6:27 Al-An'aam (The Cattle)

تفسير الآيتين 27 و 28 : يقول تعالى -مخبرا عن حال المشركين يوم القيامة، وإحضارهم النار:. { وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى النَّارِ } ليوبخوا ويقرعوا، لرأيت أمرا هائلا، وحالا مفظعة. ولرأيتهم كيف أقروا على أنفسهم بالكفر والفسوق، وتمنوا أن لو يردون إلى الدنيا. { فَقَالُوا يَا لَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يُخْفُونَ مِنْ قَبْلُ } فإنهم كانوا يخفون في أنفسهم، أنهم كانوا كاذبين، ويَبدو في قلوبهم في كثير من الأوقات. ولكن الأغراض الفاسدة، صدتهم عن ذلك، وصرفت قلوبهم عن الخير، وهم كذبة في هذه الأمنية، وإنما قصدهم، أن يدفعوا بها عن أنفسهم العذاب. { وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ }

يذكر تعالى حال الكفار إذا وقفوا يوم القيامة على النار وشاهدوا ما فيها من السلاسل والأغلال ورأوا بأعينهم تلك الأمور العظام والأهوال فعند ذلك قالوا "يا ليتنا نرد ولا نكذب بآيات ربنا ونكون من المؤمنين" يتمنون أن يردوا إلى الدار الدنيا ليعملوا عملا صالحا ولا يكذبوا بآيات ربهم ويكونوا من المؤمنين.

Wishes and Hopes Do Not Help One When He Sees the Torment

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,

يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

("Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!") 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,

بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ

(Nay, what they had been concealing before has become manifest to them.) 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,

ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَتُهُمْ إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ - انظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ

(There will then be (left) no trial for them but to say: "By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who joined others in worship with Allah." Look! How they lie against themselves! But the (lie) which they invented will disappear from them. ) 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,

لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَآ أَنزَلَ هَـؤُلاءِ إِلاَّ رَبُّ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ بَصَآئِرَ

("Verily, you know that these signs have clearly been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence.") 17:102 Allah said about Fir`awn and his people,

وَجَحَدُواْ بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَآ أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْماً وَعُلُوّاً

(And they belied them (those Ayat) wrongfully and arrogantly, though they were themselves convinced thereof.) 27:14

بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ

(Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before.) 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.

وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ

(But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars.) 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.

وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ

(And indeed they are liars.) in their statement that,

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ - وَقَالُواْ إِنْ هِىَ إِلاَّ حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ

("Would that we were but sent back! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!" Nay, what they had been concealing before has become manifest to them. But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars. And they said: "There is no (other life) but our (present) life of this world, and never shall we be resurrected.") Therefore, they will revert to their old behavior and say,

إِنْ هِىَ إِلاَّ حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا

(There is no life but our life of this world) and there is no Hereafter,

وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ

(and never shall we be resurrected. ) Allah said,

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ

(If you could but see when they will stand before their Lord!) in front of Him,

أَلَيْسَ هَـذَا بِالْحَقِّ

("Is not this the truth") meaning, is not Resurrection true, contarary to what you thought,

قَالُواْ بَلَى وَرَبِّنَا قَالَ فَذُوقُواْ العَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ

(They will say: "Yes, by our Lord!" He will then say: "So taste you the torment because you used not to believe.") and because you today denied Resurrection. Therefore, taste the torment,

أَفَسِحْرٌ هَـذَا أَمْ أَنتُمْ لاَ تُبْصِرُونَ

("Is this magic, or do you not see") 52:15

If you O Muhammad (s) could see when they are made to stand when they are exposed before the Fire and they say ‘Oh yā is for exclamation would that we might be returned to the world; then we would not deny the signs of our Lord but we would be among the believers!’ read nukadhdhibu and nakūnu as a new independent sentence; or read nukadhdhiba and nakūna as the subjunctive response to the optative clause; or read nukadhdhibu and nakūna. The response to the clause ‘if you could see’ would be ‘you would be seeing a terrible thing indeed’.

Commentary

There are three basic principles of Islam: Tauhid (Oneness of Allah), Risalah (Prophethood) and 'Akhirah (Belief in the Hereafter). All other articles of faith fall under these three. These are principles which tell human beings who they are and what is the purpose of their life. This understanding brings a revolution in their lives by showing them the straight path. Out of these, the Belief in the 'Akhirah, the belief that there is a reckoning of deeds to come when good shall be rewarded and evil punished, has pragmatically the most revolutionary effects, as it channels every human deed into a particular direction. This is the reason why all subjects dealt with in the Qur'an revolve around these three. In the verses appearing here, special emphasis has been laid on the reckoning of the 'Akhirah, its rewards and punishments, and the true nature of the mortal world.

In the first verse, portrayed is the condition of wrong-doers and deniers of truth who, when made to stand by the edges of the Hell, and to observe the horrifying punishment far beyond their imagination, would wish that they were sent back into the world where now they would never falsify the signs and commands of their Lord, would believe in them and would be the true believers.