Az-Zumar 39:55–62

In verse 55, it was said: وَاتَّبِعُوا أَحْسَنَ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم (and follow the best of what has been sent down to you). The second phrase أَحْسَنَ مَا أُنزِلَ (the best of what has been sent down) means the Qur'an, and the whole Qur'an is but ahsan, the best - and the Qur'an can be called: اَحسَںَ و اکمل (best) also in the sense that out of all scriptures - Torah, Injil, Zabur - revealed from Allah Ta’ ala, the Qur'an is the best and the most perfect. (Qurtubi)

The next three verses (56-58), beginning from: أَن تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ يَا حَسْرَ‌تَىٰ (Pity on me, because I fell short in respect of Allah... 39:56) and concluding on: مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (...become one of those who are good in deed - 39:58), have elaborated and emphasized the subject of the three verses earlier to it (53-55), that no sinner of any description should despair of the mercy of Allah, for should he repent, Allah will forgive all his past sins. But through the use of the expression: أَن تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ (lest someone should say) at the head of the three verses: 56, 57 and 58, it was reminded that the time of taubah has a deadline - it has to be well before death. If someone were to think of making his taubah after death on the Day of Judgment, or is simply filled with remorse over what awful things he had done to himself, then, that will bring him no benefit.

In this context, it has been mentioned that some disbelievers, on the Day of Judgment, would express different wishes, regretting what they had done. Someone will be filled with remorse as to why did he have to fall short in obeying the commands of Allah Ta’ ala. Then, there will be that odd person even at a place like that who would love to wriggle out of the impasse blaming his destiny for his misconduct by saying - 'Had Allah Ta’ ala given me the necessary guidance, I too would have been one of those who feared Him, but since He gave me no guidance, there was nothing I could do about it.' Still someone else would wish: 'Would that I were to be sent back into the world to become an observing believer, obeying the commandments of Allah at its best.' But, that will be a time when no wish and no remorse of any kind will work.

These three different wishes could belong to different people, and it is also possible that these three wishes could have come, one after the other, from a single group of disbelievers, because, with the last saying which mentions the wish to be sent back to this world, it has been said in the verse that it will come to pass after they had seen the punishment. This obviously suggests that the first two sayings belong to a time before they saw the punishment, that is, it will be on the very first day of Qiyamah that they will remember the shortcomings of their deeds and say: يَا حَسْرَ‌تَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّ‌طتُ فِي جَنبِ اللَّهِ (Pity on me, because I fell short in respect of Allah ...39:56). Later, as an excuse, they will say that they were helpless, and had Allah guided them, they too would have become obedient and fearing, but when He Himself gave them no guidance, they were hardly at fault. After that, when they see the punishment, they would wish to be sent back into the world. In these three verses, Allah Ta’ ala has made it very clear that the forgiveness and mercy of Allah is very extensive. But, it can be won only when one repents before death. Therefore, Allah was alerting them right there against the possibility that they start to show remorse after death, and indulge in these redundant wishes in the Hereafter.

In verse 59, it was said: بَلَىٰ قَدْ جَاءَتْكَ آيَاتِي فَكَذَّبْتَ بِهَا (Why not? My verses had reached you, but you called them untrue, and waxed proud, and became of those who disbelieved...). In this verse, what the disbelievers said in: (If Allah were to show me the way, I would have surely been among those who fear Allah",- 39:57) has been answered. The outcome of this verse is that Allah had already given the necessary guidance, fully and conclusively. He had sent His books, verses and signs. Therefore, their claim that Allah gave them no guidance was absurd. Of course, once He had given the guidance, Allah never forced anyone to be good and obedient. In fact, every servant of His was given the choice to take to either the way of the truth or the way of the false. This was a test for the maker of the choice. On this depended his or her success or failure. Whoever took to the way of error by one's own free will, choice and volition, he or she is, himself or herself, responsible for it.