Surah Muminun ayat 113 Tafsir Quran 23:113

﴿قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلِ الْعَادِّينَ﴾
[ المؤمنون: 113]

23:113 They will say, "We remained a day or part of a day; ask those who enumerate."

They will say ‘We tarried a day or part of a day — they are uncertain thereof deeming it shorter than what it was because of the gravity of the chastisement they are suffering. Yet ask those who keep count!’ namely ask the angels who number the deeds of all creatures.

A day or a part of a day, they say but You may ask those -the angels- who keep count

Allah tells them how much they wasted in their short lives in this world by failing to obey Allah and worship Him Alone. If they had been patient during their short stay in this world, they would have attained victory just like His pious close friends. قَـلَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ ( He will say: "What number of years did you stay on earth" ) means, how long did you stay in this world قَالُواْ لَبِثْنَا يَوْماً أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلِ الْعَآدِّينَ ( They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day.
Ask of those who keep account." ) meaning, those who keep the records. قَالَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( He will say: "You stayed not but a little..." ) meaning, it was only a short time, no matter how you look at it. لَّوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ( if you had only known! ) means, you would not have preferred the transient to the eternal, and treated yourself in this bad way, and earned the wrath of Allah in this short period.
If you had patiently obeyed Allah and worshipped Him as the believers did, you would have attained victory just as they did. Allah did not create His Servants in vain أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ عَبَثاً ( Did you think that We had created you in play, ) means, `did you think that you were created in vain, with no purpose, with nothing required of you and no wisdom on Our part' Or it was said that "in play" meant to play and amuse yourselves, like the animals were created, who have no reward or punishment.
But you were created to worship Allah and carry out His commands. وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لاَ تُرْجَعُونَ ( and that you would not be brought back to Us ) means, that you would not be brought back to the Hereafter.
This is like the Ayah: أَيَحْسَبُ الإِنسَـنُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى ( Does man think that he will be left neglected ) 75:36 فَتَعَـلَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ ( So Exalted be Allah, the True King. ) means, sanctified be He above the idea that he should create anything in vain, for He is the True King Who is far above doing such a thing. لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ ( None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Lord of Al-`Arsh Al-Karim! ) The Throne is mentioned because it is the highest point of all creation, and it is described as Karim, meaning beautiful in appearance and splendid in form, as Allah says elsewhere: أَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ ( every good kind We cause to grow therein ) 26:7.

(23:113) They will say, "We stayed there for a day or for part of a day. *100

They will say, "We remained a day meaning

*100) For explanation, see Ta Ha ( XX ): 103 and E.N.
80 thereof.

 

Allah tells them how much they wasted in their short lives in this world by failing to obey Allah and worship Him Alone. If they had been patient during their short stay in this world, they would have attained victory just like His pious close friends. قَـلَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ ( He will say: "What number of years did you stay on earth" ) means, how long did you stay in this world قَالُواْ لَبِثْنَا يَوْماً أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلِ الْعَآدِّينَ ( They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day.
Ask of those who keep account." ) meaning, those who keep the records. قَالَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( He will say: "You stayed not but a little..." ) meaning, it was only a short time, no matter how you look at it. لَّوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ( if you had only known! ) means, you would not have preferred the transient to the eternal, and treated yourself in this bad way, and earned the wrath of Allah in this short period.
If you had patiently obeyed Allah and worshipped Him as the believers did, you would have attained victory just as they did. Allah did not create His Servants in vain أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ عَبَثاً ( Did you think that We had created you in play, ) means, `did you think that you were created in vain, with no purpose, with nothing required of you and no wisdom on Our part' Or it was said that "in play" meant to play and amuse yourselves, like the animals were created, who have no reward or punishment.
But you were created to worship Allah and carry out His commands. وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لاَ تُرْجَعُونَ ( and that you would not be brought back to Us ) means, that you would not be brought back to the Hereafter.
This is like the Ayah: أَيَحْسَبُ الإِنسَـنُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى ( Does man think that he will be left neglected ) 75:36 فَتَعَـلَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ ( So Exalted be Allah, the True King. ) means, sanctified be He above the idea that he should create anything in vain, for He is the True King Who is far above doing such a thing. لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ ( None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Lord of Al-`Arsh Al-Karim! ) The Throne is mentioned because it is the highest point of all creation, and it is described as Karim, meaning beautiful in appearance and splendid in form, as Allah says elsewhere: أَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ ( every good kind We cause to grow therein ) 26:7.

( They will say: We tarried but a day ) upon saying this, they will have some doubt, and therefore will say: ( or part of a day ). Then, they said: we do not know: ( Ask of those who keep count! ) i.e. the angels who record people’s deeds; it is also said that this refers to the angel of death and his helpers.

They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account."

Page 349 English transliteration