The thing of it is all human beings some of us are rich some of us are poor
some of us are healthy some of us are sick
some of us are strong and others are weak
some have better opportunities some have less opportunity
some are free and some are caged human beings find themselves in any variety of circumstances
but the statement that Allah has made
is that everyone of us is in loss doesn't matter what state we're in we're in loss
how is that's the common denominator between all of us
whether the one who look apparently happy or healthy or wealthy or prosperous
or the one who looks miserable it doesn't matter Allah has made a unanimous declaration all of you are losing
all of you are actually not just losing you are in loss already
you're drowning in loss already and that helps me appreciate what the previous Ayah was
the biggest proof that all of us are in a continuous state of loss
is time itself because that's one thing you and I can never gain more of
that is one thing we're always going to be losing today will never Come back. مغرب will never come back.
The moments that we've passed away حياتك انفاس your life is nothing but inhales and exhales.
That's all they are. That inhale that went in and the exhale that went out is not coming back.
These are moments of our life that have gone and will never return.
It doesn't matter whether you're sick or healthy or poor or wealthy.
What part of the world you live in. There's one loss that is unavoidable and that is of time.
And that loss as days go by is taking a toll on you.
you know in the sense of physics which is kind of creepy I was talking to a friend who's a physics major
you know through the laws of entropy and all of that the universe is constantly expanding
and by implication it's actually constantly breaking apart
everything is tearing apart everything is breaking
and people that have a purely scientific worldview become very you know basically they have this annihilate kind of sense of the world
things are going to end anyway it's all going to be over the universe is just a collapse.
Everything's falling apart. Everything around us is actually breaking apart.
Slowly but surely the decay and loss is the reality of the entire physical universe around us.
As a matter of fact the human body we're constantly losing cells.
We're constantly dead skin is falling off, hair is falling
off whether we realize it or not. We're constantly losing physically also.
Even Allah mentions not only a reference to what happens in the grave.
{قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنقُصُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَعِندَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ} [ق:4]
We already know the earth keeps taking away from them.
And we have a book that guards everything even though you're being decayed away even as you're alive there's decay happening
but even as you after you die your body is going through decay inside the grave
and Allah says regardless what needed to be preserved will always stay preserved.
[ق:4] {وَعِندَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ}
but this is the notion of loss that I wanted to start off with that time is the ultimate loss that cannot be escaped.
For any of us. Now I want to talk to you about the word choice for loss in this Ayah and that's the word خسر
it's a common word in the Quran it's used many many times it's used to describe for example الخاسرون the losers
[الزمر:63] {أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرُونَ}
occurs in the Quran you know
[هود:21] {الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا}
those who lost
[الحج:11] {خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةَ}
Quran says they lost this life and in the next they lost both
so the common word actually in the Quran for loss is this word or the origin of this word خسر
as for the word loss itself not as verbs and other forms
the noun itself خسر is used in three forms in the Quran you find خسر and you find خسارة
[نوح:21] {لَّمْ يَزِدْهُ مَالُهُۥ وَوَلَدُهُۥٓ إِلَّا خَسَارًا}
or you find خسران
{خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْخُسْرَانُ ٱلْمُبِينُ}[الحج:11]
so, you find three versions of the word loss and there's subtle differences between them
خسران is used for the worst possible loss that's المبالغة that's not used here
خسارة is used you're already in a state of loss and it gets worse. That's why it typically comes with زيادة in the Quran.
[نوح:21] {لَّمْ يَزِدْهُ مَالُهُۥ وَوَلَدُهُۥٓ إِلَّا خَسَارًا}
They were already losing and then more loss on top of the loss they already had.
Things got even worse. That's خسار we don't recite ان الانسان لفي خسران nor do we recite ان الانسان لفي خسار we recite
[العصر:2] {إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ}
the word خسر is the base notion of loss and what Allah is saying is by using that word that there are degrees of loss.
That they some people are losing a lot, some people are losing a little,
some people are losing insignificant amounts,
some people are losing terrible amounts and by the way,
just to put things in relative order like, you know, somebody who,
you know, loses a dollar and is a millionaire may not, oh, was that mine?
Oh, I didn't really realize and it's not a big deal for them
but somebody else who has barely any money loses one dollar and that's a huge deal for them.
So, it could look like the same loss, but it's not felt the same way.
It's not felt by people the same way. There are degrees in which we feel, or sense feel the pinch of loss.
Right? So, Allah is making a comment that whoever you are whether you realize it or not at some level you are experiencing loss.
Of course, the ultimate loss being time itself but it's not limited to that.
How do we know it's not limited to that? Well we know that because Allah used the word خسرِِ
the ٍ at the end the تنوين creates تعميم all kinds of loss. It could mean great loss and it can also mean all kinds of loss.
