The Message of Sûrah al-`Asr

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The Message of Sûrah al-`Asr (part 1)| Sheikh Salman al-Oadah|




Allah says: “By time! Surely the human being is at loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience.” [Sûrah al-`Asr]

Love for the sake of Allah is the elixir that dissolves barriers and binds the hearts of people together. It does not matter how far apart those people might be, or how much their activities and concerns lead them down different paths. Let us always raise the banner of love whenever the tempest of hate and anger begins to swirl up around us.

The age in which we live is one where oppression, injustice, killing, and violence are sometimes perpetrated in the name of freedom, or in the name of democracy, or in the name of peace, or in the name of Islam. We can only overcome this by raising the banner of love between us built upon our love for Allah and our love for His Messenger (peace be upon him).

This type of love is a particular quality of the believers. Allah says: “O you who believe! If any of you turn back from his faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him – having humility among the believers but mighty in front of those who reject faith, striving in the way of Allah and never fearing the reproaches of those who scoff. This is the grace of Allah which He bestows upon whom He pleases. And Allah encompasses and knows all things.” [Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 54]

We should realize that the hardships of life are transient, preceded and followed by times of ease. Allah says: “Verily with hardship comes ease; verily with hardship comes ease.” [Sûrah al-Sharh: 5-6]

Just like life is filled with obstacles, it is also filled with opportunities. Indeed, the message given by Sûrah al-`Asr is one of glad tidings of love, relief, and ease brought by Allah.

When the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to meet one another, they would not depart until one of them recited Sûrah al-`Asr to the other and they bid peace upon one another. [Awsat al-Tabarâni (5124) and Shu`ab al-Îmân (8639)]

The Companions used to remind one another of Sûrah al-`Asr because of the fundamental issues that this small chapter of the Qur’ân addresses and that all Muslims should be concerned with. We can acquire wisdom from the fact that the Qur’ân pays such careful attention to major and important issues, since we too often focus our attentions on minor issues that should be very low on our list of priorities. Our limited energies get distracted from what is important.

Becoming preoccupied with insignificant matters while forgetting what is really important is a major pitfall. The Companion Ibn `Umar once said to the people of Iraq: “How concerned you are with minor things and how neglectful you are of what is serious! You kill al-Husayn, the Prophet’s grandson, and then ask about the blood of a mosquito.”

We have another example of such an imbalanced focus in the executioners who flogged the great scholar Ahmad b. Hanbal. They used to ask him about the blood that splattered on their clothes and they used to question his praying seated while his arms and legs were bound in irons.

We will, in this article, focus on three major topics: time, the human being, and deeds. These three topics are the key to success in this world and salvation in the Hereafter. We will discuss these topics one at a time.

1. Time

We must realize that though time is innocent, people so often wrongly accused it of all the hardships and wrongs that they experience. Time is a mere receptacle for these happenings. It is neutral. This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited us from censuring the course of time. He related that Allah said: “The son of Adam does me wrong when he curses the course of time. I am the course of time, for the affair is in My hands as I turn the day and night over one another.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4826) and Sahîh Muslim (2246)]

The statement “I am the course of time” is telling us that what people attribute to time is only by the will and decree of Allah, the wise and all-knowing. Allah is the Creator of everything and nothing that happens in His Creation happens in vain.

In Sûrah al`Asr, Allah swears an oath by time, indicating its seriousness and importance. Time is the receptacle within which our deeds are carried out. It is a factor in our success in this world and the Hereafter. Allah says: “He it is who made the night and the day to follow each other for such as have the will to remember Him or to give thanks.” [Sûrah al-Furqân: 62]

Ibn `Abbâs said: “Whoever missed performing any of the deeds of the night should make them up during the day, and whoever missed performing any of the deeds of the day should make them up at night.”

Allah says regarding the unbelievers in Hell: “Therein they will cry: ‘Our Lord! Bring us out. We shall work righteousness, not the deeds we used to do.’ Did We not give you long enough lives so that he who would receive admonition could do so? Moreover, a warner came to you. So taste what comes to you. For the wrongdoers there is no helper.” [Sûrah Fâtir: 36-37]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A man has no excuse if Allah extends his life until he reaches sixty years of age.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6419)]

Allah swears an oath by time because, in the course of time, changes and transformations take place. Summer turns to winter. Cold weather replaces heat. Strength turns to weakness. Victory turns to defeat. A person goes from rags to riches. Hardships are replaced by ease. Sicknesses are cured.

