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Sura 17
Aya 52
52
يَومَ يَدعوكُم فَتَستَجيبونَ بِحَمدِهِ وَتَظُنّونَ إِن لَبِثتُم إِلّا قَليلًا

Muhammad Asad

on a Day when He will call you, and you will answer by praising Him, thinking all the while that you have tarried [on earth] but a little while."1
  • Man's life on earth will appear to him "but as a little while" in comparison with the unlimited duration of the life in the hereafter (Tabari, Zamakhshari). A further implication is that man's concept of "time" is earthbound and, hence, has no meaning in the context of ultimate reality. The preceding reference to the erstwhile deniers of the possibility of resurrection as "answering God's call by praising Him" implies that as soon as they are resurrected they will become fully aware of His existence and almightiness.