يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِى ٱلنَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَـٰلَيْتَنَآ أَطَعْنَا ٱللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا ٱلرَّسُولَا۠ 66
Translations
The Day their faces will be turned about in the Fire, they will say, "How we wish we had obeyed Allāh and obeyed the Messenger."
Transliteration
Yawma tuqallabu wujuhuhum fi al-nari yaqulun ya laytana ata'na al-laha wa ata'na al-rasul.
Tafsir (Explanation)
On the Day of Judgment, the faces of the disbelievers will be turned and twisted in the Fire, and they will express their regret saying, 'O, how we wish we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger!' According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this ayah depicts the intense remorse of those who rejected divine guidance in the worldly life. The turning of faces in the fire symbolizes both physical torment and the anguish of recognizing their fatal error too late.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Ahzab, a Medinan surah primarily addressing the events of the Battle of the Trench (Ghazwat al-Ahzab) and broader matters of Islamic conduct and belief. The surah uses the consequences of the Hereafter to reinforce obedience to Allah and His Messenger during the believer's earthly life. This particular ayah emphasizes the gravity of rejecting prophetic guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The most regretful person on the Day of Judgment will be he who saw two paths in this world—one leading to the Fire and one to Paradise—and chose the path to the Fire' (related by Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the theme of regret in the Hereafter is reinforced in Surah Az-Zumar 39:56-57 regarding those who wish they could return to correct their deeds.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that obedience to Allah and His Messenger in this life is not merely a religious obligation but a matter of eternal consequence. For modern believers, it underscores the urgency of heeding divine guidance while opportunity remains, for regret after death is eternal and irreversible.
Related Ayahs
وَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَدَعْ أَذَىٰهُمْ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَكِيلًا
And do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites and disregard their annoyance, and rely upon Allāh. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.
مَّا جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِّن قَلْبَيْنِ فِى جَوْفِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَزْوَٰجَكُمُ ٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى تُظَـٰهِرُونَ مِنْهُنَّ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَدْعِيَآءَكُمْ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ قَوْلُكُم بِأَفْوَٰهِكُمْ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَقُولُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَهُوَ يَهْدِى ٱلسَّبِيلَ
Allāh has not made for a man two hearts in his interior. And He has not made your wives whom you declare unlawful your mothers. And He has not made your claimed [i.e., adopted] sons your [true] sons. That is [merely] your saying by your mouths, but Allāh says the truth, and He guides to the [right] way.
وَٱتَّبِعْ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
And follow that which is revealed to you from your Lord. Indeed Allāh is ever, of what you do, Aware.
وَإِن كُنتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَٱلدَّارَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ أَعَدَّ لِلْمُحْسِنَـٰتِ مِنكُنَّ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
But if you should desire Allāh and His Messenger and the home of the Hereafter - then indeed, Allāh has prepared for the doers of good among you a great reward."