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The question

What is meant by the two noble verses: "And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count" (Al-Hajj: 47) and "in a Day, the measure whereof is fifty thousand years" (Al-Ma'arij: 4)?

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Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The verse mentioned is not a verse of prostration (sajdah). Rather, it is from Surat Al-Hajj: "And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count." (22:47) The verse of prostration is: "He arranges [every] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it ascends to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count." (32:5) And the verse from Al-Ma'arij is: "The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years." (70:4)

Regarding the explanation for the difference between the verse from As-Sajdah and the verse from Al-Ma'arij, there are several opinions:

1. The first opinion: It is one single day, but the verse from As-Sajdah refers to the distance between the earth and the lowest heaven, while the verse from Al-Ma'arij refers to the distance between the lowest seventh earth and the Throne. 2. The second opinion: The verse from As-Sajdah refers to the descent and ascent of angels in this world, whereas the verse from Al-Ma'arij refers to the Day of Judgment. 3. The third opinion: Both refer to the Day of Judgment, but its length varies for different people.

The second opinion is the most probable, and Allah knows best.

Summary from Ftawy's records · added here

Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.

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Original fatwa ID
40859
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Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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