Assalaamu'alaikoum!

one of the first surahs we learn as a child, going to madrassah, is this little cute, short surah, Surah Al-'Asr. Everyone remembers the struggle of getting the right order of "Haqq" and "Sabr" is the last ayah; (i remembre struggling with it for a few years...) and it is one of the surahs we recite in our prayer when we're in a rush and we want quick quick for prayer to be over!

Remember these days? Reciting Surah Al-'Asr at fajr to go back to bed asap. or at Dhuhr to go play, or at 'Asr to go watch cartoon, or at Maghrib to go eat or at Isha to go quick to bed?

and then you grow up, and you might get the opportunity to learn Arabic, and discover that "Asr" means Time.

...and a few years go by...

and one day you actually READ the translation of the Surah

[qs:103:1-3]

Isnt it an irony? the little surah we (use to) recite to get on in our life asap is about time, and how we spend it, and this surah tell us HOW to spend it, how to be winners.

[qs:103:2]

This is our Lord, our creator, maker, the one who knows better how we work. He subhanahou wata'la tells us that we are at Loss. always, and for ever.

But He, in His glorious mercy, everlasting love and patience with us, He gives us the key, the light, the secret to finding our way.

[qs:103:3]

From Tafseer Ibn Kathir:

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(Except those who believe and do righteous good deeds) So Allah makes an exception, among the species of man being in loss, for those who believe in their hearts and work righteous deeds with their limbs.

?????????????? ???????????

(And recommend one another to the truth,) This is to perform acts of obedience and avoid the forbidden things.

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(And recommend one another to patience.) meaning, with the plots, the evils, and the harms of those who harm people due to their commanding them to do good and forbidding them from evil. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-`Asr, and all praise and thanks are due to Allah.

He tells us that the ONLY people NOT at loss are the believers and the ones who do good.

therefore we, as lil muslims, should strive our hardest to be believers.
and do good actions.
both together and at the same time.

and it kinda makes sense...

Working on just belief/imaan/faith etc... or working on JUST doing good actions would be like climbing a ladder with one foot (quite impossible); or if one is being worked on more than the other, it would be like climbing this ladder with one hand, do-able but highly dangerous.

"and recommend each other to Truth and Patience".

Patience: (from Oxford dictionnary) : the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious

But truly in the Quran and Tafseer these words are better defined:
-The Truth (aka Islam) (from the Tafseer)

This is to perform acts of obedience and avoid the forbidden things.

need I say more?

And recommending each other to Patience,

...meaning, with the plots, the evils, and the harms of those who harm people due to their commanding them to do good and forbidding them from evil...

This is the key to not being at Loss, to be able to get out of the category encompassing ALL of humankind, "at loss". This Surah also tells us what to do with our time, how to spend it wisely and efficiently.

I pray Allah to guide us on the right path always and to help up see the truth and acquire more knowledge to be able to understand how small and umimportant we are and how much we depend on the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, The Never Asleep, Never Tired, the Most Beautiful and Most Knowledge, Al-Rahmaan, Al-Raheem, Allah, may he be glorified and Exalted (subhanahou wa ta'ala) but never will we be able to glorify and exalt Him to His due right.

[size=7] PS: the oxford dictionnary does not mention the gains and benefits of acquiring, acting, striving for Patience. But that's for another blog. [/size]

I ask Allah subhanahou wata'ala to forgive our shortcomings and sins, to help us with our flaws and better our character so that we may accept the Truth in whichever form in comes to us.

Last but not least, I pray that we may gain patience. Patience is a great virtue.

Ameen