Sanusi Olawale ibn Abdulwasiu
Christian apologists, Evangelists, Pastors and Islamophobes are quick to criticize the Qur’an without making an attempt to study it. Consequent upon this form of blind criticism, their arguments are cheap, their claims unfounded and like the Bible, they distort and misunderstand verses of the Qur’an.
There have been claims that there is a contradiction in the Qur’an. Is a day with Allah, 1,000 or 50,000 days? This alleged contradiction is from their understanding of three verses;
Al-Hajj 22:47
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥۚ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
And they urge you to hasten the punishment. But Allah will never fail in His promise. And indeed, A DAY WITH YOUR LORD IS LIKE A THOUSAND YEARS of those which you count.
As-Sajda, Verse 5:
يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
He arranges (every) affair from the heavens to the earth, then it (affair) will go up to Him, in one Day, the space whereof is a thousand years of your reckoning (i.e. reckoning of our present world’s time).
(English – Mohsin Khan)
Al-Ma’arij 70:4
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during A DAY THE EXTENT OF WHICH IS FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS.
Looking at these three verses, a critic can easily can claim that these verses are contradictory.
Unlike Christian Evangelists who use “Holy Spirit” as an excuse for whatever is unexplainable in the Bible, Muslims do not hide under any guise of requesting for the Holy spirit to interpret the Quran for us. We simply refer back to Prophet Muhammad, the person through whom we received the beautiful message. Muhammad (SAW) taught the Companions and the companions taught the Successors. It goes on and on until this day. So, whenever we need to interpret the Qur’an, we consult the Tafsir.
Taking the verses one after the other, the first two verses has Allah likened His day to a thousand days we count. The third one has the day likened to fifty thousand days. What we need to find out first is if the three verse are referring to the same day. Checking the first one, it is talking about the disbelievers demanding for punishment. Tafsir of ibn Kathir says:
“Allah tells His Prophet:
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ
And they ask you to hasten on the torment!
meaning, these disbelievers who disbelieve in Allah and His Book and His Messenger and the Last Day.
This is like the Ayat:
وَإِذْ قَالُواْ اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَأءِ أَوِ ايْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
And (remember) when they said:”O Allah! If this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring on us a painful torment.” (8:32)
وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَا عَجِّل لَّنَا قِطَّنَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ
They say:”Our Lord! Hasten to us Qittana (our punishment) before the Day of Reckoning!” (38:16)
وَلَن يُخْلِفَ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ
And Allah fails not His promise.
means, His promise to bring about the Hour and wreak vengeance upon His enemies, and to honor His close friends.
وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
And verily a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you reckon.
Means, He does not hasten, for what is counted as a thousand years with His creation is as one day with Him, and He knows that He is able to exact revenge and that He will not miss a thing, even if He delays and waits and postpones.”
The second verse (As-Sajdah 32:5) is having same thing in common with the above verse. Both has a day with Allah likened to a thousand years. Both are actually talking about how minute is what we call a day in the Sight of Allah. A day with Allah, is like a thousand days of ours. If that is so, how do we reconcile this with the third verse?
The verse is actually talking about the day of Judgement.
Al-Ma’arij 70:4
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during A DAY THE EXTENT OF WHICH IS FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS.
This refers to the Day of Judgement.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn `Abbas that he said concerning the Ayah,
فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
(in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years).
“It is the Day of Judgement.”
The chain of narration of this report (to Ibn `Abbas) is authentic.
Ath-Thawri reported from Simak bin Harb from `Ikrimah that he said concerning this verse,
“It is the Day of Judgement.”
Ad-Dahhak and Ibn Zayd both said the same.
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas concerning the Ayah,
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَيِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
(The angels and the Ruh ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years).
“It is the Day of Judgement that Allah has made to be the measure of fifty thousand years for the disbelievers.”
Many Hadiths have been reported with this same meaning.
Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu `Umar Al-Ghudani that he said,
“I was with Abu Hurayrah when a man from Bani `Amir bin Sa`sa`ah passed and it was said:`This man is the wealthiest man of Bani `Amir.’ So Abu Hurayrah said, `Bring him back to me.’ So they brought the man back to Abu Hurayrah.
Then Abu Hurayrah said, `I have been informed that you are a man of great wealth.’
The man from Bani `Amir replied, `Yes, by Allah. I have one hundred red-colored camels, one hundred brown-colored camels…’ and so on, he counted numerous colored camels, the races of the slaves and the types of fetters for his horses that he owned.
So Abu Hurayrah said, `Beware of the hooves of the camels and the cloven hooves of the cattle.’ He continued repeating that to him until the color of the man began to change.
Then the man said, `O Abu Hurayrah what is this?’
