فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةً سِيٓـَٔتْ وُجُوهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَقِيلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَدَّعُونَ 27
Translations
But when they see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieve will be distressed, and it will be said, "This is that for which you used to call."
Transliteration
Falamma ra'awhu zulfatan sī'at wujūhu alladhīna kafarū wa-qīla hādhā alladhī kuntum bihi taddaʿūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the Day of Judgment when the disbelievers will suddenly see the punishment approaching them, causing their faces to become distressed and darkened with fear and regret. The angels or the punishment itself will then address them, saying 'This is what you used to mock and deny'—a painful reminder of their arrogance and rejection of the truth in this world. Ibn Kathir explains that 'zulfatan' (drawing near/at close range) emphasizes the immediacy and inescapability of the divine punishment they can no longer deny.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Mulk, revealed in Mecca during the early Islamic period. It contextualizes the broader Quranic theme of the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the consequences of disbelief. The surah opens with affirmation of Allah's absolute sovereignty and concludes with vivid descriptions of the fate of the disbelievers, establishing that divine justice is inevitable.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The Day of Judgment will not come until the sun rises from the West' (Sahih Bukhari 4636), emphasizing the certainty of the Last Day. Also relevant: 'How many signs in the heavens and on earth do they pass by? Yet they turn away from them' (Quran 12:105), reflecting the theme of heedlessness that precedes judgment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a profound reminder that mockery of religious truth and arrogant rejection of divine guidance will inevitably lead to regret and anguish. For modern believers, it reinforces the importance of taking the message of Allah seriously in this life, for the reality of the Hereafter will become undeniably clear when it is too late to change one's deeds.