Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:77
And to Allah belongs the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. And the command for the Hour is not but as a glance of the eye or even nearer. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, Exalted is His remembrance, says: And to Allah, O people, belongs the dominion over what is hidden from your eyes in the heavens and on the earth — not to your gods whom you call upon besides Him, nor to anyone other than Him. None other than He possesses this.
وَمَا أَمْرُ السَّاعَةِ إِلا كَلَمْحِ الْبَصَرِ — He says: And the matter of the establishment of the Hour (al-sāʿa) and the moment at which creation will be raised up to stand at the standing-place of the Resurrection is nothing but a single glance of the eye — for it is only that it is said to it: "Be!" and it is.
As Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning إِلا كَلَمْحِ الْبَصَرِ أَوْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ : the Hour is like a glance of the eye, or even nearer.
Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning وَمَا أَمْرُ السَّاعَةِ إِلا كَلَمْحِ الْبَصَرِ : he said: That is that it is said: "Be!", and it is like a glance of the eye. The matter of the Hour is thus like a glance of the eye, or even nearer — that is to say: or it is even nearer than a glance of the eye.
And His word إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — He says: Allah is able to bring on the Hour in less than a glance of the eye, and is capable of everything He wills of all matters; nothing prevents Him from what He has willed.
