The Time is a Witness

The Time is a Witness I swear by the declining day that perdition shall be the lot of man, except for those who have faith and do good works; who exhort each other to justice and fortitude. (Quran, 103:1-3) Man, born to live a specific number of years, increases in age until he reaches the final stage of his life, the final limit. Then he dies. The inevitability of this event tells us that only that person is successful who is able in a proper manner to avail of the limited period allotted to him in this world; for one who does not, the time will irrevocably pass, and nothing will fall to his lot but frustration and repentance. Every moment man is heading towards his death. What does this mean? It means that if he fails to avail of the time allotted to him, his ultimate fate will be a state of deprivation. To turn life into a success story, man has to act himself, while for failure no action is required. Failure is heading towards him on its own. A saintly person once observed that he had learnt the meaning of this chapter from an ice vendor, who was calling out aloud in the market: ‘O people, have mercy on one whose goods are melting continuously! O people, have mercy on one whose goods are melting continuously!’ On hearing this call, it came to his mind that the way the ice was reducing in size at every moment, the lifespan given to man was similarly reducing in length. Thus, if the opportunity to act is not availed of properly by engaging oneself in good actions, this is man’s real loss. (Tafsir Kabir, Imam Razi) Time is put to the proper use by one who gives proof of three things in the present world. One is Faith, that is, consciousness