Before parting company, the Companions of the Prophet would recite these three brief verses to one another. Revealed early in Makkah as the thirteenth chapter—between Sūrat al-Sharḥ and al-ʿĀdiyāt—it takes its name from its opening oath, wa-l-ʿAṣr (The Time, or The Declining Day). In just a few words, it condenses the entire message of the faith into a single formula.

The text opens with a solemn oath by Time itself, establishing a stark baseline: all humankind is caught in a state of severe, continuous loss. From this sweeping decree, the chapter immediately pivots to the exception. It lays out the exact conditions required for eternal success and rescue from this ruin.

The final verse moves swiftly from internal states to a communal obligation. The argument lands on the necessity of mutual exhortation, binding personal salvation to the way believers encourage one another toward the truth and toward patience.