History is a testimony to this changeability. Today, the Muslim world is weak and divided and subdued by its enemies. Its intellectual life is superficial. It is wracked with despair and hopelessness. This can be remedied if the Muslims become forward thinking and work towards constructive change. We should not assume that the present circumstances are forever etched in stone.

Allah says: “Did you not swear aforetime that you would never suffer decline?” [Sûrah Ibrâhîm: 44] I used to wonder who could possibly believe that they would never suffer decline. Must not everyone realize that their lives must inevitably come to an end? Who could possibly swear such an oath?

I got my answer to this question when I read Francis Fukuyama’s book entitled The End of History. The book was written in celebration of the fall of Communism. He declared that the West had won and that Western democracy was the victor. The long-awaited event had happened that marked an “end point of mankind's ideological evolution” and the “final form of human government” and deserved to be called “the end of history.”

Allah says: “Did you not swear aforetime that you would never suffer decline? And you dwelt in the dwellings of men who wronged their own souls. You were clearly shown how We dealt with them and We set many examples before you.” [Sûrah Ibrâhîm: 44-45]

The word for time used in Sûrah al-`Asr is the Arabic word `asr which refers to the current time or age, as opposed to some more eternal and abstract notion of time. By swearing an oath by this aspect of time, Allah is indicating to us the importance of being up to date, of living in the present, and of understanding the contingencies of the era in which we live. We need to understand the age in which we live and actively engage the changes and challenges that it presents to us.

The epitome of virtue is to respond to these changes and challenges appropriately while remaining completely within the limits set down by Allah. We see that the Prophet (peace be upon him) offered the following supplication to Allah: “O Allah! Lord of Gabriel, Michael, and Ariel, Creator of the heavens and the Earth, Knower of the Unseen and the evident! You judge between your servants in what they differ about. Guide me, by your grace, to the truth in what they differ. Truly, You guide whom you please to a path that is straight.”

This is why Allah commands us to say in every unit of prayer that we perform: “Guide us to the Straight Path”. This shows us that there will always be new matters for which we will need guidance. We need to always beseech Allah to guide us in all matters and never assume that what we presently know is sufficient for us. We cannot assume that we have arrived at the final, immutable truth for every matter. We must understand that we will always need to learn how to respond to changing times and circumstances without compromising the immutable truths that our religion teaches us.

Some people are rigid in their adherence to a narrow set of ideas and opinions, though what they adhere to is not above reproach or criticism. Such people treat their ideas as if they were immutable, absolute truths, and sometimes even go so far as to reject an authentic Sunnah that had previously been unknown to them.

By contrast, there are others who begin to doubt the truly eternal and immutable teachings of our faith. When we review what is being said about Islam on the air and on the Internet, we can find people who call into question the most fundamental teachings of Islam. We can even find them disputing about Allah, the Qur’ân, revelation, the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the relationship between religion and politics. We hear people who advocate secularism and wholesale Westernization. There are those who wish to wholly adopt American culture and values.

Faced with these extremes, we must recall Allah’s words: “Those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but maintain a just balance between those (extremes).” [Sûrah al-Furqân: 67]

The American Muslim, Muhammad Ali, once said: “If I say today at forty what I said when I was twenty, then I have wasted twenty years of my life.”

Changing circumstances brings to the surface the true mettle of people. It shows who has the ability to move forward. There are those who are held captive by their lusts and desires. Others are held captive by their rulers or by their follows. A free person is one who can escape all of that.

Allahs’ Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “The slaves of gold, silver, and finery are wretched. If they are given what they want, they are pleased. If not, they become discontent and bitter and sink into wretchedness. If they come to any harm, they do not recover.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2887)]
 
The Message of Sûrah al-`Asr (part 2)| Sheikh Salman al-Oadah|


The Arabic word “Asr”, that Allah swears by, has another connotation. It refers to the time at the end of the day, in other words the late afternoon. It is also used for the end of the harvest season. Our late afternoon prayer is called the `Asr prayer, that Allah often refers to in the Qur’ân as the “middle prayer”.