So now I want to dig into this word loss before we go any further from the Arabic point of view.
What's the origin of this word?
الخاسر الذي ينقص المكيال و الميزان
و الخاسر الذي ذهب ماله و عقله اي خسرهما
First of all the خاسر in Arabic is not just a loser, he's a cheater.
someone who deceives like you know when people back in the day when they sold vegetables or rice or fruit or whatever.
They had the weight on this side and whatever you're buying on the other side
and they put false weight or they tip the scale a little bit
so they give their customer a little less that person who would give a little less was actually called a خاسر
meaning he causes خسران that's what it's called
so now first of all human beings are in loss implies also human beings are being cheated.
human beings are in a scam they're in a scam
they are being deceived this is a notion described elsewhere in the Quran that this is
[ال عمران:185] {وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ}
worldly life is nothing but means by which people get deceived
and part of the meaning of خسر is actually you know this idea of غرور of deception.
So human beings are being cheated out of something.
Human beings don't realize they've got blinders on.
They think they're running after something that will give them success
or think they're running away from some kind of loss
but actually they're running right towards it.
They've been cheated all along. They haven't seen the truth for what it is.
This is why that dua is so important:
اللهم ارنا الحق خقاً و ارزقنا اتباعه
Allah show us the truth as truth and give us the ability to follow it.
و ارنا الباطل باطلاََ و ارزقنا اجتنابه
Give us the ability see false as false and enable us to stay away from it
because sometimes false is so attractive. You can't help but be compelled towards it,
drawn into it, pulled into its gravitational force, it's field
and you and I just go into it blinded and when someone tries to wake us up, we'd rather not.
it's too uncomfortable a reality. In that case, one is deceiving themselves.
One chooses to stay happy and deceive themselves.
Also, الخاسر is also used for someone who's lost their mind. As a result of losing everything. So,
[العصر:2] {إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ}
is actually in sense human beings are indulged in insanity.
Human beings are crazy. What are they doing? You know like you would think of someone running into a building on fire.
What are you doing? You're crazy. That's the comment made by Allah. I swear by time that's running out.
If the human being runs, they tend to run towards the wrong thing, towards their own destruction.
ذهب ماله و عقله they're running towards their own bankruptcy.
and this perhaps is also an illusionary reference to judgement day
when people wake up on judgement day
they can't believe what's happening around them and Allah says
[الحج:2] {وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَى وَمَا هُمْ بِسُكَارَى}
you're going to see people they look like they're drunk they're not drunk at all
you know they're just they're going to can't believe what's happening in front of them
and they look just tipsy that that's what they're going to look like so now moving on
خسرت الميزان و اخسرته نقصته خسر التاجر وضع في تجارته
that's the other the لازم meaning of it also for a businessman to experience خسر
is actually for the business to collapse human beings are drowning in bankruptcy.
They're heading or they've already been duped into bankruptcy.
و المعنى المحوري نقص الشيء بذهاب اجزاء منه فقداََ
it actually the overall meaning is when you are losing something continuously bit by bit by bit. That's actually called خسر
which reminds me the essential meaning of عصر when something is squeezed away drip by drip by drip by drip.
It's actually similar meaning to that when loss is happening but it's not all of loss all at once
but you're losing just a little bit at a time.
I'm reminded of that experiment I think it was in sight class.
I can't remember what class it was. We saw this experiment of a frog thrown into boiling water.
You know it just jumps out right away or towards hot waters jumps out right away,
and then you have this who's just sitting in water it's slowly being heated. And it's not jumping. It's just sitting there.
And actually it gets to the point where it dies. But it doesn't jump.
It didn't realize because the death to it was coming slowly.
The slow poison got to it. If he saw the consequences of it all at once he would have jumped.
But no human beings are just drowning more and more deeper and deeper and deeper.
Allah will give this imagery in سورة النور and describe a person drowning in the middle of an ocean and say:
[النور:40] {لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا ۗ}
a person was drowning in the ocean is so dark underneath at the bottom he almost can't even see his own hand
like that's the depth to which people can go into خسر
now as far as you know old commentators classical commentary like -ابن كثير -رحمه الله the صحابة the تابعين
they had lots of things to say about what this loss could mean and I've kind of compiled all of them in one phrase for you
فسروا الخسر بالهلكة they interpreted that to mean human beings are headed towards destruction not just loss
و الغبن which is loss itself.
والعقوبة they're headed towards retribution from Allah.
و بالنقص المادي And it also towards even material loss.
Meaning human beings whatever they do in this life they can't gain. They can only lose.
Believer, disbeliever, that doesn't matter. It's not even talking about heaven and hell.
In this life itself we can only lose. We can only lose our youth.
We can only like you can have the nicest home
but by the time you're seventy-five you don't have the back to go up the stairs.
