al-Mulk

وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا الْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْعِلْمُ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةً سِيئَتْ وُجُوهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقِيلَ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ تَدَّعُونَ

25. They say: "When will this promise come to pass if you are telling the truth?"
26. Say: "The knowledge is with Allah only and I am merely a plain warner.
27. But when they see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieve will turn ugly and black and it will be said unto them: "This is what you were calling for!"

The clause

is attested six times in the Holy Qur’an as uttered by the disbelievers to who the Noble Prophet (S) would reply:

"The Knowledge as to the Resurrection is solely with God Almighty."

The knowledge of the unseen falls into two categories: one granted His chosen believers

and one which is solely with God Almighty and even His Messengers are unaware of it, instances of which include the specified time of Resurrection as mentioned in the preceding blessed Verse¹¹ and the supplication including

The blessed Verse proceeds to treat of the words uttered by those who belie Resurrection, saying that they utter such derisive words but if they are true in their claim they may specify the exact time of Resurrection. Now that they may not act accordingly, why do they not state that they are unable to do so? Two interpretations have been suggested for

firstly, the promise of Resurrection and the other the numerous chastisements inflicted in this world, e.g. earth quakes and lightning, though the twain are not inharmonious. The blessed Verse 26 is thus replying unto them:

The expression is reiterated elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an, including:

The knowledge rests solely with God Almighty since if the appointed time of Resurrection were known and it happened to be far ahead, people would sink into the dire of neglect and if it happened to be close, the people would be too anxious for the fulfillment of the goals of human growth. The blessed Verse 27 is saying that when they experience the Divine Promises and torments, the faces of the disbelievers turn ugly and black, such that they reflect their sorrows. It will be said unto them that it is what you called for. The verbal form tadda‘un, deriving from the root d-‘-a, implies that they called for Resurrection at all times and now there is no way to evade the reckoning of deeds at the time.

It is noteworthy that Hakim Abu al-Qasim Haskani in this respect says that when the disbelievers noticed the exalted rank of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali (as), before God Almighty, their faces turned black out of rage.¹³ In this vein, it is narrated from Imam Baqir (as) as saying that the blessed Verse in question was revealed regarding the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali (as) and his followers.¹⁴At any rate, the exegesis transmitted by the Shi‘i and Sunni authorities is regarded as comparison and the blessed Verse teats of Resurrection and traditions are imbued with such comparisons.