Is Allah's Day Equivalent to 1,000 yrs or 50,000 yrs?

[Reader Questions]

Assalamu Alaikum:

Sura Hajj: Ayat 22: 47 - Stated that Allah's one day is equivalent to 1000 years in earth.
 
Sura Mayarez: Ayat 70:4 - stated that the Judgement day will be equivalent to 50,000 years in Earth.
 
My question is whether or not 50,000 years applies only to the Judgement day?
 
Regards,
 

[Joseph Islam]

Salamun Alaikum,
 
'Yaum' in Arabic just means a period - a slice of time expressed to give it some human relevance. As you know, time has no meaning for God who is Himself outside the realms of time and space. Time and space is only a creation of God. He does not exist inside His own creation.
 
In 22:47, the Arabic term used is 'ka-alfi sanatin' like a thousand years. So this is only a parable, a similitude so that the listeners of the Quran can relate. The periods (yaum) are all relative whether they are 1000 years of verse 32:5, or 1000 years of verse 22:47 or 50,000 years of verse 70:4. In Arabic '1000' can mean any well known rounded number and not '1000' literally.
 
Please also see verse 97:3 where 1000 months is used. Again, it will be clear what ‘1000’ denotes.
 
Furthermore, verse 70:4 does exclusively demand the interpretation that the 'period' of 50,000 years is related to the Day of Judgment alone. If read with 70:3 (preceding verse), this could just be the period in which the Angels and the Spirit take decrees back and forth from God as in 97:4. Remember in 70:3, we learn about the Lord of the ways of ascent (dhi l'ma'arij). So this could just be reference to the decrees to and from God which in human terms is related as 50,000 years.
 
I hope that helps, God willing.
Joseph.