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
وَلِيَعْلَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهِۦ فَتُخْبِتَ لَهُۥ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهَادِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
And so those who were given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord and [therefore] believe in it, and their hearts humbly submit to it. And indeed is Allāh the Guide of those who have believed to a straight path.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَتُصْبِحُ ٱلْأَرْضُ مُخْضَرَّةً ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ
Do you not see that Allāh has sent down rain from the sky and the earth becomes green? Indeed, Allāh is Subtle and Aware.
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوْ ءَاذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى ٱلْقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِى فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ
So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.
۞ ذَٰلِكَ وَمَنْ عَاقَبَ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبَ بِهِۦ ثُمَّ بُغِىَ عَلَيْهِ لَيَنصُرَنَّهُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ
That [is so]. And whoever responds [to injustice] with the equivalent of that with which he was harmed and then is tyrannized - Allāh will surely aid him. Indeed, Allāh is Pardoning and Forgiving.