Surah 70:6–7:
Indeed, they see it as distant (baʿīdan), but We see it as near (qarīban).
A Moving Goalpost: The verse acts as a defensive pivot. When the predicted judgment failed to arrive, the text shifted the definition of "nearness" to a divine perspective, making the prophecy impossible to disprove.
The Semantic Contradiction: Verse 4 states that a divine day is 50,000 years. By claiming the Day is "near" (Verse 7) while using a 50,000-year scale, the text redefines the word "near" to mean its literal opposite for human listeners. The skeptics were humanly correct: it was distant.
Contrast with the Bible: While 2 Peter 3:8 also mentions time dilation ("a thousand years is as a day"), the Bible uses it to show God's mercy and patience in giving people time to repent. The Quran uses it rhetorically to rebuke listeners for questioning a delayed timeline.
The Core Conclusion: If "near" can mean tens of thousands of years away, the word loses all objective meaning, and the prophetic warning loses its urgency.