Quran Universe
22:55

وَلَا يَزَالُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فِي مِرۡيَةٖ مِّنۡهُ حَتَّىٰ تَأۡتِيَهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغۡتَةً أَوۡ يَأۡتِيَهُمۡ عَذَابُ يَوۡمٍ عَقِيمٍ

Wala yazalu allatheena kafaroo fee miryatin minhu hatta tatiyahumu alssaAAatu baghtatan aw yatiyahum AAathabu yawmin AAaqeemin

But those who disbelieve will not cease to be in doubt of it until the Hour comes upon them unexpectedly or there comes to them the punishment of a barren Day.

Word by word
  1. وَلَاAnd not
  2. يَزَالُwill cease
  3. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  4. كَفَرُواْdisbelieve
  5. فِي(to be) in
  6. مِرۡيَةٖdoubt
  7. مِّنۡهُof it
  8. حَتَّىٰuntil
  9. تَأۡتِيَهُمُcomes to them
  10. ٱلسَّاعَةُthe Hour
  11. بَغۡتَةًsuddenly
  12. أَوۡor
  13. يَأۡتِيَهُمۡcomes to them
  14. عَذَابُ(the) punishment
  15. يَوۡمٍ(of) a Day
  16. عَقِيمٍbarren
Al-Hajj · 22:55Madinah

Doubt that lasts until the Hour arrives without warning.

Some wait for proof that comes too late

How doubt ends
the deniersstay in doubt
until
the Hourcomes suddenly
a barren Daywith no night after
When certainty comes
when I am readyI will decide later
when it is too lateby surprise

Qatadah said Allah's command catches people unaware, when they are proud and comfortable and think punishment will never come. Ikrimah and Mujahid said the barren Day is the Day of Resurrection, after which there is no night.

You keep a question about faith on the shelf: I will look into it when life calms down. Years pass in meetings, school runs and holidays. The verse warns that some doubts are only settled by the Hour itself.

I will sort out my doubts properly when I have time.

Certainty that waits for the Hour comes too late; I should seek it now.

Try this

Write down one faith question you have parked, and book time this week to study it.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And those who disbelieved, will not cease to be in doubt about it until the Hour comes suddenly upon them, or there comes to them the torment of Yawm 'Aqim (55)The sovereignty on that Day will be that of Allah. He will judge between them. So those who believed and did righteous good deeds will be in Gardens of Delight (56)And those who disbelieved and denied Our Ayat, for them will be a humiliating torment (in Hell)(57)

The Disbelievers will remain in Doubt and Confusion

Allah tells us that the disbelievers will remain in doubt concerning this Qur'an. This was the view of Ibn Jurayj and was the view favored by Ibn Jarir.

حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً

(until the Hour comes suddenly upon them,) Mujahid said: "By surprise." Qatadah said:

بَغْتَةً

(suddenly) means, the command of Allah will catch the people unaware. Allah never seizes a people except when they are intoxicated with pride, enjoying a life of luxury, and they think that the punishment will never come upon them, but Allah does not punish anyone except the evildoers.

أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَقِيمٍ

(or there comes to them the torment of Yawm 'Aqim.) Mujahid said, "Ubay bin Ka'b said: 'Yawm 'Aqim means the day of Badr.'" 'Ikrimah and Mujahid said: "Yawm 'Aqim means the Day of Resurrection, following which there will be no night." This was also the view of Ad-Dahhak and Al-Hasan Al-Basri. Allah says:

الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلَّهِ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ

(The sovereignty on that Day will be that of Allah. He will judge between them.) This is like the Ayat:

مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

(The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense)(1:4)

الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۚ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا

(The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty), belonging to the Most Gracious (Allah), and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers.)(25:26)

فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ

(So those who believed and did righteous good deeds) means, their hearts believed in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and they acted in accordance with what they knew; their words and deeds were in harmony.

فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

(in Gardens of Delight.) means, they will enjoy eternal bliss which will never end or fade away.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا

(And those who disbelieved and denied Our Ayat,) means, their hearts rejected and denied the truth; they disbelieved in it and resisted the Messengers and were too proud to follow them.

فَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ

(for them will be a humiliating torment.) means, in recompense for arrogantly turning away from the truth.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ

(Verily, those who scorn My worship they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!)[40:60]