The time of Muhammad’s followers is like the late afternoon of human history. It is the last period before the end of the world. The Muslim nation is the last and greatest of all nations. It is the most preferred nation with Allah and it will be the first nation in the Hereafter to be admitted into Paradise.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Our relationship to the people of the two previous scriptures can be likened to a situation where a man hires a number of laborers. He asks: ‘Who will work for me from morning until midday for a certain sum?’ The Jews are the ones to work at this time. Then he asks: ‘Who will work from midday to the late afternoon for the same sum?’ The Christians are the ones to work at this time. Then he asks: ‘Who will work from the late afternoon until sunset for double that sum?’ You are these people. This angers the Jews and Christians who say: ‘Why did we have to work more to receive less?’ He replies: ‘Have you been deprived of any of your right?’ They answer: ‘No.’ He says: ‘This is my favor that I give to whom I please.’” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (8622)]

Since we are the nation of the late afternoon of the Earth, we must be witnesses over humanity. We should therefore be the most knowledgeable of people as well as the best in character. We should be the most civilized and most acquainted with what is best for humanity in both their worldly and spiritual lives. However, today, we are a wasted, exploited nation, with a number of lands and countries under foreign occupation.

Of the worlds poor, 65% are Muslims. Likewise, Muslims comprise 80% of the world’s refugees. In spite of the fact that Muslims make up from one-fifth to one-fourth of the world’s human population, they collectively possess no more that a 6% share of the world’s economy. Moreover, Muslims are seriously maligned in the world media.

A young Muslim woman today will know about hundreds of actresses, singers, dancers, fashion models, and even nude models, but we find it difficult to produce a contemporary wholesome role model for women to emulate. We end up having to speak about the Prophet’s wives.

Why, when we are the nation of Earth’s late afternoon, does our society not have good role models for its men and women? The answer is that, in spite of the poverty, weakness, and all the problems that we face, we seem to be working very hard to destroy one another.

In our desperation and our desire to run away from our problems, some of us turn to fancies and dreams. We must be wary of this. Many quite unscholarly books are being written about the end of time and the signs of the Hour, some even specifying when the end of the world is supposed to be. It may be that these books are being written with the best of intentions, but they speak without knowledge about the Unseen. They also lull people into a state of inaction and bring about a lot of negativity.

2. The human being

When Allah says: “Surely the human being is at loss”, He is speaking about every human being. In the Qur’ân, the human being is often threatened with loss. Allah says: “Verily, We have created the human being in the best of molds. Then We have brought him to the lowest of the low, except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds, for they shall have an unfailing reward.” [Sûrah al-Tîn: 4-6]

Allah created the human being, chose him, taught him, and even had the angels prostrate themselves before him. When the angels said: “Will you create therein who will spread mischief therein and spill blood while we celebrate your praises and glorify your holiness?” Allah says: “I know what you know not.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 30] This is a clear commendation for humanity and a clear statement of the uniqueness of the human being and the special responsibility that he carries.

Allah says: “We have honored the descendants of Adam, provided them with transport on land and sea, given them for sustenance things good and pure, and favored them above a great part of Our Creation.” [Sûrah al-Isrâ’: 70]

We must keep in mind, however, that our possible abasement and punishment are directly proportional to this responsibility.

People will be at loss to varying degrees. Some, like the unbelievers, are completely at loss. Their works will profit them nothing on the Day of Resurrection. Allah says: “And in the hereafter theirs will be the greatest loss.” [Sûrah al-Nahl: 5] Others will be partially at loss with little or no profit to their credit. Some on that Day will have debts to others.

Life is a form of business and trade. Allah says about some of the Unbelievers: “Those are the ones who purchased misguidance with guidance, so their trade did not profit them and they were not of those who were guided.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 16]

The Prophet (peace be upon him said): “Every person goes forth in the morning trading in his own self. He either earns its freedom or consigns it to perdition.” [Sahîh Muslim (322)]

The human being is by nature a creature of action and of concern. He does not sit idle. Every person is going forward, but not every person is headed in the same direction. Some people are headed towards greater perfection and towards salvation, while others are headed towards their own ruin.
 
The Message of Sûrah al-`Asr (part 3)| Sheikh Salman al-Oadah|


Life without a noble purpose is meaningless. In order to invest our lives with meaning, we have to renew the purposes that we have.