Abu Hurayrah replied, `I heard the Messenger of Allah say,
مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ إِبِلٌ لَا يُعْطِي حَقَّهَا فِي نَجْدَتِهَا وَرِسْلِهَا
Whoever has camels and does not give their due (Zakah) in their Najdah and their Risl…)
We interrupted saying, `O Messenger of Allah! What is their Najdah and Risl’
He said,
It is their difficulty and their ease,
for verily, they will come on the Day of Resurrection healthier than before. They will be more in number, fatter and more lively and unruly. Then a soft, level plain will be spread out for them and they will trample him with their hooves. When the last of them has passed over him, the first of them will return to trample him again during a day whose measure will be FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS.
This will continue until the case of all the people is decided between them.
Then he (the withholder of Zakah) will see his path (i.e., either to Paradise or Hell). If he had cows that he did not pay the Zakah in their ease and their difficult times, then they will come on the Day of Judgement healthier than they were before. They will be more in number, fatter and more lively and unruly. Then a soft, level plain will be spread out for them and they will trample him. Every one of them that has cloven hooves will trample him with its hooves, and every one of them that has a horn will butt him with its horn. There will not be any hornless or bent horned animals among them. When the last of them has passed over him, the first of them will return to trample him again during a day whose measure will be FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS.
Then he (the withholder of Zakah) will see his path (i.e., either to Paradise or Hell).)
Then, the man from Bani `Amir said, `What is the due of the camel, O Abu Hurayrah’
Abu Hurayrah said, `It is that you give (in your Zakah payment) from your most valuable camels, that you lend a milking she-camel, that you lend your mount for riding, that you give the milk (to the people) for drinking, and you lend the male camel for breeding.”‘
This Hadith was also recorded by Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i.
A Different Version of this Hadith
Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said,
There is not any owner of treasure who does not pay its due except that it will be made into heated metal plates and branded upon him in the fire of Hell.
His forehead, side and back will be scorched with these metal plates. This will continue until Allah judges between His servants on a Day whose measure is FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS OF WHAT YOU COUNT. Then he will see his path, either to Paradise or to the Fire.
Then he (Abu Hurayrah) mentions the rest of the Hadith about the sheep and camels just as mentioned before.
In this narration (of Ahmad) the Prophet also added,
The horse is for three (on the Day of Judgement):
– for one man it is a reward,
– for another man it is a shield (protection),
– and upon another man it is a burden.
And the Hadith continues.
Muslim also recorded this Hadith in its entirety even though Al-Bukhari did not mention it.
The intent behind mentioning this here is the Prophet’s statement,
“Until Allah judges between His servants on a day whose measurement is FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS.”
It is therefore obvious that a mango is being compared to an apple by the critics. The day we count now which amounts to a thousand years with Allah before it is a day is times 50 for the day of judgment. In the explanation of this same verse, Imam Al-Qurtubi in his tafsir after citing different views on this topic writes:“Yaman related that 50,000 years refers to judgment day, for in it are 50 stations each of which will last for a 1,000 years…”
This clearly means that the whole period of the day of Judgment consists of 50 days/periods, since one day with our Lord is as 1000 years. Therefore the Day of Resurrection has: 50,000 / 1,000 = 50 days/periods/stages in it , from which each day/period/stage measures a 1000 years.
Are there still contradiction in the said verses?
Two distinct times with distinct periods are said to contradict. Truly, people perish for lack of knowledge. It takes a university student two semesters to round up a session while a secondary school student use three separate academic terms? Two different periods for different situations. A crate of egg has 30 pieces, while a crate of soft drink has 24, are both not crates? Are there contradictions?
The word translated as day in the three verses is Yawm. In Arabic, it doesn’t mean just day, it has other meanings.
يَوْم • (yawm) m (plural أَيَّام (ʾayyām))
1. day, period from sunrise to sunset or Long period of Time quotations ▼Antonym: لَيْلَة (layla)
2. day, period of twenty-four hours
3. age, era, time, epoch
فِي يَوْمٍ مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ ― fī yawmin mina l-ʾayyāmi ― once (in the past), once upon a time
4. Day of Judgement
Judging by that, if we translate the yawm in the three verses as a period, age, era, time or epoch. It is a direct nail on the coffin of the critics. It could be translated as a day with Allah is a period/era/time/epoch of 1000 years while the Day of Judgment is 50,000 years of ours. Both are two different times which makes a different era, time, period or epoch.
Aside that, the days or periods being compared are two different scenarios. So the argument that there is a contradiction in what is a day with Allah is a fallacy. It is something borne out of frustration by the Gospelers to drag Qur’an into the same mess the Bible is not able to come out from. There is no contradiction in the Qur’an.
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