وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥ ۚ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ 47
Translations
And they urge you to hasten the punishment. But Allāh will never fail in His promise. And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count.
Transliteration
Wa-yasta'jilūnaka bil-'adhāb wa-lan yukhlifallāhu wa'dahu. Wa-inna yawman 'inda rabbika ka-alfa sanatin mimma ta'uddūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers hastily demand that the promised punishment be brought upon them, not believing it will actually come to pass. Allah assures the Prophet (ﷺ) that He never breaks His promise, and emphasizes the vast difference between human perception of time and divine time—one day in Allah's reckoning is equivalent to a thousand years in human years. This conveys both the certainty of Allah's promise and the reality that what seems delayed to humans is measured differently in the divine framework, as noted by Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan Surah Al-Hajj and addresses the Meccan disbelievers who mockingly demanded the swift arrival of punishment if Muhammad's message were true. The broader context of Surah Al-Hajj discusses pilgrimage, prophethood, and God's authority over all affairs. This specific verse responds to their arrogant challenge with a reminder of Allah's sovereignty over time and the inevitability of His judgment.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (3209) and Sahih Muslim (2787) report from Abdullah ibn Abbas that the Prophet (ﷺ) recited this verse and explained that one day with Allah equals a thousand years of our reckoning. Additionally, the concept of Allah's promise never being broken is reinforced in numerous hadiths such as 'Whoever trusts in Allah, He will suffice him' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2347).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that delays in divine justice do not mean its absence—Allah operates on a different scale of time than humans, and what appears slow to us may be part of His perfect wisdom. For modern readers, it encourages patience with apparent injustices in the world while maintaining absolute faith in Allah's promises of ultimate accountability and justice.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلْنَـٰهُ لِلنَّاسِ سَوَآءً ٱلْعَـٰكِفُ فِيهِ وَٱلْبَادِ ۚ وَمَن يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍۭ بِظُلْمٍ نُّذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
Indeed, those who have disbelieved and avert [people] from the way of Allāh and [from] al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, which We made for the people - equal are the resident therein and one from outside - and [also] whoever intends [a deed] therein of deviation [in religion] by wrongdoing - We will make him taste of a painful punishment.
وَأَنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ ءَاتِيَةٌ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهَا وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبْعَثُ مَن فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ
And [that they may know] that the Hour is coming - no doubt about it - and that Allāh will resurrect those in the graves.
لَيُدْخِلَنَّهُم مُّدْخَلًا يَرْضَوْنَهُۥ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلِيمٌ حَلِيمٌ
He will surely cause them to enter an entrance with which they will be pleased, and indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Forbearing.
ذَٰلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦ ۗ وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلرِّجْسَ مِنَ ٱلْأَوْثَـٰنِ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ قَوْلَ ٱلزُّورِ
That [has been commanded], and whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allāh - it is best for him in the sight of his Lord. And permitted to you are the grazing livestock, except what is recited to you. So avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement,