Surah 6:29
Show Full Scripture Context (6:27-30) — 4 Verses
وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰٓ إِذۡ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يَٰلَيۡتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ
If (only) you could see when they are made to stand before the Fire: they will say, ‘Would that we (could) be returned, and had not called the signs of our Lord a lie, but were among the believers.’
بَلۡ بَدَا لَهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يُخۡفُونَ مِن قَبۡلُۖ وَلَوۡ رُدُّواْ لَعَادُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنۡهُ وَإِنَّهُمۡ لَكَٰذِبُونَ
No! What they were hiding before has (now) become apparent to them. Even if they were returned, they would indeed return to what they were forbidden. Surely they are liars indeed!
وَقَالُوٓاْ إِنۡ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوثِينَ
They say, ‘There is nothing but our present life. We are not going to be raised up.’
وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰٓ إِذۡ وُقِفُواْ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡۚ قَالَ أَلَيۡسَ هَٰذَا بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّنَاۚ قَالَ فَذُوقُواْ ٱلۡعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡفُرُونَ
If (only) you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord: He will say, ‘Is this not the truth?’ They will say, ‘Yes indeed! By our Lord!’ He will say, ‘Taste the punishment for what you were disbelieving.’
Allah mentions the condition of the disbelievers when they are made to stand before the Fire on the Day of Resurrection and witness its chains and restraints, along with seeing the horrible, momentous conditions in the Fire with their own eyes. This is when the disbelievers will say,
They wish that they would be sent back to the life of the world so that they could perform righteous deeds, refrain from disbelieving in the Ayat of their Lord and be among the believers. Allah said,
meaning, the disbelief, denial and rebellion that they used to hide in their hearts will then be uncovered, even though they will try to hide this fact in this life and the Hereafter. Earlier, Allah said,
It is also possible that the meaning here is that the disbelievers will realize the truth that they knew all along in their hearts, that is, that what the Messengers brought them in this life is true, although they used to deny his Message before their followers. Allah said that Musa said to Fir‘awn,
Allah said about Fir‘awn and his people,
"[Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before.](quran/6/28)"
When this occurs, and the disbelievers ask to be returned to this life, they will not do so because they truly wish to embrace the faith. Rather, they ask to be returned to this life for fear of the torment that they are witnessing before them, as punishment for the disbelief they committed, and to try and avoid the Fire that they see before their eyes.
meaning, they lie when they say they wish to go back to this life so that they can embrace the faith. Allah states that even if they were sent back to the life of this world, they will again commit the disbelief and defiance that they were prohibited.
{And indeed they are liars.} in their statement that,
Therefore, they will revert to their old behavior and say,
{There is no life but our life of this world} and there is no Hereafter,
{and never shall we be resurrected.} Allah said,
in front of Him,
{"Is not this the truth?"} meaning, is not Resurrection true,