Exalted is He: “Did We not create you from a despised fluid?” (77:20). Then, after the weakness of childhood, He gave you youth, which is the time of strength; “then, after strength, He gave you weakness”—old age—“and gray hair. He creates whatever He wills”: weakness, strength, youth, and gray hair. “And He is the All-Knowing” in directing His creation, “the All-Powerful” over whatever He wills.

“And on the Day the Hour is established, the criminals will swear that they had remained no more than an hour. Thus they had been deluded. But those endowed with knowledge and faith will say, ‘You have remained, according to the decree of Allah, until the Day of Resurrection; and this is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not know.’” (55–56)

“And on the Day the Hour is established, the criminals will swear”: the idolaters will swear, “they had remained”—in the life of this world—“no more than an hour.” Having witnessed the Hereafter, they will regard the span of worldly life as insignificant. Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: They had remained in their graves no more than an hour, as He says: “On the Day they see what they have been promised, it will seem to them as though they had remained only an hour of a day.” (46:35)

“Thus they had been deluded”: they were turned away from the truth in this world. Al-Kalbi and Muqatil said: They lied when they claimed that they had remained no more than an hour, just as they had lied in this world by claiming that there would be no resurrection. The meaning is that Allah intended to expose them, so they swore to something concerning which it became clear to all those assembled that they were lying. (1) This was by Allah’s decree and predestination, as indicated by His saying, “they had been deluded”—that is, turned away from the truth.

He then mentions how the believers denounced their lie, saying: “But those endowed with knowledge and faith will say, ‘You have remained, according to the decree of Allah’”—that is, for the period Allah had decreed for you, in His prior knowledge, to remain in the graves. (2) It was also said that “according to the decree of Allah” means: according to Allah’s judgment. (3)

Qatadah and Muqatil said that the wording involves transposition, its meaning being: Those endowed with knowledge of Allah’s Book and faith said, “You have remained until the Day of Resurrection”—meaning, those who know Allah’s Book. (4) They recited His saying, Exalted is He: “And behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.” (23:100) That is, they said to those who denied it: “You have remained until the Day of Resurrection; and this is the Day of Resurrection,” which you used to deny in the life of this world, “but you did not know” that it would occur in this world. Thus, knowing it now will not benefit you, as is indicated by His saying, Exalted is He: