سُوْرَةُ الْحَجِّ

Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 47

The Pilgrimage · Medinan · Juz 17 · Page 338

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وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥ ۚ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ ﴿47﴾

Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

And they ask you to hasten on the torment! And Allâh fails not His Promise. And verily, a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you reckon.

Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning

وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ wayastaʿjilūnaka And they ask you to hasten
بِٱلْعَذَابِ bil-ʿadhābi the punishment
وَلَن walan But never will
يُخْلِفَ yukh'lifa fail/violate
ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
وَعْدَهُۥ ۚ waʿdahu (in) His Promise
وَإِنَّ wa-inna And indeed
يَوْمًا yawman a day
عِندَ ʿinda with
رَبِّكَ rabbika your Lord
كَأَلْفِ ka-alfi (is) like a thousand
سَنَةٍۢ sanatin year(s)
مِّمَّا mimmā of what
تَعُدُّونَ taʿuddūna you count

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

(Ayah 47) ➊ {وَ يَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ:} The polytheists used to keep demanding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to bring the punishment quickly. The purpose of this demand was to deny the coming of the punishment, to belie the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to mock him, and to render him speechless. The Qur’an has mentioned their demand in several places, as it says: « وَ يَقُوْلُوْنَ مَتٰى هٰذَا الْوَعْدُ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ صٰدِقِيْنَ» [ الأنبیاء : ۳۸ ] “And they say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, if you are truthful?’” And it says: « وَ يَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَ لَوْ لَاۤ اَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى لَّجَآءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ» [ العنکبوت : ۵۳ ] “And they ask you to hasten the punishment, and if there had not been a fixed term, the punishment would certainly have come upon them.” In fact, they did not even refrain from directly supplicating to Allah for the punishment: « وَ قَالُوْا رَبَّنَا عَجِّلْ لَّنَا قِطَّنَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ» [ صٓ : ۱۶ ] “And they said, ‘Our Lord! Hasten for us our share before the Day of Reckoning.’” And it says: « وَ اِذْ قَالُوا اللّٰهُمَّ اِنْ كَانَ هٰذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَاَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ اَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ اَلِيْمٍ » [ الأنفال : ۳۲ ] “And when they said, ‘O Allah! If this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment.’”

➋ { وَ لَنْ يُّخْلِفَ اللّٰهُ وَعْدَهٗ :} The polytheists denied the coming of the punishment with such certainty, so it is emphasized with the same certainty that Allah will never go against His promise; whatever He has said will surely happen, but at the time He has appointed.

➌ { وَ اِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ … :} That is, your Lord is not narrow-minded and hasty like you, rather He is extremely forbearing and vast. Even a little respite given by Him is very much; your one thousand years are only one day to Him. He is so forbearing that if He gives half a day’s respite, that too will be five hundred years, and if He gives an hour’s respite, it will be more than forty years. The reason for His forbearance is that He is capable of taking revenge; nothing can escape His grasp, no matter how much respite He gives or how long He extends the rope.

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

47. 1. Therefore, these people hasten according to their own reckoning. But in Allah’s reckoning, even one day is like a thousand years. In this sense, if He grants someone a respite of one day (24 hours), it is a thousand years; if He grants half a day’s respite, it is five hundred years; if He grants six hours (which is a quarter of 24 hours), then a period of two hundred and fifty years is required for the punishment. In this way, if someone receives a respite of one hour from Allah, it means a respite of approximately forty years (Aysar al-Tafasir). Another meaning is that in Allah’s power, one day and a thousand years are equal, so there is no difference between hastening and delaying. They demand hastening, while He delays. However, it is certain that He will definitely fulfill His promise. Some have interpreted this as referring to the Hereafter, that due to the intensity and horror, one day of the Day of Judgment will seem like a thousand years, and for some, even fifty thousand years. Others have said that the day of the Hereafter will actually be a thousand years.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

47. They ask you to hasten the punishment, but Allah never fails in His promise. And surely, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years [75] according to your counting.

[75]
The Natural Lifespan of Nations?

This verse does not mean that every emerging nation or civilization has or should have a natural lifespan of a thousand years. Rather, these words are mentioned as a comparison between mankind’s hastening for punishment and the delay according to His law of gradualness and respite. It is entirely possible that if a nation’s oppression and tyranny increase excessively, it may be destroyed even after three or four centuries. And it is also entirely possible that a nation or civilization may survive for more than a thousand years. All these matters depend on the pace of a nation’s sins.
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