(  أُقِّتَت… ) (…time has come): The Messengers will be given an appointment that no one knows except Allah (swt). It is an appointment of Resurrection, Gathering, Account and the Punishment. Allah (swt) says:

 قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ وَٱلۡأٓخِرِينَ (49) لَمَجۡمُوعُونَ إِلَىٰ مِيقَٰتِ يَوۡمٖ مَّعۡلُومٖ

(Say, “Indeed, the former and later peoples (49) Are to be gathered together for the appointment of a known Day. ) (Al-Waqi’a: 49-50)

So, this Arabic word is derived the word means (appointment) and also (time). Thus, all the messengers will be gathered on the Day of Judgement. When we ponder upon the Quranic context, we find something wonderful; in Surah al-Waqi’a, concerning the Gathering in the Day of Judgement, Allah (swt) says:

 لَمَجۡمُوعُونَ إِلَىٰ مِيقَٰتِ يَوۡمٖ مَّعۡلُومٖ

(Are to be gathered together to the appointment of a known Day.) (Al-Waqi’a: 50)

However, regarding the gathering of the sorcerers of Pharaoh, allah (swt) says:

 فَجُمِعَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ لِمِيقَٰتِ يَوۡمٖ مَّعۡلُومٖ

(So the magicians were assembled for the appointment of a well-known day.) (Ash-Shu’ara: 38)

In the first verse, Allah (swt) says (Ila Meqat) (to the appointment) , but in the second verse, Allah (swt) says (LiMeqat) where the letter (li) (for) is connected to the word (Meqat) to indicate that the gathering will take place shortly. As for the Day of Judgement, promised to come from the beginning of the creation, Allah (swt) uses the preposition (ila) (to), indicating that it will take a long time to happen, but it will inevitably come. In fact, the increase in wording entails an increase in the meaning.  Then, Allah (swt) asks a question that He (swt) certainly knows its answer: