وَأَنذِرِ ٱلنَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَخِّرْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ ٱلرُّسُلَ ۗ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوٓا۟ أَقْسَمْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُم مِّن زَوَالٍ 44
Translations
And, [O Muḥammad], warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them and those who did wrong will say, "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers." [But it will be said], "Had you not sworn, before, that for you there would be no cessation?
Transliteration
Wa andhir al-nasa yawma ya'tihimu al-'adhab fayaqolu alladhina dhalamoo rabbana akhkhirna ila ajalin qarib nujib da'wataka wa nattabi'i al-rusul. Awalam takoonoo aqsamtum min qablu ma lakum min zwal.
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet (ﷺ) to warn people of the Day of Judgment when punishment arrives, on which the oppressors will desperately plead with Allah to grant them respite, promising obedience and following the messengers. Allah responds to their plea by reminding them that they had sworn oaths in this worldly life that they possessed no power to escape death and divine judgment, exposing the hollowness of their deathbed repentance. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note that this ayah emphasizes the futility of seeking delay on the Day of Judgment and the binding nature of the covenants made with Allah in this life.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs in the context of Surah Ibrahim (a Meccan chapter), which focuses on prophetic warnings and the reality of the Hereafter. It is thematically part of Allah's instruction to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to persistently warn the disbelievers about the consequences of rejecting faith, a central message of the Meccan period when the Prophet faced severe opposition.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim narrated by Abu Hurairah where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'When the soul reaches the throat [at death], it is not accepted anymore' (hadith of the soul's departure) relates to the impossibility of repentance after death. Also relevant is the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah about seeking forgiveness before three things occur: sunrise in the west, the appearance of the Dajjal, or when the soul departs.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that delaying repentance and sincere obedience until a time of crisis is spiritually dangerous and ultimately ineffective; we must heed Allah's warnings in this life while we still have the opportunity to change course. It reminds believers that the oaths and covenants we make with Allah through our creation are binding, and we will be held accountable to them on the Day of Judgment.