First of all, we need to have purposes in our lives that are personal. There is nothing objectionable about this. Islamic Law has actually come to help us realize our individual aspirations, like academic achievement, professional success, financial prosperity, marital bliss, and other permissible worldly benefits. These personal achievements ultimately translate into prosperity for society, since society is the sum total of its individuals. A rational person will not resort to unlawful means of achieving his goals as long as he finds legitimate means to do so. Society’s success is the sum total of the legitimate successes of its people.

Many people, in times of crisis, wonder about the role that they should play. The truth is that our role in life is not supposed to be limited to hastily reacting to whatever ill befalls us. Admittedly, it is good to respond well in times of crisis. However, we need to play a more consistent and proactive role, even if that role is minor or our steps gradual. ‘Slow yet effective’ can be our motto.

The second sort of goal we should have is a general goal to serve society and to fend for it. We should feel the pain of our fellow Muslims when pain befalls them and act with integrity and nobility. We must contribute with our finances, our knowledge, and our good advice. This is the right that all Muslims have on their fellows, even when the Muslim in need has been neglectful or is unknown to his benefactor. We cannot as individuals solve all the major problems in the world or put an end to human suffering. No one has the power to do this except Allah. Nevertheless, we must be convinced that there is something we can do and at least start some positive endeavor that we can leave as a legacy for our children and grandchildren.

3. Deeds

Allah mentions to us what we need to attain completeness for ourselves and for the others around us. They are four things: faith, righteous deeds, mutual exhortation to truth, and mutual exhortation to patience.

First, we must have faith in everything that we as Muslims are required to believe in. Allah says: “The Messenger believes in what was revealed to him by his Lord, and so do the believers. They all believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, and His Messengers. They say: ‘We do not distinguish between any of his Messengers.’ They say: ‘We hear and we obey. Your forgiveness, our Lord! To you is our final destination.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 285]

The faith that resides in a person’s heart is the condition for salvation. None but a believer will enter Paradise. When Allah speaks about the believers, He generally addresses them as group, as He does in Sûrah al-`Asr. This is indicative of the spirit of community and solidarity that the believers should have and the lack of selfishness that should exist in their hearts. Many of the unbelievers have a very strong sense of their own identity. We can consider a country like China that for more than five thousand years has remained a single, unified country. When we turn our attention to the Muslims, we see so much division and so much bickering that you might fancy antagonism and strife to be part of their nature. When there are no divisions existing between us, we seem determined to create them. This state of affairs has weakened our faith and depleted our strength. It has brought down our lives, hardened our hearts, and sharpened our tongues. We are like this in spite of the fact that our religion has come with mercy even for the lowliest beasts and birds and with respect even for the non-living elements of our environment. It comes as a mercy for all humanity, not just for the Muslims.

Allah then mentions righteous deeds. In the Qur’ân, deeds are often mentioned along with faith. In actuality, deeds are part of faith. Our pious predecessors defined faith to encompass our belief, our statements, and our deeds. Al-Hasan al-Basrî said: “Faith is not by wishful thinking or outward trappings, but a conviction in the heart that is verified by our conduct.”

There are deeds of the heart, of the tongue, and of the limbs. Righteous deeds can be formal acts of worship, simple good conduct, or assisting others in attaining their worldly needs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) even said: ““When one of you approaches his wife, it is an act of charity.” [Sahîh Muslim (1006)] and: “The morsel of food you place in your wife’s mouth is charity.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (1295) and Sahîh Muslim (1628)]

Then Allah mentions mutual exhortation to truth. The mutuality of this endeavor further emphasizes the importance of the mercy and sympathy that we must have for one another. Your fellow Muslim cares for you, is concerned for you, and exhorts you with good advice and you do so in turn. This relationship should exists between all people; the governor and the governed, the teacher and the student the parent and the child, the youth and the elder, the man and the woman. When Allah commands us to exhort each other, this is what he means. It is everyone’s duty. It is not an activity for a select group of people were the rest of the population merely has to hear and obey. We as Muslims reject the notion of a priesthood who have a special divine sanction to understand and disseminate the teachings of the sacred texts. All we have are scholars who by virtue of their learning and specialized study are more knowledgeable about the texts and more able to make an informed opinion. Infallibility, however, is not within their grasp.

