Surah Al A'raf Tafseer

هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلاَّ تَأْوِيلَهُ

Await they just for the final fulfillment of the event,

in reference to what they were promised of torment, punishment, the Fire; or Paradise, according to Mujahid and several others.

يَوْمَ يَأْتِي تَأْوِيلُهُ

On the Day the event is finally fulfilled,

According to Ibn Abbas,

on the Day of Resurrection,

يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِن قَبْلُ

those who neglected it before will say,

those who ignored it in this life and neglected abiding by its implications will say,

قَدْ جَاءتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَاء فَيَشْفَعُواْ لَنَا

"Verily, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth, now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf!"

so that we are saved from what we ended up in.

أَوْ نُرَدُّ

"Or could we be sent back,"

to the first life,

فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ

"So that we might do (good) deeds other than those (evil) deeds which we used to do."

This part of the Ayah is similar to Allah's statement,

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ

بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ

If you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say:"Would that we were but sent back! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!"

Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before. But if they were returned (to the world), they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars. (6:27-28)

Allah said here,

قَدْ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ

Verily, they have lost themselves,

meaning, they destroyed themselves by entering the Fire for eternity,

وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ

And that which they used to fabricate has gone away from them.

What they used to worship instead of Allah abandoned them and will not intercede on their behalf, aid them or save them from their fate