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سُورَةُ العَصۡرِ · 103:2
MeccanRevelation order ١٣Juzʾ ٣٠Page ٦٠١

إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ

٢
Saheeh International · EN

Indeed, mankind is in loss,

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 2 of Sūrat Al-Asr (The Declining Day), the 13th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 30. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
13 of 114
Surah
Al-Asr (103)

No specific occasion of revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl) is recorded for this āyah in al-Wāḥidī's collection. Many verses were revealed without a single triggering event.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

They have mentioned that 'Amr bin Al-'As went to visit Musaylimah Al-Kadhdhab after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was commissioned (as a Prophet) and before 'Amr had accepted Islam. Upon his arrival, Musaylimah said to him, "What has been revealed to your friend (Muhammad ﷺ) during this time?" 'Amr said, "A short and concise Surah has been revealed to him." Musaylimah then said, "What is it?" 'Amr replied; وَالْعَصْرِ - إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ - إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (By Al-'Asr. Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience.) So Musaylimah thought for a while. Then he said, "Indeed something similar has also been revealed to me." 'Amr asked him, "What is it?" He replied, "O Wabr (a small, furry mammal; …
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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