In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Most Merciful
When the Last Hour strikes, the evildoers will swear that they had not tarried on earth longer than an hour. Thus they used to delude themselves. But those who were endowed with knowledge and faith will say: “Indeed, you have tarried, in accordance with God’s decree, until the Day of Resurrection. This is, then, the Day of Resurrection, but you did not know it.” And so on that day their excuse will be of no avail to those wrongdoers, nor will they be allowed to make amends.
We have set for people in this Qur’an all sorts of illustrations. Yet if you present them with any sign, the unbelievers will say: “You are but making false claims.” Thus does God seal the hearts of those who do not want to know (the truth). Therefore persevere patiently. For certain, God’s promise will come true. So, let not the ones deprived of certainty trouble your mind.
(The Byzantines, Al-Room: 30: 55-60)
In this final passage, the surah shows us an image of the Day of Judgment when all that has passed before that day shrinks into insignificance so as to make the unbelievers swear that they had not lived on earth more than one hour. Their oaths may also be taken to mean that they did not stay in their graves for more than an hour, or that this duration of one hour applies to all their time on earth in both their conditions of life and death. “Thus they used to delude themselves.” They could not make a proper estimate of their time, until those who have true knowledge tell them the right duration: “But those who were endowed with knowledge and faith will say: Indeed, you have tarried, in accordance with God’s decree, until the Day of Resurrection. This is, then, the Day of Resurrection, but you did not know it.”
Most probably the ones described as “endowed with knowledge” are the believers who were certain of the coming of the Last Hour, recognizing what lies beyond the apparent aspects of the life of this world. These are the ones who have true knowledge and enlightened faith. In their answer, they refer the matter to God’s knowledge: “You have tarried, in accordance with God’s decree, until the Day of Resurrection.” This is the term appointed, and it does not matter whether it was of a long or short duration. The appointed time was met: “This is, then, the Day of Resurrection, but you did not know it.”
The scene is completed with a general statement of the overall result, referring to the fate of the wrongdoers who denied the Day of Judgment: “And so on that day their excuse will be of no avail to those wrongdoers, nor will they be allowed to make amends. No justification will be accepted from them. In fact no acknowledgement of error or apology is sought from them. That is the Day of Judgment and punishment of the guilty, not a day of providing justification for wrong action.
The surah then describes how the unbelievers persist in their ways, after having explained the fate of such persistent unbelief: “We have set for people in this Qur’an all sorts of illustrations. Yet if you present them with any sign, the unbelievers will say: ‘you are but making false claims.’ Thus does God seal the hearts of those who do not want to know (the truth).”
There is a wide gap here in time and place, but it sounds in the surah as if it is ever so near; indeed both time and place have been rolled back. People are again reminded of what the Qur’an provides by way of illustrations, modes of address, fine touches meant to alert minds and hearts, and inspiring images. They listen to it as it addresses every mind and heart in every social environment and speaks to the human soul in all its moods. Yet they continue to deny every sign. Nor do they stop at this, but rather insult those endowed with true knowledge describing them as making false assertions: “Yet if you present them with any sign, the unbelievers will say: you are but making false claims.” The surah comments on their disbelief, saying: “Thus does God seal the hearts of those who do not want to know (the truth).” It is in this way and for this reason that God seals their hearts. They are indeed blind, unable to see God’s signs, arrogant in their disbelief, unwilling to reflect. Hence, they deserve that God should seal their sight and their hearts.
The final note in the surah comes in the form of a directive to the Prophet and the believers: “Therefore persevere patiently. For certain, God’s promise will come true. So, let not the ones deprived of certainty trouble your mind.”
Perseverance is the best policy for the believers as they go along their hard, long way that at times seems endless. They must remain confident of the fulfilment of God’s promise. This will enable them to remain steadfast, free of worry and doubt. Other people may hesitate, or deny the truth, or doubt that God’s promise will ever be fulfilled, because they have no true knowledge and lack the means of certainty. Believers, however, must persevere, remain steadfast and confident, even though their path may seem endless, and their goal seem concealed behind thick clouds.
Thus the surah that started with God’s promise to grant victory to the Byzantines within a few years, and give support and victory to the believers, now ends with the directive to persevere until God’s promise is fulfilled. Believers are instructed to remain steadfast in the face of all the unbelievers’ attempts to weaken their resolve. There is perfect harmony between the opening and the end. As it concludes, the lingering impression is that of a firm resolve and unshaken trust that God’s promise will be fulfilled.