وَيَقولونَ مَتىٰ هٰذَا الوَعدُ إِن كُنتُم صادِقينَ

قُل إِنَّمَا العِلمُ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّما أَنا نَذيرٌ مُبينٌ

فَلَمّا رَأَوهُ زُلفَةً سيئَت وُجوهُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا وَقيلَ هٰذَا الَّذي كُنتُم بِهِ تَدَّعونَ

They say: ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful?’

Say: ‘Its knowledge is only with Allah; I am only a manifest warner.’

When they see it brought near, the countenances of the faithless will be distorted, and [they will be] told: ‘This is what you asked for!’

EXEGESIS

Yaqūlūn is a verb used in present tense, which may suggest two meanings: 1. The Quran is predicting the reaction and response of the disbelievers to the claim toward Him you will be mustered.^{‎[1]Razi, 30/596.} 2. The disbelievers used to repeatedly and constantly press for the fulfilment of the aforementioned promise. Their bold persistence in this claim indicates their complete lack of regard for a resurrection, and that they give no chance for a judgement day to come. The latter meaning Is supported by the fact that this verse has appeared in many other places in the Holy Quran.

Al-ʿilm: the knowledge, which apparently refers to the knowledge of the time of resurrection. On a broader level, it could mean all knowledge, absolute and unconditional.^{‎[2]Mizan, 19/364.}

Zulfatan: close and near, accompanied by an aspect of high status and eminence. In terms of the Quranic usage of its root, it may be interpreted as involving only the aspect of proximity and nearness. If the aspect of elevation is also intended here, it could be a reference to the idea that the fire, God’s punishment, or the stages of the Day of Judgement shall overcome the disbelievers and have dominance over them.^{‎[3]Tahqiq, under z-l-f.} It could also be a form of rebuke and derision for them, suggesting that the exalted stations that you are so eager to see would only make your faces vexed and distorted.^{‎[4]Raghib, under z-l-f.} Zulfatan has also been identified as an infinitive (i.e. nearness, proximity), in which case its usage in this verse implies an exaggeration of nearness, just like when a very just person is described as ‘he is justice’.^{‎[5]Lisan, under z-l-f; Mizan, 19/364.}

Sīʾat means to become saddened and unhappy (75:24-25, 76:10). It is attributed to the face because one’s sadness and sorrow manifests and appears in the face.^{‎[6]Raghib, under s-w-ʾ.} It has been interpreted by Ibn Abbas to the darkening of the faces in disgrace, as the dust of humiliation and despair sits on them (10:27, 80:40-41).^{‎[7]Razi, 30/596.} This verse is among many verses that describe the face of the disbelievers and wrongdoers in the hereafter (10:27, 17:97, 23:104, 55:48, 75:24, 80:40-41, 88:2-3).

Taddaʿūn is from the root daʿwah, meaning to call, ask, or invite something. This conjugate in particular involves an aspect of eagerness and inclination toward the act of calling and asking.^{‎[8]Tahqiq, under d-ʿ-w.} Therefore, it means: this is what you were insistently, repeatedly and eagerly asking for. It could also be that taddaʿūn is from the conjugate iddiʿāʾ, meaning to claim and assert something. If so, it would mean: this is what you were claiming and asserting to be a lie and not real.^{‎[9]Tibyan, 10/71.}

Falammā: When [they see it brought near] …, where the letter fāʾ indicates the certainty of the occurrence of what they were promised and were calling for. It may even indicate its proximity and nearness.^{‎[10]Alusi, 15/23.}

EXPOSITION

The claim of verse 24 that toward Him you will be mustered raises the question: When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful? This question (verse 25) has appeared in five other places in the Quran with exactly the same wording (10:48, 21:38, 27:71, 34:29, 36:48), and its meaning has appeared in even more verses. The Quran has taken different approaches to answering this question, perhaps due to the different mindsets or motifs of the questioners.

