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
لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ
He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.
قَالُوا۟ مَن فَعَلَ هَـٰذَا بِـَٔالِهَتِنَآ إِنَّهُۥ لَمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
They said, "Who has done this to our gods? Indeed, he is of the wrongdoers."
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَهَـٰرُونَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ وَضِيَآءً وَذِكْرًا لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
And We had already given Moses and Aaron the criterion and a light and a reminder for the righteous
يَوْمَ نَطْوِى ٱلسَّمَآءَ كَطَىِّ ٱلسِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأْنَآ أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُۥ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَآ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَـٰعِلِينَ
The Day when We will fold the heaven like the folding of a [written] sheet for the records. As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. [That is] a promise binding upon Us. Indeed, We will do it.