Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:100

The Disbelievers' Hope when death approaches Allah tells us about what happens when death approaches one of the disbelievers orone of those who have been negligent with the commands of Allah. He tells us what he says and how he asks to come back to this world so that he can rectify whatever wrongs he committed during his lifetime. Allah says:

("My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" No!) This is like the Ayat:

(And spend of that with which We have provided you before death comes to one of you,) until His saying:

(And Allah is All-Aware of what you do) 63:10-11

(And warn mankind of the Day when the torment will come unto them)

upto His saying; (that you would not leave (the world for the Hereafter).) 14:44 And His saying:

(On the Day the event is finally fulfilled, those who neglected it before will say: "Verily, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth, now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf Or could we be sent back so that we might do deeds other than those deeds which we used to do") 7:53 And:

(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.") 32:12 And;

(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. ..") until His saying;

(And indeed they are liars.) 6:27-28

(And you will see the wrongdoers, when they behold the torment, they will say: "Is there any way of return") 42:44

(They will say: "Our Lord! You have made us to die twice, and You have given us life twice! Now we confess our sins, then is there any way to get out") 40:11 and the Ayah after it:

(Therein they will cry: "Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not what we used to do." (Allah will reply:) "Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it And the warner came to you. So taste you (the evil of your deeds). For the wrongdoers there is no helper.") 35:37 Allah says that they will ask to go back, when death approaches, on the Day of Resurrection, when they are gathered for judgment before the Compeller (Allah) and when they are in the agonies of the punishment of Hell, but their prayer will not be answered. Here Allah says:

(No! It is but a word that he speaks;) The word Kalla (No!) is a word that is used to rebuke, and the meaning is: "No, We will not respond to what he asks for and We will not accept it from him."

(It is but a word that he speaks) refers to his asking to go back so that he can do righteous deeds; this is just talk on his part, it would not be accompanied by any action. If he were to go back, he would not do any righteous good deeds, he is merely lying, as Allah says:

(But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars) 6:28. Qatadah said: "By Allah, he will not wish to go back to his family and tribe, or to accumulate more of the things of this world or satisfy his desires, but he will wish that he could go back to do acts of obedience to Allah. May Allah have mercy on a man who does that which the disbeliever will wish he had done when he sees the punishment of Hell."

Barzakh and Punishment therein

(and in front of them is Barzakh until the Day when they will be resurrected.) Abu Salih and others said that:

(and in front of them) means before them. Mujahid said, Al-Barzakh is a barrier between this world and the Hereafter. Muhammad bin Ka`b said, "Al-Barzakh is what is between this world and the Hereafter, neither they are the people of this world, eating and drinking, nor are they with the people of the Hereafter, being rewarded or punished for their deeds." Abu Sakhr said, "Al-Barzakh refers to the graves. They are neither in this world nor the Hereafter, and they will stay there until the Day of Resurrection."

(and in front of them is Barzakh). In these words is a threat to those wrongdoers at the time of death, of the punishment of Barzakh. This is similar to the Ayat:

(In front of them there is Hell) 45:10.

(and in front of him will be a great torment) 14: 17.

(until the Day when they will be resurrected). means, he will be punished continually until the Day of Resurrection, as it says in the Hadith:

(He will continue to be punished in it.) meaning, in the earth.

Pada ayat ini Allah memberitahukan tentang kata-kata yang diucapkan oleh orang kafir ketika menghadapi maut, walaupun kata-kata itu tidak dapat didengar oleh orang-orang yang hadir ketika itu. Orang kafir itu meminta kepada Allah supaya dia jangan dimatikan dahulu dan dibiarkan hidup seperti sediakala agar dia dapat bertobat dari kesalahan dan kedurhakaannya dan dapat beriman dan mengerjakan amal yang baik yang tidak dikerjakannya selama hidupnya.

Demikianlah keadaan orang-orang kafir itu pada waktu dia masih sehat walafiat dan mempunyai kesanggupan untuk beriman dan beramal saleh, dia enggan menerima kebenaran, takabur dan sombong terhadap orang-orang yang beriman, selalu durhaka kepada Allah bahkan melakukan tindakan-tindakan yang bertentangan dengan perintah Allah dan mengucapkan kata-kata yang tidak benar terhadap-Nya. Akan tetapi, ketika dalam keadaan sakaratul maut, mereka teringat pada dosa dan kesalahan yang telah mereka lakukan. Ketika itu juga mereka menjadi insaf dan sadar lalu meminta dengan sepenuh hati kepada Allah agar diberi umur panjang untuk berbuat baik guna menutupi semua kedurhakaan dan kejahatan yang telah mereka lakukan. Namun demikian, saat sakaratul maut bukan waktu untuk meminta ampun dan bertobat sebagaimana tersebut dalam firman-Nya:

Dan tidaklah tobat itu diterima Allah dari orang-orang yang mengerjakan kejahatan (yang) hingga apabila datang ajal kepada seseorang di antara mereka, (barulah) ia mengatakan: "Sesungguhnya saya bertobat sekarang." Dan tidak (pula diterima tobat) orang-orang yang mati sedang mereka di dalam keadaan kekafiran. Bagi orang-orang itu telah Kami sediakan siksa yang pedih. (an-Nisa'/4: 17-18)

Lalu Allah menegaskan bahwa permintaan orang-orang kafir itu hanyalah ucapan yang keluar dari mulut mereka saja dan tidak akan dikabulkan. Kalaupun benar-benar diberi umur panjang, mereka tidak juga akan kembali beriman dan tidak akan mau mengerjakan amal saleh sebagaimana ditegaskan Allah dalam firman-Nya:

Dan seandainya engkau (Muhammad) melihat ketika mereka dihadapkan ke neraka, mereka berkata, "Seandainya kami dikembalikan (ke dunia) tentu kami tidak akan mendustakan ayat-ayat Tuhan kami, serta menjadi orang-orang yang beriman." Tetapi (sebenarnya) bagi mereka telah nyata kejahatan yang mereka sembunyikan dahulu. Seandainya mereka dikembalikan ke dunia, tentu mereka akan mengulang kembali apa yang telah dilarang mengerjakannya. Mereka itu sungguh pendusta. (al-An'am/6: 27-28)

Demikianlah ucapan yang mereka lontarkan sebagai penghibur hati mereka sendiri, suatu ucapan yang tidak ada nilainya sama sekali karena tidak mungkin mereka akan hidup kembali karena ajal mereka telah tiba. Di hadapan mereka terbentang dinding yang menghalangi mereka kembali ke dunia sampai hari kiamat.

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