Memorize Surah al-Mulk Ramadan 2021 | Verse 10

Verse 10: And they will lament, “If only we had listened and reasoned, we would not be among the residents of the Blaze!”

In this verse, Allah ﷻ is describing the emotions and feelings of the non-believers as they’re being thrown in to Hell while being scolded and reprimanded. The Day of Judgment will already have been extremely difficult upon them. As soon as they are resurrected, as soon as they are brought out of their graves alive, they will realize that they have made a horrible mistake. They will see what they used to make fun of, mock, ridicule, and reject with their own two eyes. Then they will be gathered on the plain of resurrection bound in chains and iron collars. They will receive their book of deeds in their left hands. They will have dealt with all of the horrors and terrors of the Day of Judgment and that is a very difficult day upon the non-believers. As Allah ﷻ says in Surah al-Muddaththir, “˹For when the Trumpet will be sounded, that will ˹truly˺ be a difficult Day— far from easy for the disbelievers.”

فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ فَذَٰلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍۢ

They will already be feeling this very heavy sense of regret, remorse, disgrace, shame, humiliation, debasement, loss, and failure. These are very heavy emotions that wear a person down. I’m sure all of us have felt the weight of regret and remorse before. Perhaps even the weight of shame. Then as they’re being thrown into hellfire they are being asked, “Didn’t a warner come to you?” adding to their remorse and sorrow.

And they will respond in all honesty full of humility, “Yes, a warner did come to us, but we denied and said, ‘Allah has revealed nothing. You are extremely astray.’” They will blame themselves and feel this sense of shame and remorse. So they will say, “If only we had listened to the warnings of the Messenger and used our intelligence to understand what he was saying!” If only we listened to the Messengers with an open heart and mind and with a sense of humility. If only we paid attention to what they were saying. If only we reflected upon and thought about their warnings. If only we used our intellect to realize that the Messengers are telling the truth and what they’re telling us about is an absolute certainty.

The usage of hearing and intellect is very common throughout the Quran. One of the primary means of acquiring knowledge and information is through our sense of hearing. We are supposed to listen carefully and then process what we are being told.

Ibn ʿAbbās said this means, “if only we heard the guidance and understood it or if only we listened as one who reflects and understands.” Then we wouldn’t have been from the people of Hell. Abu Saʿeed al-Khudri narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Indeed the transgressor will feel regret on the Day of Resurrection. They will say, “Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!” Allah will respond, “Then they will confess their sin”, meaning the belying of the Messengers.