As for His words—glory be to Him:

“Then He decreed a term, and an appointed term is with Him,”

the first term is the term of each servant, at which his life ends. The appointed term with Him is the time of the general Resurrection. This is why He says:

“Appointed with Him.”

For neither an angel brought near to Allah nor a prophet sent by Him knows the time of the Hour, as He says:

“They ask you about the Hour: when will it come? Say, ‘Knowledge of it rests only with my Lord. None but He will reveal it at its appointed time.’”

This differs from His saying merely “appointed,” as in His words:

“When you contract a debt for an appointed term.”

Since He does not qualify this by saying that it is appointed with Him, His servants may know it. As for the appointed time of death, this is known to the angels who record a servant’s provision, lifespan, deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed.

As reported in the two Sahīhs, Ibn Mas‘ūd said:

“The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the truthful one whose truthfulness is confirmed—told us: ‘Each of you is formed in his mother’s womb for forty days as a drop of sperm, then becomes a clinging clot for a similar period, then a lump of flesh for a similar period. Then the angel is sent to him and instructed to record four matters. He is told: “Write down his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed.” Then the soul is breathed into him.’”

Thus, Allah may make this term—the appointed time of death—known to whichever of His servants He wills. But the appointed time of the Resurrection, which is with Him, is known to Him alone.