هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا تَأْوِيلَهُۥ ۚ يَوْمَ يَأْتِى تَأْوِيلُهُۥ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَآءَ فَيَشْفَعُوا۟ لَنَآ أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ قَدْ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ 53
Translations
Do they await except its result? The Day its result comes, those who had ignored it before will say, "The messengers of our Lord had come with the truth, so are there [now] any intercessors to intercede for us or could we be sent back to do other than what we used to do?" They will have lost themselves, and lost from them is what they used to invent.
Transliteration
Hal yanthuruna illa ta'wilahu, yawma ya'ti ta'wiluh yaqulul-ladhina nasuh min qabl qad ja'at rusul rabbina bil-haqq fahal lana min shufaa'a' fayashfa'u lana aw nuraddu fa-na'mal ghayral-ladhi kunna na'mal, qad khasiru anfusahum wa dalla 'anhum ma kanu yaftaroon.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This verse describes the Day of Judgment when the disbelievers who rejected the divine signs will witness their true fulfillment (ta'wil). Upon witnessing the reality they denied, they will desperately seek intercession or a second chance to act righteously, but will find neither. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as highlighting the regret of those who disbelieved in the prophets' warnings during their lifetime, now confronted with the actual occurrence of what they mocked.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the Meccan period of Surah Al-A'raf, which extensively addresses the rejection of prophets and divine signs by disbelieving communities throughout history. The verse serves as a warning to the Meccan disbelievers about the consequences of ignoring the Prophet Muhammad's message, using the pattern of previous nations as an example.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned that on the Day of Judgment, people will seek intercession but none will be granted except through proper faith and obedience. Additionally, Sahih Bukhari contains hadiths about people's regret on the Day of Judgment when they realize the consequences of their disbelief.
Themes
Key Lesson
This verse emphasizes that the opportunity to believe and act righteously exists only in this life; once death arrives, regret becomes meaningless. It serves as a profound reminder for believers to heed divine guidance earnestly and avoid postponing repentance, as we cannot guarantee another chance to rectify our deeds.