وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ 25
Translations
And they say, "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?"
Transliteration
Wa yaqooluna mata hadha al-wa'd in kuntum sadiqeen
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers mockingly challenge the Prophet and believers, asking 'When will this promise (of the Day of Judgment) come to pass, if you are truthful?' This ayah depicts the arrogance and denial of those who reject the message of the Hereafter. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that this question reflects their stubborn rejection and demand for tangible proof, revealing their hearts' hardness and unwillingness to believe despite clear signs.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Mulk, which emphasizes Allah's absolute sovereignty and the reality of the Day of Judgment. The surah addresses the Meccan disbelievers' persistent denial of resurrection and their mockery of the Prophet's warnings about accountability in the afterlife—a common theme in Meccan revelations.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west. When the sun rises from the west, the people will believe, but that will be when no soul will benefit from belief if it believed not before' (Sahih Muslim 157). This hadith relates to how disbelievers demand proof of the promised hour, yet even when signs manifest, their belief becomes void.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to remain steadfast despite mockery from deniers, and reminds us that the hour's timing is known only to Allah—our duty is to believe sincerely and live righteously, not to speculate about when divine promises will be fulfilled.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً لِّمَنْ خَافَ عَذَابَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّجْمُوعٌ لَّهُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّشْهُودٌ
Indeed in that is a sign for those who fear the punishment of the Hereafter. That is a Day for which the people will be collected, and that is a Day [which will be] witnessed.
إِن تَكْفُرُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ ٱلْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا۟ يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
If you disbelieve - indeed, Allāh is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it for you; and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
وَأَنذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْحَسْرَةِ إِذْ قُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
And warn them, [O Muḥammad], of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded; and [yet], they are in [a state of] heedlessness, and they do not believe.
وَٱمْتَـٰزُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
[Then He will say], "But stand apart today, you criminals.