The answer provided here is: Its knowledge is only with Allah. In other words, you do not need to know the exact time of the resurrection in order to believe in it and act upon it. As one of the exegetes has put it, when the doorbell is sounded and you do not see or know who is behind the door, you cannot say that there is no one there!^{‎[11]Qaraati, 10/161.} God’s creation of this world is like the doorbell that harbingers the advent of an afterlife.

Then verse 27 threatens the audience by saying that given your current actions and condition, the advent of the resurrection is nothing to ask for and insist on. When this promise of God occurs, the faithless will be severely disturbed. The extent of their regret and sorrow is such that it will show in their faces. However, then it will be too late to make any correction or repentance.

The caller who will say This is what you asked for could be an angel, one of the righteous servants of God, or the disbelievers among themselves.^{‎[12]Mizan, 19/365.} The omission of such detail reveals that it is not a central part of the message and purpose of these verses.

Another interpretation for They say: ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful?’ is that they ask this out of derision, total disbelief, and discounting the possibility of the hereafter altogether. Therefore they challenge the Prophet and the believers to bring about and fulfil their claim. This is in line with verse 27, which first claims that indeed this promise shall come, and then you will realise who shall be ridiculed and humiliated.^{‎[13]Tibyan, 10/69.} And the true promise draws near [to its fulfilment], behold, the faithless will look on with a fixed gaze: ‘Woe to us! We have certainly been oblivious of this! Rather, we have been wrongdoers!’ (21:97).

When it comes to a rational or scientific discussion, a question should be answered regardless of what has given rise to it and the motif of the questioner. However, the Quran is not a purely scientific or theoretical book. It does not intend to merely provide certain proofs and arguments that only address the mind of the audience. The Holy Quran is a light (4:174, 7:157, 64:8), a guidance (2:185), and a healing for the inner and spiritual diseases (10:57). In addition to providing proofs for its claims, it concerns the practical application of these claims. Therefore, it addresses the impediments that prevent the application and implementation of the solutions that it prescribes. The Quran has identified the main root and cause for their question about the time of the resurrection as follows: Rather, man desires to go on living viciously. [That is why] he asks: ‘When is this Day of Resurrection?!’ (75:5-6).

In other words, what mankind is missing is not some knowledge that is required for faith and righteous deeds, but his problem is that he has certain attachments and inclinations that prevent him from submitting to the word of truth. Therefore, this question of theirs is not out of a quest for knowledge or an ambiguity that impedes their understanding of the truth; instead, it is out of a reckless arrogance and ignorance in them. That is what has caused them to seek some excuse and pretext to justify their insistence on their old lifestyles and mindsets.

The answers of the Holy Quran to the question about the time of the resurrection can be classified in the following groups:

