«وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يُقْسِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُوا غَيْرَ سَاعَةٍ»
“On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear that they remained for no more than an hour.”
The first sāʿah refers to the Day of Resurrection, while the second refers to a brief span of time. The article on the first occurrence does not change the core lexical form compared for this figure. Their audible likeness contrasts sharply with their meanings.
The echo makes the tremendous Hour and the brief duration claimed by the speakers stand against each other.