يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ رَبِّي لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّا هُوَ ثَقُلَتْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً يَسْأَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِيٌّ عَنْهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۱۸۷﴾ قُلْ لَا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿۱۸۸﴾

﴾187﴿ Yas'aloonaka 'anis Saa'ati aiyaana mursaahaa qul innamaa 'ilmuhaa 'inda Rabbee laa yujalleehaa liwaqtihaaa illaa Hoo; saqulat fis samaawaati wal ard; laa ta'teekum illaa baghtah; yas'aloonaka ka annaka hafiyyun 'anhaa qul innamaa 'ilmuhaa 'indal laahi wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon
﴾188﴿ Qul laaa amliku linafsee naf'anw wa laa darran illaa maa shaaa'al laah; wa law kuntu a'lamul ghaiba lastaksartu minal khairi wa maa massaniyas soo'; in ana illaa nazeerunw wa basheerul liqawminy yu'minoon

﴾187﴿ They ask you about the resurrection, When will its coming be Tell them The knowledge of it is only with my Lord Allah Almighty did not show it except at that time The word has become difficult in the heavens and the earth It will not come to you except suddenly They ask you as if you were searching for it, Say: The knowledge of it is only with Allah, the Exalted, but most of the people do not know
﴾188﴿ Say, I have no power over myself, neither profit nor harm, except what Allah wills (he is doing) And if I knew the unseen I used to collect a lot of profit and I didn't get any tasks I am only a warner and a bearer of good news to a people who believe

[187] This is the eighth warning (tanbīh thāmin) concerning the denial of the Day of Judgment, which is also the cause of their rebellion mentioned in the previous verse.
(يَسْأَلُونَكَ) – Their question is posed in a tone of mockery and ridicule, not sincerity.
(السَّاعَةِ) refers to the Day of Judgment. It is called sā‘ah (hour) for several reasons:
1. Because it will occur suddenly.
2. Because final judgment will be made in a short span.
3. Although long in reality, to Allah it is as brief as a single moment (sā‘ah).
(عِنْدَ رَبِّي) – The knowledge of its timing is known only to Allah; He has kept it exclusively with Himself and revealed it to no one.
(لِوَقْتِهَا) – The lām here means fī (i.e., “at its appointed time”).
(بَغْتَةً) – Means it will come upon people while they are heedless and busy with worldly matters—even if its signs have already appeared.
In this verse, the question is repeated twice. The difference between the two is:
The first question is about the timing of the Hour.
The second question is about the nature and details of the Hour itself.
(ثَقُلَتْ) – One interpretation is that the awe and gravity of the Hour weighs heavily on the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth. Another interpretation is that the knowledge of it is hidden, and something unknown always feels heavy and burdensome to the soul.
(حَفِيٌّ) – This can mean someone who strives eagerly to learn something, or it can mean someone well-informed. In context, it refers to how people assume that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has knowledge of the Hour—because they constantly ask him about it.
[188] This verse is an additional clarification in response to the previous question, emphasizing: "I do not have control over benefit or harm for myself, so how could I possess knowledge of the Hour?" It contains a refutation of both types of shirk with regard to the Prophets: Shirk in control (fi’t-taṣarruf) – assuming they have control over benefit and harm. Shirk in knowledge (fi’l-‘ilm) – assuming they possess unseen knowledge (‘ilm al-ghayb). (إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ) – This is called an exception of separation (istithnā’ munqaṭi‘), meaning: “Whatever Allah wills, happens.” The first reasoning: This exception is not linked to what was mentioned in verse 21, and for a connected (muttaṣil) exception, a clear link is required. The second reasoning: Allah’s will (mashī’ah) is separate from the Prophet’s power over benefit or harm. (وَلَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ) – “If I had known the unseen…” The word "لو" in Arabic is used to negate something, indicating that the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not know the unseen. (لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ) – This means: “I would have gathered a great deal of good,”—that is, I would have avoided harm and achieved much benefit without difficulty. (وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ) – This is a descriptive clause (ḥāl), implying: “If I had knowledge of the unseen, harm would never have touched me.” But since the Prophet (peace be upon him) endured many hardships and difficulties, it proves that he does not possess knowledge of the unseen (‘ilm al-ghayb).