َ إِلَّا بَلَاغًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِسَالَاتِهِ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ﴿۲۳﴾ حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَوْا مَا يُوعَدُونَ فَسَيَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ أَضْعَفُ نَاصِرًا وَأَقَلُّ عَدَدًا ﴿۲۴﴾ قُلْ إِنْ أَدْرِي أَقَرِيبٌ مَا تُوعَدُونَ أَمْ يَجْعَلُ لَهُ رَبِّي أَمَدًا ﴿۲۵﴾

﴾23﴿ Illaa balaagham minal laahi wa risaalaatih; wa many ya'sil laaha wa rasoolahoo fa inna lahoo naara jahannama khaalideena feehaaa 'abada
﴾24﴿ Hattaaa izaa ra aw maa yoo'adoona fasaya'lamoona man ad'afu naasiranw wa aqallu 'adada
﴾25﴿ Qul in adreee a qareebum maa too'adoona am yaj'alu lahoo rabbeee 'amada

﴾23﴿ Except that I convey from Allah and His messages. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, then indeed, for him is the Fire of Hell, wherein they will abide forever
﴾24﴿ Until they see that (punishment) which they are promised, then they will soon know who is weaker in helpers and fewer in number
﴾25﴿ Say, I do not know whether what you are promised is near or if my Lord will grant it a distant term

[24] (Man aḍ‘afu) – Meaning: the disbelievers boast in the world about their worldly power, their false gods, and their large numbers.
But when the punishment of Allah comes, their weakness and insignificance become fully exposed.
On the other hand, those who are devoted to the truth consider themselves weak and humble; they do not take pride in their numbers, but rather place their hope in the help of Allah.
[25] This verse is a response to a presumed question from the polytheists. After the warning of what they are promised (mā yū‘adūn), they would say: "When is this promise, if you are truthful?" (matā hādhā al-wa‘d in kuntum ṣādiqīn).
The core of the answer is the denial of knowledge of the unseen (‘ilm al-ghayb) for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace). It means: the coming of the punishment is certain, but we do not know its exact nearness or distance in time. Therefore, fear and caution are necessary regardless.
(Question): It is authentically narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I and the Hour were sent like these two,” and he joined his index and middle fingers—showing how near the Hour is after his prophethood. Does this not mean he knew it was near? (Answer): The verse refers to not knowing the exact measurement of nearness—like whether it's a hundred or a thousand years. That specific timing was unknown to him.
But the general nearness of the Hour was known, as stated in Sūrah al-Aḥzāb (33:63) and Sūrah al-Shūrā (42:17).