You can't use the six rooms upstairs. What are you going to do with it?
You have an amazing swimming pool. You could die if you fall into it.
Like it's not anything for you anymore.
Young people will come see your mansion and say wow I wish I lived here.
And the people who actually live there are like this is a curse.
I can't you know my children have all gone and left me.
My grandkids can never come and visit.
All I have is this giant lonely house. That's all I have. That becomes a prison for them.
You know. So, we can only experience loss because we ourselves are decaying and heading towards an in this life.
That's how Allah made us.
[الرحمن:26] {كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ}
Allah actually says everyone on this earth was meant to be discontinued.
Like it's not a flaw of God that we get older, and our skin gets wrinklier and our eyesight gets weaker
and our back gets weak you know it's that's not a flaw in our design.
You would think you know when a watchmaker makes a really expensive Swiss watch or whatever
it's supposed to last forever. Why couldn't God just make us more durable?
We could've just you know something wrong with this manufacturing
actually by design Quran says you were designed to deteriorate
[يس:68] {وَمَنْ نُعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ}
whoever we give age to we start reversing them in their creation we start making them weaker and smaller like they were as kids
you know I'm reminded of -الوسي -رحمه الله so many years ago I read this
said you know when a child is small they are always looking up climbing up reaching up
and a man gets his back bends and he's always looking down like to his future home سبحان الله
and you know children they keep us up late at night they don't let us sleep they cry they get stomach aches
they want to drink or whatever you know, or they cry because that's their power trip
like fake cry you ever seen kids fake cry you're like that's fake yes, it is I'm still going to do it.
but you get older and you can't sleep and people can't sleep They have a hard time
and this is perhaps Allah's way of letting them stay up for the night prayer.
You're about to meet God. So He facilitates قيام you don't have to take pills for that you could just
and by the way if you start making قيام Shaitan's going to come put you to sleep anyway. So take advantage.
Anyhow so overall when you study loss in the Quran
و سائر ما في القرآن من تركيب هو بمعنى فوت ما كان يمكن ان يفوز به من ثواب و نعيم لو آمن و اتبع
Quran's commentary on loss is actually, to miss out on opportunities that you could have taken advantage of.
That's how Allah describes loss. Loss is not about money. Loss is not about you know material anything.
Loss is about loss of loved ones. Loss is actually in the Quran about opportunity missed. That's all.
That had you truly believed and had you followed the right guidelines you could have availed from that opportunity, okay?
Imam Farahi talking about this loss, he says something really beautiful.
كان عليهم ان يتنافسوا في ما هو احق به
It's as if Allah is commenting on the tragedy of human history saying
these people should have been competing with one another in things that are far more worthy of competing in.
Far more worthy of competition. What were you competing with other people in?
Looks, money, showing something off. What was that worth?
و ينتبه عن نوم اللهو و الغفلة قبل الفوت و الحسرة
And it was incumbent on people to wake up from their sleep of being distracted all the time
and their sleep of being entertained all the time and remaining heedless and asleep to reality
before all is lost and the only thing left alive is regret.
: كما بين لنا في قوله
{حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ}[المؤمنون:99]
like Allah Himself says when the time the moment comes when death arrives then he calls out
God my master just send me back I'll I'm going to change. I got it. I got it. I know my time's up.
Just give me a little bit extra over time. And I'm going to I'm going to be different this time.
That's the only thing that's going to be left is regret.
Because you realize you didn't do anything with the time you did have.
May Allah not make us from those people.
In His commentary just a summarization also He uses time meaning
[العصر:1-2] {وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ (1) إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَفِي خُسۡرٍ }
this statement He uses it to remind us of perished nations.
you know عصر is the time that passed away on very powerful nations
who used to say Allah even describes them
[ابراهيم:44] {أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوا أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ زَوَالٍ}
aren't you the same people used to swear back in the day there shall be no downfall on our civilizations
have you ever wondered like people go you know ancient Rome ruins
or Egyptian ruins right or we go to like these palaces and we take pictures next to them.
These monuments around the world. We take pictures next to them. Grave sites et cetera.
But what we're looking at are not just you know is one thing to visit the grave of a dead person.
These monuments are actually the graves of dead nations.
That's what they are. And we look at the like that's pretty cool.
I took a picture next to this you know the pyramid or that but that's actually that's a graveyard of powerful nations
who at one point believed there shall be no downfall for them
we're number one number one forever baby that's what they believe
that's what they held they prided themselves in it
and Allah says time came and ripped all of that to shreds
and look at where they are now they are just part of your selfie that's all they are now
[العصر:1-2] {وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ (1) إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَفِي خُسۡرٍ }
and He uses this the very same statement to remind us by looking at that history
you are still around you better not join them you better not come like them.
Meaning learn from history and get your act together.