This verse declares the oath to be great, and places “if you know” between the noun and its description, pointing to a greatness that human knowledge struggles to fully grasp.
This is the only oath in the Qur’an described in this reinforced way: an additional Ayah follows to declare how great that oath is.
وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ
“And indeed, it is surely a great oath, if you know”.
The verse presents the oath not merely as an oath, but as one explicitly described as great. The greatness is not left implied, but directly stated.
The oath in the previous Ayah is the only oath in the Qur’an strengthened in this way: an Ayah follows it and declares its greatness.
This creates a layered emphasis: first the oath appears, then its greatness is separately announced.
The verse uses a striking arrangement: the noun قَسَم (“oath”) and its adjective عَظِيم (“great”) are separated by the phrase لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ (“if you know”).
So the sense becomes: “And indeed, it is surely an oath — if you know — that is great.”
This inserted phrase functions as more than a simple condition. It suggests that the full greatness of this oath is not easily appreciated.
It is as though the verse is saying: you do not possess enough knowledge to fully measure how great this oath truly is.
The verse does not only inform; it elevates. It names the oath, interrupts the description with “if you know”, then attributes greatness to it—creating the sense that its true weight exceeds what listeners can fully comprehend.