Tafsir of Saba' 34:29

"And they say, 'When is this promise...'"

(And they say) – meaning out of their ignorance of the reality or the decree of it, and for this reason, it is not conjoined with the particle fa (so). It is said: They say this due to their excessive obstinacy, and the absence of the fa is for that reason. It is also said: The impetus is excessive ignorance, and the absence of the fa is due to the manifest nature of its derivation from what preceded it, the likeness of which is left to the mind of the listener. It is also said: That is because excessive ignorance is not the same as mere ignorance, a notion which you can see [the weakness of] for yourself. It is also said: Because this is the state of some, while the lack of knowledge in His saying—the Exalted—"They do not know" is the state of others. What appears to me is that those saying it in the present tense are some of the polytheists contemporary to him—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—not the majority of people absolutely, and that the intent of the present tense form is continuous renewal. It is also said: It was expressed this way to evoke the past image due to a kind of strangeness, and the original was "And they said."

(When is this promise)—by way of mockery. They mean what has been promised and what has been warned against, or that which was promised in His saying—the Exalted—"Our Lord will bring us together, then He will judge between us."

(If you are truthful)—addressing the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and those who believe in him.