Surah Sajdah >> Currently viewing Surah Sajdah Ayat 12 (32:12)

Surah Sajdah Ayat 12 in Arabic Text

وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ نَاكِسُواْ رُءُوسِهِمۡ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ رَبَّنَآ أَبۡصَرۡنَا وَسَمِعۡنَا فَٱرۡجِعۡنَا نَعۡمَلۡ صَٰلِحًا إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ
Wa law taraaa izil mujrimoona naakisoo ru’oosihim ‘inda rabbihim rabbanaaa absarnaa wa sami’naa farji’naa na’mal saalihan innaa mooqinoon

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 12

Sahih International
If you could but see when the criminals are hanging their heads before their Lord, [saying], “Our Lord, we have seen and heard, so return us [to the world]; we will work righteousness. Indeed, we are [now] certain.”

Yusuf Ali
If only thou couldst see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads before their Lord, (saying:) “Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard: Now then send us back (to the world): we will work righteousness: for we do indeed (now) believe.”

Abul Ala Maududi
Would that you could see the guilty standing before their Lord with their heads downcast, (saying to Him): “Our Lord, we have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world) that we might act righteously. For now we have come to have firm faith.”

Muhsin Khan
And if you only could see when the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) shall hang their heads before their Lord (saying): “Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world), we will do righteous good deeds. Verily! We now believe with certainty.”

Pickthall
Couldst thou but see when the guilty hang their heads before their Lord, (and say): Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back; we will do right, now we are sure.

Dr. Ghali
And if you could see the criminals protruding their heads in the Reckoning with their Lord, (saying), “Our Lord, we have beheld and heard; so return us, that we may do righteousness. (Now) surely we have certitude.”

Abdel Haleem
[Prophet], if only you could see the wrongdoers hang their heads before their Lord: ‘Our Lord, now that we have seen and heard, send us back and we shall do good. [Now] we are convinced.’

Muhammad Junagarhi
کاش کہ آپ دیکھتے جب کہ گناه گار لوگ اپنے رب تعالیٰ کے سامنے سر جھکائے ہوئے ہوں گے، کہیں گے اے ہمارے رب! ہم نے دیکھ لیا اور سن لیا اب تو ہمیں واپس لوٹا دے ہم نیک اعمال کریں گے ہم یقین کرنے والے ہیں

Quran 32 Verse 12 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Sajdah ayat 12, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(32:12) Would[22] that you could see the guilty standing before their Lord with their heads downcast, (saying to Him): “Our Lord, we have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world) that we might act righteously. For now we have come to have firm faith.”


22. This will be the scene when after returning to its Lord the human ‘ego’ will be standing before Him to render an account of its deeds.

Ibn-Kathir

12. And if you only could see when the criminals shall hang their heads before their Lord (saying): “Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back that we will do righteous good deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty.” 13. And if We had willed, surely We would have given every person his guidance, but the Word from Me took effect, that I will fill Hell with Jinn and mankind together. 14. Then taste because of your forgetting the meeting of this Day of yours. Surely, We too will forget you, so taste you the abiding torment for what you used to do.


The Bad State in which the Idolators will be on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us the state of the idolators on the Day of Resurrection and what they will say when they see the Resurrection and are standing before Allah — may He be glorified — humiliated and brought low, with their heads bowed, i.e., in shame. They will say:

﴿رَبَّنَآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا﴾

(Our Lord! We have now seen and heard,) meaning, `now we hear what You say and we will obey You.’ This is like the Ayah,

﴿أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا﴾

(How clearly will they see and hear, the Day when they will appear before Us!) (19:38). And they will blame themselves when they enter the Fire, and will say:

﴿لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِى أَصْحَـبِ السَّعِيرِ﴾

(“Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!”) ﴿67:10﴾ Similarly, here they are described as saying:

﴿رَبَّنَآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَارْجِعْنَا﴾

(Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back) to the world,

﴿نَعْمَلْ صَـلِحاً إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ﴾

(that we will do righteous good deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty.) means, `now we are sure and we believe that Your promise is true and that the meeting with You is true.’ But the Lord, may He be exalted, knows that if He were to send them back to this world, they would behave as they did previously, and they would reject and disbelieve in the signs of Allah and would go against His Messengers, as He says:

﴿وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا﴾

(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,”) (6: 27) And Allah says here:

﴿وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لاّتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدَاهَا﴾

(And if We had willed, surely We would have given every person his guidance,) This is like the Ayah,

﴿وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لآمَنَ مَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا﴾

(And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together) (10:99).

﴿وَلَـكِنْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ مِنْى لاّمْلأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ﴾

(but the Word from Me took effect, that I will fill Hell with Jinn and mankind together.) i.e., from both classes, so their abode will be Hell and they will have no escape from it and no way out. We seek refuge with Allah and in His perfect Words from that.

﴿فَذُوقُواْ بِمَا نَسِيتُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـذَآ﴾

(Then taste because of your forgetting the meeting of this Day of yours.) means, it will be said to the people of Hell by way of rebuke: `taste this punishment because you denied it and believed that it would never happen; you tried to forget about it and acted as if you had forgotten it.’

﴿إِنَّا نَسِينَـكُمْ﴾

(Surely, We too will forget you,) means, `We will deal with you as if We have forgotten you,’ but nothing escapes Allah’s attention, and He makes the punishment fit the crime, as He says:

﴿الْيَوْمَ نَنسَاكُمْ كَمَا نَسِيتُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـذَا﴾

(This Day We will forget you as you forgot the meeting of this Day of yours) (45:34).

﴿وَذُوقُـواْ عَذَابَ الْخُلْدِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾

(so taste you the abiding torment for what you used to do.) i.e., because of your disbelief and rejection, as Allah says in another Ayah:

﴿لاَّ يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا بَرْداً وَلاَ شَرَاباً – إِلاَّ حَمِيماً وَغَسَّاقاً ﴾

(Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink. Except Hamim, and Ghassaq) until:

﴿فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمْ إِلاَّ عَذَاباً﴾

(No increase shall We give you, except in torment) (78:24-30).

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