An-Naba 78:4–5 · Juz 30 · Makkan
كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ
kallā sa-yaʿlamūn
No indeed; they will come to know.QuranicpediaVerified
ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ
thumma kallā sa-yaʿlamūn
Again, no indeed; they will come to know.QuranicpediaVerified
These two verses are a stern divine rebuttal to those who dispute and doubt the resurrection and the great news of the Hereafter. The word "Kallā" ("No indeed!") cuts off their denial, and the warning that "they will come to know" is repeated and intensified with "Then again" — promising that the truth they reject will become undeniable to them.
Al-Saʿdī explains that 'Kallā' (No indeed!) is a stern rebuke of those who disputed and doubted the resurrection they were questioning about. He says the threat 'they will come to know' means they will surely learn the truth and gravity of what they denied when its consequences befall them. The repetition in verse 5 with 'Thumma' (Again) reinforces and intensifies this warning, leaving no room for them to persist in their heedlessness.
Ibn Kathīr understands these verses as a stern threat and severe warning (tahdīd wa-waʿīd) directed at those who deny the Day of Resurrection. He notes that 'Kallā' functions as a word of deterrence and rebuke, and 'they will come to know' promises that the disbelievers will learn the dire outcome of their rejection. He explains that the repetition is for emphasis and intensification of the threat.
Al-Ṭabarī relates that 'Kallā' here is a rebuttal — the matter is not as the deniers claim — and that 'sayaʿlamūn' (they will come to know) warns that they will know the truth of the resurrection and what God has prepared for those who reject it. He records that the exegetes differed over whether both verses address the disbelievers, or whether the first concerns the disbelievers and the second the believers; the view he conveys as stronger is that both threaten the deniers, the repetition serving emphasis.
Al-Qurṭubī notes that 'Kallā' is a rebuke of the disbelievers who doubted the resurrection, and that the verse threatens them with knowledge of the truth at the time of recompense. He reports the view of some exegetes that the first 'they will come to know' is a threat to the disbelievers and the second a promise of reward to the believers, while others hold both are threats with repetition for emphasis. He affirms that the dominant meaning is a warning that the consequences of their denial will inevitably reach them.
Sit with the weight of that repeated promise — "they will come to know." What in your own certainty about the Hereafter would change if you truly believed knowledge of it is coming, whether you welcome it or not?