Transliteration:( Qaaloo lam naku minal musalleen )
“They will say, ‘We were not of those who established Salah.’”
This verse reveals that the infidels, when confronted with their punishment in the Hereafter, will confess that they were not from those who established Salah. This indicates that one of the reasons for their punishment is their neglect of Salah (prayer), which is one of the fundamental acts of worship in Islam. In addition, their failure to give Zakat (charity) will also be part of their punishment.
It is worth noting that, according to Shariah, non-believers are not bound to the obligations of Salah and Zakat before accepting Islam. However, once they embrace Islam, they are required to perform these duties. Furthermore, there is no Qaza (make-up) for the Salah missed during their time of infidelity.
Another interpretation could be that the individuals are admitting they were not from the group that performed Salah, which means they were not among the believers. However, the more apparent meaning is the first one, where their neglect of Salah is the primary reason for their punishment.
The tafsir of Surah Muddaththir verse 43 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Muddaththir ayat 38 which provides the complete commentary from verse 38 through 56.
(74:43) They will answer: “We were not among those who observed Prayer,[33]
33. That is, we were not of those who after having believed in Allah and His Messenger and His Book, performed the foremost duty imposed by Allah, i.e. the Prayer. Here, it should be understood well that unless a person has believed he cannot offer the Prayer at all. Therefore, one’s being of those who performed the Prayer, by itself implies that one is a believer. But by attributing one’s going to Hell to his not being of those who performed their Prayer, it has been made explicit that one cannot escape Hell even after having believed if he does not perform his Prayers regularly.
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