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
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ شَـٰهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مِيثَـٰقَهُمْ وَمِنكَ وَمِن نُّوحٍ وَإِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَى ٱبْنِ مَرْيَمَ ۖ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَـٰقًا غَلِيظًا
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant
وَرَدَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنَالُوا۟ خَيْرًا ۚ وَكَفَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلْقِتَالَ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا
And Allāh repelled those who disbelieved, in their rage, not having obtained any good. And sufficient was Allāh for the believers in battle, and ever is Allāh Powerful and Exalted in Might.
۞ تُرْجِى مَن تَشَآءُ مِنْهُنَّ وَتُـْٔوِىٓ إِلَيْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ ۖ وَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَيْتَ مِمَّنْ عَزَلْتَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَدْنَىٰٓ أَن تَقَرَّ أَعْيُنُهُنَّ وَلَا يَحْزَنَّ وَيَرْضَيْنَ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْتَهُنَّ كُلُّهُنَّ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَلِيمًا
You, [O Muḥammad], may put aside whom you will of them or take to yourself whom you will. And any that you desire of those [wives] from whom you had [temporarily] separated - there is no blame upon you [in returning her]. That is more suitable that they should be content and not grieve and that they should be satisfied with what you have given them - all of them. And Allāh knows what is in your hearts. And ever is Allāh Knowing and Forbearing.