Interpretation of Fortress 103 (A Lifetime)
I seek refuge in God from the cursed Satan
In the Name of God, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful
1. ((And [2] (consider) the lifetime!))
2. ((Most certainly, humanity is in a state of loss,))
3. ((Except for those who believe and render good deeds, and then exhort each other to the truth, and exhort each other to fortitude.))
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After the Almighty God has mentioned that immersion in and love of this destruction life will lead a person to their and will throw them into God’s burning Fire in Al-Humaza Fortress, in this Fortress He wanted to warn us against wasting our lifetime uselessly.
He clarifies to us that our lifetime is a valuable treasure, and so if we spend it enjoying this world and its embellishments, we will lose out greatly and miss out everything. Therefore God says:
1. ((And the lifetime!))
The word ‘the lifetime’ (‘al-’Asr’ in Arabic) also means ‘extraction’, and indicates the period of time during which a nation or an individual exists in this life. In this time everything in their spirits is extracted and comes into existence. Accordingly, ‘al-’Asr’ has many meanings, such as the afternoon, the day, the era, and so forth. Here it is meant as the human lifetime, during which everything that is in the spirit is extracted, showing whether it is good or evil, and thus the reality of the spirit and its intentions appear clearly.
Thus the word ((the lifetime)) is the key to this Fortress, through which a person can come near to Al’lah and conceive the Fortress’ entire meaning.
When a person reads the words ((the lifetime)), they will realize that they have a limited time and a certain age in this life. They have a beginning, which is the day when they entered this life as a baby, just as they have an end, which is the moment of their death, when they will leave this world and pass away onto the next. Through this realization, the spirit takes a lesson and gets a reminder. It remembers its beginning, when it did not exist and was nothing worth mentioning, and so remembers the Great Creator Who created it and brought it into this world, Who admonishes and reminds it.
It will then remember its end and the fact that its lifetime will one day come to an end, and it will depart and disappear. This will make it contemplate the day of its death, so that it will not depend on this life or wish to stay in its current existence.
Besides this, the words ((the lifetime)) reveal to us that this period we spend in this life is very valuable, for during it one can attain eternal endless happiness and secure a good life forever and ever.
It is made clear that if a person seizes this life, they will earn a great triumph, whereas if they devote themselves to this life and its embellishments, they will suffer a great loss.
Therefore, the Almighty says:
2. ((Most certainly, humanity is in a state of loss,))
God (glory to His Names) created humanity and prepared a great benefaction and donation for us before bringing us into this world.
God says: ((We have given you the abundance.)) [ The Holy Qur’an, Fortress 108, Al Kawthar (Abundance), Verse 1 ]
However, when a person turns away from their Provider, their inner vision becomes blind, and therefore they miss the right path and do not see the blessing which their Provider has prepared for them; moreover they will waste it and lose it.
Furthermore, the person who draws far from their Provider commits destructive and wrongful actions. Thereby, they become sick of heart and ill in spirit, making them lose access to the happiness God has prepared for them in this life.
Nonetheless, out of God’s Compassion for this person, He does not leave them in that deadly state of spiritual illness. He prevents them from enjoying this life and sends all kinds of sickness, poverty, suffering and distress to them, to clean their heart and cure their spirit. Then, if they follow the way put forward by their Provider, God will change poverty to wealth and sickness to health, so that their lifetime will be filled with good things.
In fact, the Almighty God - Who created this uniVerse upon the most perfect discipline - did not create humanity in vain. He did not bring us into this life to make us live in unhappiness or distress, but rather put an order in place and clarified the way that leads to happiness, as a law and as a system.
The Almighty wanted to manifest to us the way in which we gain the Godly Favor prepared for us, to avoid any loss. He says:
3. ((Except for those who believe and render good deeds, and then exhort each other to the truth, and exhort each other to fortitude.))
((Except for those who believe and render good deeds)): but what is this belief, which leads to attain Godly Favour and avoid any loss?
I say that this belief is to believe in God: that is, to know the Provider’s Attributes and witness His Perfection, Favor and Charity.
When a spirit truly approaches Al’lah, it will view enough of His Sympathy and Compassion, His Kindness and Clemency, and His Charity and Favor to make it adore Him. It will then swim in praises for Him and will rightly appreciate Him.
That is the principle of belief. It is through such belief and witness that a person surrenders to their Provider, after they have seen that He (glory to Him) is more Merciful towards them than their own father and mother, and even more than their own spirit which exists inside them.
A person will submit to their Provider and obey His Orders because they have witnessed that all of God’s Commands have no purpose other than to serve the good and benefit of humanity.
They are all nothing more than ways that lead humanity to its own advantage and happiness.
This is why the Almighty mentions the performance of good deeds after mentioning belief, because this belief is the basis of and the motive for carrying out good actions. It is through belief that the spirit is made ready, and this is why it yearns to do useful things and good actions.
Belief shows the spirit that its happiness and pleasure are not accomplished except when it obeys Al’lah; through this obedience, the spirit obtains many benefits due to the good deeds it renders.
It thanks God as a result and draws nearer to Him, where it derives a share of mercy and tenderness that makes it merciful and tender-hearted, wishing good for everybody.
At that time, it begins calling people to their Merciful Provider, revealing that obeying Him (glory to Him) is the way that leads to happiness and receiving good things. Therefore God says: ((and (they) then exhort each other to the truth))
Exhortation to witness the truth is a level higher than performing good deeds, which depends on belief. You see that a faithful person who begins exhorting people to witness the truth and to adopt the straight path keeps talking to them about God’s Mercy for His creatures. This person will explain that the Almighty God does not allow people to be ill-spirited or illhearted, for the Godly Compassion implies the curing of spirits who are polluted with the germ of wicked desires.
All of the affliction and distress that the Almighty God sends are nothing but cure and treatment for sick spirits which have turned away from Him and which committed wrongdoing. This demonstrates that people should be patient when they face affliction, because it is only a kind of cure for them. Recovery and ease will undoubtedly follow, for Al’lah is Merciful towards His creatures.
Therefore God says: ((and exhort each other to fortitude.))
Through belief, the believer who is close to God perceives the wisdom behind the affliction which He sends to His creatures, and therefore you see them exhort people to fortitude.
Thus, those who believe and render good actions will then begin to call people to witness the truth and will exhort others to fortitude. Those who then adopt their way will avoid loss and gain happiness.