directions, depending on their moral and religious beliefs. The moral quality of human life is far more important, and the truth is no less honourable or illustrious if it is recognized by a minority.
\r\nThose who deny the sovereignty and power of God shall end up as fuel of hell in the hereafter, whereas the believers who, despite the odds, persevere in upholding the truth shall be the real and final winners in the ordeal of life.
\r\nTrue believers are few and in some generations of human history may even seem odd, but they are promised great rewards.
\r\nThis surah became a motto, a pledge of loyalty and brotherhood, among the Companions of the Prophet. It was traditional, according to reports, for Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Companions to recite this surah together before they shook hands and departed.
\r\nTo persevere for the sake of the truth could expose one to persecution and hardship, and therefore to uphold the true faith and triumph with it requires persistence, tenacity, and a strong will.
\r\nCompiled From:
\r\n "A Thematic Commentary on the Quran" - Muhammad Al-Ghazali, pp. 751, 752