And when the Most High clarified what He has prepared for the enemies of His religion in this world, and made clear that His way is serious and does not falter, due to the laws of wisdom and the methods of perfection and greatness it possesses, and one of the greatest of the judicial and scientific unseen matters is the Hour. He had previously [prompted what would lead to the question about it in His saying: ﴿May Allah curse them in this world and the Hereafter﴾ [Al-Ahzab: 57]. And it had passed that the last of the prostration was that they asked mockingly and in denial about the specification of its time, and He threatened them, glorified and exalted is He, regarding this question. The Most High said, also threatening regarding that, clarifying what is for the enemies of the religion who mock in the Hereafter: ﴿People ask you﴾ meaning: the polytheists mockingly from them, and He expressed that indicating that they, in their confusion, had not reached the lowest ranks of the people of faith. Thus, those who were hesitant in their opinions could hardly detach themselves from confusion, which is the disturbance ﴿about the Hour﴾ meaning: in specifying its time.

And when their persistence in questioning about it was the act of one who thinks that others, glorified is He, know it, He confirmed and said: ﴿Say﴾ meaning: in response to them: ﴿Indeed, its knowledge is with Allah﴾ meaning: the One who encompasses knowledge of all matters, and to Him belong all the attributes of beauty and majesty. He knows what is with everyone, and no one knows anything of what is with Him except by His permission.

And when one of the benefits of knowing the time of a thing is to guard against it or to defend against it, He indicated to the severity of its concealment by hiding it from His most perfect creation, hoping to bring it closer as a threat to them: ﴿And what will make you know﴾ meaning: what thing will inform you of its time? Then He resumed His saying: ﴿Perhaps the Hour﴾ meaning: the one for which there is no other hour in reality due to the wonders it possesses ﴿will be﴾ meaning: it will exist and occur in a terrifying and amazing manner ﴿soon﴾ meaning: in a near time. And it is permissible that the reminder is for the sake of the time because the question about it is merely a question about specifying its time. Al-Bukhari said in the Sahih: When you describe the feminine attribute, you say: near, and when you make it an adverb and a substitute and do not intend the attribute, you remove the 'h' from the feminine. Likewise, its expression in [the singular and] the dual and the plural for males and females. The intended meaning of the expression 'perhaps' is that it is in a way that those who hope for its nearness and fear it, so has the one who fears it prepared anything for defense when it comes or for salvation from it when it approaches?