Every field of knowledge, from medicine to economics to administration, has its specialists. This applies equally to Islamic knowledge. The opinions of qualified specialists in the Islamic disciplines should carry considerable weight. However, understanding of the Qur’ân and Sunnah is not their monopoly. They, like everyone else, can both give and receive admonition.

The Qur’ân comes with many exhortations. “Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you do good for your parents” [Sûrah al-Isrâ’: 23] “Worship your Lord and associate nothing in worship with Him. Be good to parents, kinfolk, orphans, those in need, close neighbors, neighbors who are strangers, the companions by your side, the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. Truly, Allah does not love the arrogant and vainglorious.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 36]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) came with many exhortations, including those relating to the treatment of women, the upkeep of prayer, and the maintenance of personal fortitude.

All Muslims must carry out the responsibility of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. We must all encourage those who do right and speak honestly to those who do wrong about their actions. The second Caliph `Umar aptly said, addressing the people: “There is no good in you if you do not speak out and no good in us if we do not hear.”

The Muslims did not arrive at the sorry state they are in today except on account of our arrogance when others advise us to fear Allah. Allah says: “When it is said to him to fear Allah, he is led by arrogance to sin. Enough for him is Hell – and an evil resting place it is indeed.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 206]

The exhortation to fear Allah does not warrant such an arrogant response. It is in fact a sincere word rooted in mercy, truth, and genuine concern. It is not pompous nor does it lend itself to criticism and objection.

When Allah says: “and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience” He is showing us the importance of dialogue to Muslim society. Sincere dialogue promotes intellectual development and helps prevent rifts from developing in society.

This mutual exhortation is only to be to the truth. Our personal opinions may not necessarily be true. The sure truth, however, is what we find in the Qur’ân and Sunnah and the consensus of the Muslims. Our own opinions may be true, but we must always bear in mind that there is a chance they may be false. None of us can ever be absolutely certain that his personal opinion is the absolute truth.

Finally, Allah mentions mutual exhortation to patience. Whoever relies on this cannot fail. Patience is to faith what the head is to the body. Whoever is devoid of patience is bereft of faith. Faith requires patience. Good works require patience. Calling to the truth requires patience.

We need patience for our religion and for our worldly lives. Patience is the basis of nobility and the best of good manners. It makes life pure and more pleasant. `Umar said: “We found the best times of our lives by being patient.”

Patience keeps a person balanced and moderates his ideas and his actions. Patience is the balm for the woman whose husband is cruel, for the sick person whom doctors cannot cure, for the debtor under the pressure of his financers, and for the worried person consumed by grief and concern. Patience is the cure for all of those who are waiting for Allah to release them from their burdens. Allah’s is the praise, no matter how protracted a person’s trials may become.

A brother once wrote to me, telling me the story of when he was in poverty and debt and feeling hungry. He said that he had resolved to write an elegant poem of praise to solicit with it the assistance of some wealthy merchant, minister, or prince. When he set down to do so, it was as if something within his soul had called out to him and said: “Those people are created beings like yourself and like you are needy before Allah.” I then resolved to write a poem about Him who created me and them. Within months, my unemployment, poverty, and debts all went away.
 
The Message of Sûrah al-`Asr (part 4)| Sheikh Salman al-Oadah|


There are two sides to patience. The first of these is for a person to show restraint in his pursuits, so that he only engages in what will benefit him in either his worldly or religious life. The second is for a person to show restraint in the matters that he avoids, so that he shows aversion only to what harms him.

Patience is not something to be exercised only during times of crisis and misfortune. Patience is an attitude and a way of life. It needs to be exercised at all times and under all circumstances.

Patience is especially required where one person has to interact with another, even a friend or a spouse. Allah says: “And keep yourself patient along with those who call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His countenance.” [Sûrah al-Kahf: 28]

Let us look at the following dialogue between Khidr and Moses (peace be upon him) that Allah relates to us in the Qur’ân.

Moses requests from Khidr: “May I follow you on the footing that you teach me something of that which you have been taught?” [Sûrah al-Kahf: 66]

Khidr replies: “Truly you will not be able to have patience with me. And how can you have patience about matters of which you do not have complete understanding?” [Sûrah al-Kahf: 67-68]

Moses says: “You will find me – Allah willing – patient and I shall not disobey you in anything.” [Sûrah al-Kahf: 69]

This story shows us the importance of patience for a student of knowledge.

