6:31

قَدۡ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِلِقَآءِ ٱللَّهِۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَتۡهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغۡتَةٗ قَالُواْ يَٰحَسۡرَتَنَا عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطۡنَا فِيهَا وَهُمۡ يَحۡمِلُونَ أَوۡزَارَهُمۡ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِمۡۚ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ

Qad khasira allatheena kaththaboo biliqai Allahi hatta itha jaathumu alssaAAatu baghtatan qaloo ya hasratana AAala ma farratna feeha wahum yahmiloona awzarahum AAala thuhoorihim ala saa ma yaziroona

Those will have lost who deny the meeting with Allah, until when the Hour [of resurrection] comes upon them unexpectedly, they will say, "Oh, [how great is] our regret over what we neglected concerning it," while they bear their burdens on their backs. Unquestionably, evil is that which they bear.

Word by word
  1. قَدۡIndeed
  2. خَسِرَincurred loss
  3. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  4. كَذَّبُواْdenied
  5. بِلِقَآءِin (the) meeting
  6. ٱللَّهِۖ(with) Allah
  7. حَتَّىٰٓuntil
  8. إِذَاwhen
  9. جَآءَتۡهُمُcame to them
  10. ٱلسَّاعَةُthe Hour
  11. بَغۡتَةٗsuddenly
  12. قَالُواْthey said
  13. يَٰحَسۡرَتَنَاOh!Our regret
  14. عَلَىٰover
  15. مَاwhat
  16. فَرَّطۡنَاwe neglected
  17. فِيهَاconcerning it
  18. وَهُمۡwhile they
  19. يَحۡمِلُونَwill bear
  20. أَوۡزَارَهُمۡtheir burdens
  21. عَلَىٰon
  22. ظُهُورِهِمۡۚtheir backs
  23. أَلَاUnquestionably
  24. سَآءَEvil
  25. مَا(is) what
  26. يَزِرُونَthey bear
Al-An'am · 6:31Makkah

The Hour comes suddenly, and the regret is heavy.

Carrying your deeds on your own back


How it arrives
denied the meetingwith Allah
then suddenly
the Hourno warning
they say
alas for uswe neglected it
What you carry
my deeds are behind medone and gone
on my backthey come with me

Ibn Kathir describes the regret of those who denied meeting Allah when the Hour comes on them all of a sudden, and their sorrow for the good they never did. As-Suddi described a person's deeds meeting him in the grave and saying: in the world I carried you, today you carry me.

You keep a list of things you will do "one day": make up the missed fasts, repay the cousin, read the whole Quran. The list assumes there will be warning. The verse says the Hour does not book an appointment. Every good deed you add is a lighter load.

I will sort it out before the end. There will be signs.

The end can come suddenly, so I lighten my load today.

Try this

Take one item from your someday list and do it before tonight.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

They indeed are losers who denied their meeting with Allah, until all of a sudden, the Hour (signs of death) is upon them, and they say: "Alas for us that we gave no thought to it," while they will bear their burdens on their backs; and evil indeed are the burdens that they will bear (31)And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. But far better is the abode of the Hereafter for those have Taqwa. Will you not then understand (32)

Allah describes the regret of the disbelievers when facing Him, and their disappointment at the commencement, along with their sorrow for not performing good deeds and for their evil deeds.

This is why Allah said,

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً قَالُوا يَا حَسْرَتَنَا عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِيهَا

(until all of a sudden, the Hour (signs of death) is upon them, and they say: "Alas for us that we gave no thought to it.")

It' here refers to either the life of this world, or the affairs of the Hereafter. Allah's statement,

وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِمْ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ

(while they will bear their burdens on their backs; and evil indeed are the burdens that they will bear!)

Asbat said that As-Suddi said, "Upon entering his grave, every unjust person will meet a man with an ugly face, dark skin, awful odor, wearing dirty clothes, who will enter his grave with him. When the unjust person sees him, he will say, 'How ugly is your face!' He will reply, 'So was your work, it was ugly.' The unjust person will say, 'How foul is the odor coming from you!' He will reply, 'Such was the case with your work, it stunk.' The unjust person will say, 'How dirty are your clothes!' He will reply, 'And your work too was dirty.' The unjust person will ask, 'Who are you?' He will reply, 'I am your deeds.' So he will remain with the unjust person in his grave, and when he is resurrected on the Day of Resurrection, his companion will say to him, 'In the life of the world, I used to carry you because you followed desire and lust. Today, you carry me.' So he will ride on the unjust person's back and lead him until he enters the Fire. So Allah said,

وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِمْ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ

(while they will bear their burdens on their backs; and evil indeed are the burdens that they will bear!)[6:31]" Allah's statement,

وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ

(And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement.) means, most of it is play and amusement,

وَلَلدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

(But far better is the abode of the Hereafter for those who have Taqwa. Will you not then understand?)