يَسأَلُ أَيّانَ يَومُ القِيامَةِ

He asks: ‘When is this day of resurrection?!’

EXPOSITION

When those who wish to continue their sinful lifestyle are confronted with the divine message and its warning of accountability, they do not react with repentance and faith, nor do they hasten to prepare. Rather they present this mocking question. This insincere question is asked with various intentions: to deny its possibility,^{‎[1]Mizan, 20/105.} to inquire for some sort of specification,^{‎[2]Tibyan, 10/192.} and to mock those who would believe in it.^{‎[3]Baydawi, 5/265.}

The Quran repeatedly mentions their protests and their ridicule. It reminds man that no one knows the time of the final hour except God, and that instead of trying to find out its specific time, a person should prepare themselves for its inevitable arrival: They question you concerning the hour, when will it set in? Say: ‘Its knowledge is only with my Lord: none except Him shall manifest it at its time. It will weigh heavy on the heavens and the earth. It will not overtake you but suddenly.’ They ask you as if you were in the know of it. Say: ‘Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most people do not know’ (7:187).

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Rāzī posits that there are two main reasons why someone would deny resurrection: shubhah (intellectual doubt) and shahwah (denial because of base desires). Rāzī argues that if we agree that the human being is more than just the physical body, then the death of the body would not in any way necessitate the end of human life. Hence, God is able to return the human being into any body that He wishes. He considers the beginning of the surah to be an indication of this, when God swears by the self-blaming soul. God then answers the first doubt by highlighting Yes indeed, We are able to proportion [even] his fingertips (verse 4). The Creator who is aware of all the minute details of His creation and who originally created, would definitely be able to recreate. What remains is the doubt of shahwah, which Rāzī argues is answered in this and the previous verse, when God declares that only those who would still insist on denying resurrection do so because they wish to continue their irresponsible and sinful lifestyle.^{‎[4]Razi, 30/723.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. ‘They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it now be fulfilled!”’^{‎[5]Jeremiah 17:15.}
2. ‘Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”’^{‎[6]Luke 17:20-21.}

[1] Mizan, 20/105.
[2] Tibyan, 10/192.
[3] Baydawi, 5/265.
[4] Razi, 30/723.
[5] Jeremiah 17:15.
[6] Luke 17:20-21.