Overview (Verses 28 - 30)

The Prophet’s Responsibility

We have sent you to all mankind so that you bring them good news and give them warning; but most people do not understand. They ask: ‘When is this promise to be fulfilled, if what you say be true?’ Say: ‘There has been appointed for you a day which you can neither delay nor advance by a single moment.’ (Verses 28-30) This clarifies what was stated in the previous passage about each individual’s accountability to God, and that the role of the advocates of truth does not go beyond delivering God’s message and presenting it clearly before the rest of mankind. The current passage starts with explaining the mission assigned to the Prophet. It is clear that they are unaware of its nature. Hence they try to hasten what he promises or threatens them with. It makes clear that this comes at the time God has determined for it, which is unknown to anyone other than Him: “We have sent you to all mankind so that you bring them good news and give them warning.” (Verse 28) Such is the remit of the message addressed to all mankind: to bring good news and to give warning. When this is done, the messenger’s role has ended. As for the fulfilment of promise and warning, this is all left to God to determine: “but most people do not understand.” (Verse 28)

“They ask: When is this promise to be fulfilled, if what you say be true?” (Verse 29) The very question implies that they do not understand the messenger’s role or the limits of the message. The Qur’ān wants the question of God’s oneness to be absolutely clear: Muĥammad is His Messenger with a clearly defined remit. He fulfils his task but does not go beyond this. All authority belongs to God: it is He who has given him the message to deliver, clearly defining his role. It is not part of his role to decide, or even to know, when the promise and the warning are to be fulfilled. This all belongs to God. The Prophet knows his limits. Therefore, he does not even question anything God has not chosen to inform him of, or has not assigned to him. Here, God instructs him to give them this particular reply: “Say: There has been appointed for you a day which you can neither delay nor advance by a single moment.” (Verse 30)

Everything occurs at its particular time which God has determined. It is neither hastened nor delayed for anyone. Nothing occurs by coincidence. On the contrary, everything is created according to a particular plan, in which things are interrelated. God’s will determines events and timings according to His own wisdom, of which we only understand what God chooses to impart to us. When people try to hasten His promise or warning, they betray their ignorance of this fundamental fact. Hence, since most people do not understand, this leads them to questioning and hastening things.