Interpretation of Sura Maryam

Interpretation of Sura Maryam - Verses 39-40

10:54:27

2025-10-07

1677

39. " And ware them of the Day of Regret, when the matter shall have been decreed while they are (now) in negligence and they do not believe."

40. " Verily We inherit the earth and all that are upon it and unto Us they shall be returned.”

Commentary

The gate of all misfortunes is negligence: negligence from the Lord, negligence from Hereafter, negligence from sins, negligence from plots, negligence from the poor and the deprived, negligence from the history and its courses, and negligence from adolescence, abilities, talents and preparednesses of development.

One of the names of Hereafter is 'the Day of Regret', regret for the missed opportunities and for the lost capitals. Death of a man in the state of negligence and faithlessness, is a source of regret.

Therefore, this verse addresses the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and commands him to warn the pagans of Mecca from the Day when the sinners will regret why they had not done some more good deeds. This Day is the Day of Resurrection. Some commentators say that in that Day only those who deserve punishment will regret.

In Sahih-i-Muslim there has been narrated by Abu-Sa'id-i-Khidri that the Prophet of Islam said: "When the people of Heaven will enter Paradise and the people of Hell will enter the Hell Fire, all of them will be called and, thus, their attentions will be attracted. Then, the death will be shown to them and they will be told: 'Do you know death?' They will say: 'This is the death', while they all know it. Then, the death will be perished and the people of Paradise will be said to that there will be no death and they are eternal; and the people of Hell will also be said to that there will be no death and they are eternal. This is the meaning of 'And warn them of the Day of Regret'."

The believers in Imamate have narrated this tradition from Imam Baqir (a.s.) and Imam Sadiq (a.s.) who had added at its end that: "The people of Paradise will become so happy that if there were death there, all of them would die because of inconvenience." (The commentary of As-Safi, Majma'-ul-Bayan, and Al-Burhan)

The verse continues saying:

" …when the matter shall have been decreed …"

On that Day, the affairs will become one-sided. A group of people go into Paradise while another group will be sent into Hell. Some commentators say that it means that the life of this world has ended and no one will come back to this world to recompense the events of the last; and on that Day all people will be treated justly.

"… while they are (now) in negligence and they do not believe."

In this world, people are busy with some vain affairs and often forget the Hereafter.

0 In the next verse, Allah says that He will take up the inhabitants of the earth from the earth and He will inherit the earth and those who are on it, because there will remain no one on the earth to claim ownership or to be able interfere in it. The return of them all, after death, shall be to Him and none will govern them but Allah. The verse says:

" Verily We inherit the earth and all that are upon it and unto Us they shall be returned."