Time al-ʿAṣr ( العصر )

3 verses • revealed at Meccan

»The surah that opens with the oath of the Divine One swearing by the decline of Time and humankind’s absolute loss of every single thing but righteousness, truth, patience, and faith. It takes its name from the phrase “by time” (wal- ʿāṣr) as mentioned in

. The surah shows the way to salvation. The image of a declining day suggests the stage in the day, or in life, when only a short while is left for those wishing to make up for lost time.«
The surah is also known as: Afternoon, The Decline of Time, The Declining Day, The Epoch, The Late Afternoon, Time and Age, Time through the Ages.

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

Transliteration: bi-smi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmⁱ

Translation: In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.

1

وَالعَصرِ

Transliteration

wa-l-ʿaṣrⁱ

Translation

By Time!

2

إِنَّ الإِنسانَ لَفي خُسرٍ

Transliteration

ʾinna l-ʾinsāna la-fī khusrⁱⁿ

Translation

Indeed man is in loss,

3

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إِلَّا الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ وَتَواصَوا بِالحَقِّ وَتَواصَوا بِالصَّبرِ

Transliteration

ʾillā lladhīna ʾāmanū wa-ʿamilū ṣ-ṣāliḥāti wa-tawāṣaw bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-tawāṣaw bi-ṣ-ṣabrⁱ

Translation

except those who have faith and do righteous deeds, and enjoin one another to [follow] the truth, and enjoin one another to patience.