Surah Taha — Verse 15

Word Meanings:

• الساعة (As-Sa'ah): The Hour — the Day of Resurrection when all creation will be raised from their graves.
• آتية (Atiyah): Coming — certain and inevitable, bound to occur.
• أكاد أخفيها (Akadu Ukhfeeha): "I almost conceal it" — meaning its exact timing is hidden so completely that even the closest of angels and prophets do not know it.
• لتجزى (Litujza): So that every soul may be recompensed — fully rewarded or punished.
• تسعى (Tas'a): Strives or works — referring to all deeds, whether good or evil, done in this worldly life.

Tafsir (Explanation):

Allah, the Most High, declares with absolute certainty that the Hour — the Day of Judgment — is inevitably coming. There is no doubt about its arrival, and no power can prevent it. Yet, in His infinite wisdom, Allah has kept its exact timing a profound secret. He says, "I almost conceal it from Myself" — an expression that emphasizes how intensely hidden this knowledge is from all of creation. No angel brought near, no prophet sent, no human or jinn knows when that Day will dawn. Even the greatest of messengers, Muhammad ﷺ, when asked about its timing, could only reply that the one who asks knows no more than the one being asked.

This concealment is not arbitrary — it carries deep divine purpose. If people knew exactly when the Hour would strike, many would postpone their repentance and good deeds until the last moment, living carelessly and sinfully until the brink of destruction. But by keeping it hidden, every soul remains in a state of alertness and anticipation. The believer lives each day as if it could be their last, and the heedless are given the chance to turn back before it is too late.

The ultimate purpose of this coming Hour is justice — perfect, absolute justice. "So that every soul may be recompensed for what it strives for." Every deed, whether a whisper of kindness or a seed of harm, whether hidden in the darkness of night or done openly in the light of day, will be weighed and rewarded accordingly. Nothing is lost, nothing is forgotten. The one who strove for goodness will find it, and the one who pursued evil will meet its consequence.

This verse is a call to reflection and action. The Hour is not a distant myth or a far-fetched tale — it is a reality approaching every moment, closer to each of us than our own shadow. The wise person is not the one who amasses wealth or chases fleeting pleasures, but the one who prepares for that inevitable meeting with their Lord. Let this certainty move your heart to sincere repentance, to righteous deeds, and to a life lived in conscious awareness of the Hereafter. For on that Day, every soul will stand alone before its Creator, and nothing will avail except what it sent forth — its faith, its deeds, and its sincere devotion to Allah alone.