Tadabbur Surah Al-‘Ashr and the Alarm of Our Life

Time is a very important part of our lives. Why? Because time plays a determining role in improving the quality of our lives and time is something that is limited so it cannot be restored even for just a second. But often we feel that time is always there and will never run out, so we postpone it and waste it today and we have the belief that there will still be tomorrow. Even though without sound and without warning, time continues to walk away from us. Interestingly, Islam reminds us that the way we treat time will affect our lives, does our life have value? Or is it actually a loss?

In the Al-Quran, Surah Al-‘Ashr, Allah has given a firm warning regarding this, even though this Surah is a short surah which only consists of three verses and is often the favorite surah in prayer reading, this surah has tremendous wisdom for us in learning to appreciate time.

Allah SWT. opens this chapter with a very solemn oath:

And in the afternoon

“For the sake of time.”

According to many commentators, Allah’s oath on time shows that time is not a trivial matter. In Tafsir Ibn Kathir, says al-‘ashr interpreted as time as a whole—day, night, and all phases of human life. That is, Allah is confirming; Pay close attention to how your time is used, because that is where your fate is determined.

The next verse immediately pierces our consciousness:

Humans are experiencing losses

“Humans are truly at a disadvantage.”

The meaning of loss here, according to Al-Qurthubi’s interpretation, is not just material loss, but also includes loss of life. We lose because time continues to pass, while we neglect to fill it with meaningful things.

Then Allah gave an exception:

Except for those who believe and do good deeds and advise each other to the truth and advise each other to be patient.

“Except for those who believe and do good deeds and advise each other to the truth and advise each other to be patient..”

According to Imam Asy-Syafi’i, Surah Al-‘Ashr is sufficient as proof for humans. If you think about it, these four elements all take time. Faith needs time to be maintained, pious deeds need time to be done, advising and being patient also need a process and consistency of time.

The problem is, quite a few of us spend time on things that are not important. So prayer and worship times feel heavy, but time scrolling social media feels light. This is one form of loss referred to in Surah Al-‘Ashr.

Have you ever felt that time is going by very quickly? But we don’t get any results from this time travel. It’s as if morning comes without a plan, and night comes with regret. That is the impact of irregular use of time. We waste time and don’t make the best use of it, so time seems to pass so quickly.

Rasulullah saw. I’ve been thinking about this question for a long time. he says: “There are two blessings that many people are deceived into: health and free time.”
(HRBukhari)

This hadith is very relevant to our conditions today. Why? Because we often feel relaxed because we are still young, still healthy and strong, and there is still tomorrow. However, if we look closely, that’s where we are being deceived. Free time is not a guarantee, but it can be a test, because we don’t fill it with positive activities but instead just waste it.

Respecting time from the perspective of Surah Al-‘Ashr is a matter of balance. It’s not just about worship but also other good activities. such as working honestly, studying seriously, helping others, even resting with the intention of God, all can be worth good deeds.

Awareness of time should also make us wiser in our behavior. Not easy to delay, doesn’t like to take things for granted, and doesn’t like to waste opportunities. Because lost opportunities often don’t come around twice. Today we may still have time, but tomorrow is not certain.

Surah Al-‘Ashr seems to be a life alarm for us. Short, simple, but deep message. He reminds us that life is not about the length of life, but rather the quality of the time we fill. The true loss is not when you fail to reach the world, but when time runs out without faith, charity, and without meaning.

So, before time really runs out, maybe we need to ask ourselves more often: today, what is our time used for? Because it could be that the answer to that question will determine whether we are the ones who lose out—or the lucky ones.

Also Read: Read this article when you feel like you don’t have enough time

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Author: Nabila Rahayu

Editor: Sutan