Explanation of the Chapters 103-105 al-'Asr, al-Humazah and al-Fil

Explanation of the Maki Surah 'Al-Asr' "By the time"

In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

(1-3) Allah takes an oath by time, the passage of night and day, the time in which man works his deeds: "By the time", the purpose of the oath being "Truly man is in a state of loss", loss has many different levels: complete loss, the state of one who loses both this world and the Hereafter, who loses eternal bliss and instead deserves Hell. A person could also lose out in some aspects and not others and this is why Allah generalizes this loss to all people except those who have four qualities:

-Those who believe in what Allah has ordered to believe in, faith cannot come about or be complete without knowledge and therefore it is a branch of knowledge.

- And “do good works,” all good deeds, outward and inward, those linked to the rights of Allah and the rights of His slaves, both the obligatory and recommended

- And “counsel one another to the truth” which is faith and righteous deeds

- “And counsel one another to patience” in obedience to Allah, away from disobedience to Him, and in the face of His decrees that man finds painful. The first two matters perfect the person and the next two aid to perfect others. In the completion of these four matters lies safety from loss and through them does the person attain success.

Explanation of the Maki Surah 'Al-Humazah' "The Backbiters"

In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

(1) "Woe", this is a threat of evil consequences and a severe punishment for every “slanderer and backbiter”,” who defames people with his deeds and slanders them with his words. The hammaz is one who defames people by pointing and deed, and the lammaz is one who insults them with his words.

(2) Amongst the descriptions of such a person is that he is one who has no other concern except to amass wealth and count it. They take delight in it and have no desire to purify it by spending it in ways of goodness, joining ties of kinship and so on.

(3) "Thinking", in his ignorance "that his wealth will make him last forever" in this world. It is for this reason that all their efforts and struggles are expended in increasing their wealth through which they believe that their lifespan will increase. They are not aware of the fact that miserliness actually ruins lives and destroys homes whereas righteousness in reality is what causes an increase in lifespan. 25 Explanation of Lesson One

(4-7) "Not at all! He will be flung into the crushing Fire. What will make you realize what the crushing Fire is?" This is asked by way of emphasizing the gravity of the affair and increasing one's dread of it. Then it is explained, "It is Allah’s kindled Fire", whose fuel is men and stones which, because of its extreme intensity "rages over the hearts",” piercing their bodies and scorching their very hearts.

(8-9) "It will be sealed over them", It closes in on them from every side, "In columns" caging them in towering columns, behind its doors "extended" preventing them from leaving; "Whenever they try to get out, they will be brought back into it, and it will be said to them: 'Taste the chastisement of the Fire which you used to deny' "(32:20). We take refuge with Allah and ask Him for well-being and pardon!

Explanation of the Maki Surah "The Elephant"

In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful

(1-5) “Have you not considered” the might of Allah, His greatness, His mercy to His slaves, the proofs of His Tawhid and the truthfulness of His Messenger –may Allah praise and send him peace- demonstrated in “what your Lord did with the army of the elephant” who set out for the Sanctified House with the goal of demolishing it. They fully equipped their army and enlisted a herd of elephants to help them and, as such, amassed an army from Abyssinia and Yemen that the Arabs had no hope of repelling. When they approached Makkah, they found no defending army to face them, seeing instead that the inhabitants of Makkah had fled in fear. "Did He not make their plot go astray? And He sent against them flocks of birds", one after another, "Striking them with stones of hard clay", striking every single one of them, weakening them, wearing them down and finally killing them, "And made them like an empty field of stalks of which the corn has been eaten up by cattle". Allah sufficed against their evil and utterly confounded their plot. Their story is well known and famous. This event occurred in the year that the Messenger of Allahصلى الله عليه وسلم was born and became one of the miracles prior to his call and one of the clear proofs of his message. To Allah belongs all praise and thanks.