1. Sometimes it says that Its knowledge is only with Allah, as mentioned here (also see 7:187, 10:48-49, 21:109, 31:34, 33:63, 72:25, 79:42-45). These verses especially tend to deny the knowledge of the Prophet to the time of the resurrection. What these verses imply is that we should make a correction to what we expect from a God-sent prophet or scripture: a prophet is not sent to tell us the time of the resurrection, for that would defeat the purpose of his mission. The purpose of his mission is that I am only a manifest warner (29:50); he is just a warner to you before [the befalling of] a severe punishment (34:46); I am only a warner and a bearer of good news to a people who have faith (7:188). It is also along these lines that the Quran says that the hereafter has a fixed time which shall be neither delayed nor rushed (34:29-30). In other words, it will come for sure, it has a fixed time, and you do not need to know it.
2. In addressing this question, the Quran also says that whenever the resurrection occurs, it will be a sudden occurrence (7:187, 21:38-40, 36:48-53). This is in line with the purpose of testing mankind and the concealment of the time of the resurrection.
3. Not only that, but the hour is indeed very close and imminent: The matter of the hour is just like the twinkling of an eye, or [even] swifter (16:77). In fact, it is so near that it is as if it has already arrived: Allah’s command has come! So do not seek to hasten it (16:1; also see 7:187, 17:51, 21:1, 27:72, 33:63). You should not press for it or seek for its faster occurrence, because it ends your opportunity to act and improve. It gives an end to your time of respite and ease.
4. In addition to being very close, the resurrection is such an immense event that heavy is it in the heavens and the earth (7:187). The alert believers are also fearful of the hour; and the only reason some people press for its sooner occurrence is that they do not really believe in it: What do you know – maybe the hour is near! Those who do not believe in it ask [you] to hasten it, but those who have faith are apprehensive of it, and know that it is true. Look! Indeed those who are in doubt about the hour [or dispute the hour] are surely in extreme error (42:17-18).
5. One of the compelling answers and arguments that the Quran presents is that what you are so eagerly (and ignorantly) pressing for is only your eternal punishment and damnation, and that is nothing to press for (10:50-52, 21:38-40, 51:12-14, 51:59-60). What you should do instead is to press for good, which you can qualify for by pleading to God for forgiveness: Why do you press for evil sooner than for good? Why do you not plead to Allah for forgiveness so that you may receive His mercy? (27:46). The occurrence of the resurrection involves the termination of one’s life. Thus, the Quran turns their urge and insistence back to themselves – urging them to make the best of their remaining unknown days, because indeed The day when they see what they are promised, [it will be] as though they had remained only an hour of a day (46:35); The day they see it [that is, the hour], it shall be as if they had not stayed [in the world] except for an evening or forenoon (79:46).

The proximity of the hour, its sudden occurrence, and the severity of the events that come after, will dumbfound mankind and cause them to plead for a second chance (26:203-204, 23:107-107). So why should one insist and press for it, especially that this insistence is out of disbelief, not out of a desire to meet one’s beloved and His lofty rewards? (See 29:5.)

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Once, a Bedouin came to the Prophet and asked: ‘O Messenger of God, when will be the hour?’ The Prophet did not answer him right away, until the time of prayer came. After the prayer, the Prophet called for him and said: ‘What have you prepared for it?’ He replied: ‘By God, I have not prepared for it by much deed: neither much prayer nor much fasting; except that I love God and His Messenger.’ Thus the Prophet told him: ‘One shall be with whomever he loves.’ Anas ibn Mālik, the narrator, said: ‘I had not seen the Muslims rejoice in anything as they rejoiced in that answer.’^{‎[14]Ilal, 1/140-141, h. 2.}

Note: This elegant narration also indicates the right approach and attitude to the resurrection: the concealment of its time should be a driving force into righteous deeds and preparation for it, not negligence on it and discounting the event altogether.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

It is narrated from Mujāhid that he interpreted When they see it brought near to the Battle of Badr, in which the polytheists were severely defeated.^{‎[15]Qurtubi, 19/220.} This interpretation has been suggested for other similar verses (32:28); however, it is not compatible with the theme and trend of these verses. Neither is it compatible with the approach and view of the Quran in general.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!^{‎[16]Isaiah 5:19.}
2. Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.^{‎[17]Jeremiah 17:15.}
3. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.^{‎[18]Mark 13:32.}
4. Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?^{‎[19]Amos 5:18, 20.}

[1] Razi, 30/596.
[2] Mizan, 19/364.
[3] Tahqiq, under z-l-f.
[4] Raghib, under z-l-f.
[5] Lisan, under z-l-f; Mizan, 19/364.
[6] Raghib, under s-w-ʾ.
[7] Razi, 30/596.
[8] Tahqiq, under d-ʿ-w.
[9] Tibyan, 10/71.
[10] Alusi, 15/23.
[11] Qaraati, 10/161.
[12] Mizan, 19/365.
[13] Tibyan, 10/69.
[14] Ilal, 1/140-141, h. 2.
[15] Qurtubi, 19/220.
[16] Isaiah 5:19.
[17] Jeremiah 17:15.
[18] Mark 13:32.
[19] Amos 5:18, 20.