Transliteration:( Wa qaaloo law kunnaa nasma'u awna'qilu maa kunnaa feee as haabis sa'eer )
"And they will say, 'Had we but listened or used our intellect [24], we would not have been among the inhabitants of the blazing fire.'"
In this verse, the disbelievers, when confronted with the reality of their punishment, will express regret, wishing they had listened to the message or used their intellect to understand the truth. This highlights an important concept: true intelligence is not merely about worldly knowledge or cleverness, but it is the ability to understand and accept divine guidance.
The verse emphasizes that if their intellect had been used properly, it would have led them to accept the religious teachings and avoid the torment of Hell. Intelligence that fails to recognize and comprehend the signs of Allah, or that turns away from the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH), is not truly intelligent. Rather, it is a misguided intellect that cannot grasp what is truly beneficial.
The verse further underscores the failure of those who are blind and deaf to the signs of Allah. Even though their physical faculties (eyes and ears) may be functional for worldly matters, they are spiritually blind and deaf because they fail to perceive and understand the divine message. The faculties of perception, when not used in accordance with divine guidance, are as good as being ineffective.
This serves as a warning that intelligence is not merely about material success but is about recognizing the truth, obeying divine instructions, and aligning one’s actions with the teachings of the Prophets.
The tafsir of Surah Al-Mulk verse 10 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Mulk ayat 6 which provides the complete commentary from verse 6 through 11.
(67:10) They will say: ‘If we had only listened and understood,[16] we would not be among the inmates of the Blazing Fire.'”
16. If we had listened or understood: If we had listened to the Prophets with attention as seekers after truth or used our intellect to understand what actually was the message they were presenting before us. Here listening has been given priority over understanding, the reason being that the pre-requisite of obtaining guidance is to listen to what the Prophet teaches, or to read if it is in the written form, like a seeker after truth. To ponder over it in an attempt to understand the truth is secondary. Without the Prophet’s guidance man cannot by himself reach the truth directly by using his intellect and common sense.
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