The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 249
PT. 17 years of your reckoning. 2477 AL-HAJJ CH. 22 وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِيَ And how many a city there. 49 ظَالِمَةٌ ثُمَّ اَخَذْتُهَا وَإِلَى الْمَصِيرُةً في is to which I gave respite, while it was given to wrongdoing. Then I seized it, and unto Me is the return. 2478 the spiritually blind, deaf and dead. "And they ask thee to hasten on the See also 17:73. 2477. Commentary: The reference in this verse is to a mighty event in the history of Islam. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said that the first three centuries of Islam would be its best period after which falsehood would spread and a period of darkness would come and this period of darkness would extend to over a thousand years (Tirmidhī). This period is likened to one day in the present verse and in 32:6. In this period of moral and spiritual decadence of Muslims a people having blue eyes were to arise who were to spread all over the earth and at whose hands Islam was destined to receive a serious setback (20:103- 104). This period of political decadence of Islam and moral degeneration of Muslims in which they faced defeat and discomfiture at the hands of western Christian nations having blue eyes, began after the expiry of the third century of Hijrah and lasted up to the dawn of the 14th century when the Promised Messiah made his appearance. It is to these western people that the reference has been made in the words punishment. " In their conceit and arrogance born of material glory and political power, the western peoples came to labour under the misconception that their progress and glory would last forever. So they are depicted in the verse under comment as challenging the Holy Prophet to hasten on the punishment which he said would overtake them. To their implied taunt and gibe, the verse makes a reply that God had already made a promise that these western nations would be granted respite for one thousand years after which a terrible tribulation would overtake them and all their greatness and glory would become a thing of the past. Divine punishment would descend on their houses and the very soil on which they would be living would be rendered bleak and barren. They are warned that the punishment would be SO severe, overwhelming and enveloping that one day of it would appear to them as a thousand years. See also 18:9 & 32:6. 2478. Commentary: 2163 The verse is of general application but it specially alludes to the punishment in store for the peoples mentioned in the preceding verses.