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wa-qāla lladhīna ttabaʿū law ʾanna lanā karratan fa-natabarraʾa minhum ka-mā tabarraʾū minnā ka-dhālika yurīhimu llāhu ʾaʿmālahum ḥasarātin ʿalayhim wa-mā hum bi-khārijīna mina n-nāri
and when the followers will say, ‘Had there been another turn for us, we would disown them as they disown us [now]!’ Thus shall Allah show them their deeds as regrets for themselves, and they shall not leave the Fire.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 167
167. "And those who followed shall say: 'Had there been for us a return (to the world), then we would disown them even as they have (now) disowned us. Thus Allah will show them their deeds; bitter regrets will be upon them. And never shall they get out of the Fire."
These mislead followers, who see the unfaithfulness of their leaders so evident, console themselves by saying:
But, what a pity! It is too late, because there is no possibility for them to return to life again. Then, at the end of the verse, it says:
Yes, they can afford nothing but sigh and regret bitterly. A regret for the wealth they gathered but others took the benefit of it. A regret for the extraordinary opportunities that they had had for attaining prosperity and being saved, but they missed them all easily. Regret for adoring some incapable worthless leaders instead of adoring Allah, the Almighty. But, it is a vain regret, because it is neither the time of action nor the occasion for making up for the past. Nay! it is only the time of punishment and receiving the results of one's own deeds.
According to some traditions, there are some different halts in the Hereafter. In a few of these halts people cannot speak anything and silence dominates lips, where they can merely look at others regretfully and shed tears. In some other of these halts, there are people who ask each other for help, while some others curse and hate each other for their former deeds. This verse indicates that at this time when the cruel leaders, who were adored, loved, and followed formerly, here, disown their followers and accept no responsibility for them. So, the followers disown them, too, and regret very much why they loved them, supported them, and followed them.
But they gained naught. They regret in heart and express their regret by tongue in this manner that if they could return to life once more, they would never follow them. They say that these people who are so disloyal that they denounce their followers here on this Day (the Reckoning Day), they (the followers), too, would denounce them if they could return to the world again. They regret, but what is the use of this regret? It is of no use, and they cannot come out from the blazing Fire of Hell.