Patience is also very important for us when we engage in worship. Allah says: “Enjoin prayer on your people and be patient therein. We ask not of you to provide sustenance. We provide it for you; and (the rewards of) the Hereafter is for righteousness.” [Sûrah TâHâ: 132]

We must have patience in calling others to the truth. Allah relates to us that Luqmân told his son: “O my son! Establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and bear with patience what befalls you. This is of the most rigorous of affairs.” [Sûrah Luqmân: 17]

Patience is needed when standing in defense against an aggressive enemy. Allah says: “O you who believe! When you meet a force, be firm and remember Allah often so that perchance you may be successful.” [Sûrah al-Anfâl: 45]

It is, of course, required in times of hardship. Allah says: “Seek Allah’s help with patience and prayer. It is indeed difficult except to those who possess humility.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 45]

How can a young man or woman be patient in the face of the temptations and trials that inflame their desires when unlawful gratification is within their easy reach? The best way for such a person to fortify his or her patience is as follows:

1. He should contemplate the greatness of Allah and think that Allah sees him when he is disobedient. Nothing that we do escapes His attention. He sees and hears all things. This is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) meant when he said: “A fornicator is not a believer at the time that he is committing fornication, an imbiber is not a believer while he is engaged in drinking, a thief is not a believer while he is in the act of stealing.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2475) and Sahîh Muslim (57)] this is because a person who is conscious of Allah watching over him will feel ashamed to do the things that Allah has prohibited or to neglect his duties towards Allah. Consider a man who is naked or engaged in some vulgar deed and discovers that someone is looking at him through a crack in the door. Will he not be ashamed and embarrassed? Will he not be able to look that person in the eye?

2. He should cultivate his love for Allah, for Allah commanded his Prophet (peace be upon him) to say: “If you love Allah, then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive you your sins and Allah is most forgiving and merciful.” [Sûrah Âl `Imrân: 31]

3. He should consider the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon him. We are constantly in receipt of myriad blessings. When we disobey our Lord, we do so with the limbs that he provided us with and which He empowered us to use. We are using His very blessings upon us to disobey Him.

4. We should fear Allah becoming angry with us. Allah says: “Do those who concoct evil deeds feel secure that He will not cause the Earth to swallow them up or that punishment will not visit them from whence they cannot perceive? Or that He may not seize them in their goings to and fro without a chance of their escape? Or that He may take them with a gradual loss, for Allah is full of pity and mercy?” [Sûrah al-Nahl: 45-47] This anger could be delayed until the Day of Judgment when our Lord will be angry as He had never been angry before.

5. He should keep in mind that Allah could take his soul at any time. A person could die while he is drunk. A car might overturn, killing all of its occupants, including a young man and woman engaged in unlawful pleasures out of the sight of their parents.

6. He should think about Allah’s reward and His munificence. He should know that if he leaves off something for the Allah’s sake, then Allah will give him something better. Sufyân al-Thawrî said: “When a person lowers his gaze form unlawful sights, Allah bestows upon him such faith that pleases his heart. What Allah has to offer is better and more enduring.”

7. He should think about the transience of this worldly existence. He should think about his very body, how it first grows and reaches full, robust maturity and strength, only to return decrepit and bent with old age.

8. He should think about Allah’s mercy and the blessings it provides. He should fear that if he persists in wrongdoing and does not yield to Allah’s greatness, he might be cut off from that mercy.

9. He should realize that he must break his bad habits. Many people who drink, abuse drugs, or engage in voyeurism do so out of force of habit. They need to resolve themselves to submit to Allah alone and not submit to anything or anything else.

10. He should consider the immediate as well as spiritual benefits of abstaining from the unlawful. Allah does not prohibit something without that thing being harmful or at least bringing about more harm than good. Likewise, Allah does not command us to do something unless that thing is beneficial or at least brings about more good than harm. Obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) is always better and more enduring in virtue than any benefit that can be secured through disobedience.

Allah says: “By time! Surely the human being is at loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience.” [Sûrah al-`Asr]

The great jurist, al-Shâfî`î said about these verses: “If people would contemplate on the meaning of this chapter of the Qur’ân, it would surely suffice them.”
 

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