Tafseer of The Romans · Ar-Room · 30:55
And the Day the Hour appears the criminals will swear they had remained but an hour. Thus they were deluded.
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.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يُقْسِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُوا غَيْرَ سَاعَةٍ كَذَلِكَ كَانُوا يُؤْفَكُونَ ("And on the Day when the Hour arrives, the criminals will swear that they remained no longer than an hour; thus were they turned away") (30:55).
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: and on the Day when the Hour of the Resurrection comes, and the creatures are raised from their graves, the criminals will swear — and they are those who in the worldly life were unbelievers concerning Allah and who therein earned the sins — and their swearing is: their oath by Allah ما لَبِثُوا غيرَ ساعَةٍ ("that they remained no longer than an hour"). He says: they will swear that they remained in their graves no longer than a single hour. Allah, praised be His praise, says: thus were they turned away in the worldly life. He says: they lied in their saying and their oath that they remained no longer than an hour, just as in the worldly life they used to lie and swear falsely while they knew it.
And in accordance with what we have said about that, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يُقْسِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُوا غَيْرَ سَاعَةٍ كَذَلِكَ كَانُوا يُؤْفَكُونَ ("And on the Day when the Hour arrives, the criminals will swear that they remained no longer than an hour; thus were they turned away"): that is, they used to lie in the worldly life. And by His saying يُؤفَكُونَ ("they were turned away") is meant only: turned away from the truth, and diverted from it toward falsehood.
