Tafseer of Those who drag forth · An-Naazi'aat · 79:42
They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival?
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: يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا ("They ask you about the Hour: when is its arrival?") (79:42).
The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: these deniers of the resurrection ask you, O Muḥammad, about the Hour at which the dead are raised from their graves — أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا ("when is its arrival?"), that is to say: when is its rising and its becoming manifest?
Al-Farrāʾ used to say: If someone were to say: "anchoring/arrival" (irsāʾ) applies only to the ship, to the firmly standing mountains (al-jibāl al-rāsiya), and to what resembles them — how then can the Hour be described with "arrival"? Then I say: it is like the ship which, while it is sailing, comes to anchor (rasat); and its coming to anchor (rusūw) is its coming to rest. He said: and its coming to rest is not like the standing of one who stands; rather it is like your expression: "justice is established" and "the truth is established," that is to say: it has become manifest and has come to stand firm.
