وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ 38
Translations
And they say, "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?"
Transliteration
Wa yaqūlūna matā hādhā al-wa'd in kuntum sādiqīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers mockingly challenge the Prophet and believers, demanding to know when the promised punishment or Day of Judgment will occur, implying skepticism about the truthfulness of the message. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this represents the arrogance and obstinacy of the Quraysh, who used such taunting questions to test the Prophet's conviction. The ayah illustrates how the disbelievers sought to discredit the message by questioning its fulfillment, a recurring pattern throughout Meccan surahs.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Anbiya, which discusses various prophets and their messages. The broader surah addresses the mockery and rejection faced by prophets, and this specific ayah reflects the hostility the Meccan polytheists directed at Prophet Muhammad's warnings about the Day of Judgment and divine punishment.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (3344) - The Prophet said: 'The Hour will come, and the Hour is more terrible and more bitter than the cutting of the sword.' This hadith reinforces the theme of the Day of Judgment mentioned in the ayah's context.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that mockery and doubt from opponents should not weaken conviction in divine truth; the certainty of Allah's promises stands regardless of human ridicule. It reminds us that demanding 'proof' of unseen matters reflects spiritual blindness rather than intellectual rigor, and faith requires accepting divine guidance based on reason and revelation, not merely sensory verification.
Related Ayahs
قَالُوا۟ فَأْتُوا۟ بِهِۦ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْيُنِ ٱلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْهَدُونَ
They said, "Then bring him before the eyes of the people that they may testify."
وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةً وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا ءَاخَرِينَ
And how many a city which was unjust have We shattered and produced after it another people.
قَالُوا۟ مَن فَعَلَ هَـٰذَا بِـَٔالِهَتِنَآ إِنَّهُۥ لَمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
They said, "Who has done this to our gods? Indeed, he is of the wrongdoers."
فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَقُلْ ءَاذَنتُكُمْ عَلَىٰ سَوَآءٍ ۖ وَإِنْ أَدْرِىٓ أَقَرِيبٌ أَم بَعِيدٌ مَّا تُوعَدُونَ
But if they turn away, then say, "I have announced to [all of] you equally. And I know not whether near or far is that which you are promised.