What does Al-aṣr mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-aṣr

Discover the meaning of the term Al-aṣr (أصر) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Al-aṣr

Al-aṣr according to Dustur al-'Ulama (Al-Ahmadnagari)

With a kasra: heaviness and confinement. In al-Tahqiq, the commentary of al-Husami: al-asr means laborious works and burdensome rulings, such as the taking of a life as a condition of repentance, the cutting of the offending limb, and the fetters, the binding commitments whose observance is required; thus in 'Ayn al-ma'ani. In al-Kashshaf: al-asr is the heaviness that holds its bearer, that is, confines him in movement, on account of its weight; it is a likeness of the weight of their obligation and its difficulty, such as the stipulation of taking a life for the validity of repentance.

Likewise the fetters are a likeness of the arduous things contained in their laws, such as the decree of retaliation, whether deliberate or accidental, without diya compensation, the cutting of the offending limbs, the excision of the impure spot from the skin and the reward, the burning of spoils, the prohibition of the veins in meat, and the prohibition of the Sabbath.