Quran Universe
15:2

رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوۡ كَانُواْ مُسۡلِمِينَ

Rubama yawaddu allatheena kafaroo law kanoo muslimeena

Perhaps those who disbelieve will wish that they had been Muslims.

Word by word
  1. رُّبَمَاPerhaps
  2. يَوَدُّwill wish
  3. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  4. كَفَرُواْdisbelieved
  5. لَوۡif
  6. كَانُواْthey had been
  7. مُسۡلِمِينَMuslims
Al-Hijr · 15:2Makkah

A day comes when they wish they had submitted.

Regret that arrives too late

Two moments
this lifethe door is open
later
the wishif only we had been Muslims
When the choice counts
decide laterthere is always time
decide nowthe wish only helps here

Ibn Kathir explains that those who rejected faith will one day regret having lived in disbelief. Some early scholars said this wish comes when they see believers who sinned being brought out of Hell by Allah's mercy.

You know the feeling after a missed call from someone who is now gone. You meant to call back. The verse points at a bigger version of that. The time to turn is while the line is still open.

I will get serious about my faith once life calms down.

The regret the verse describes is avoidable, but only from this side.

Try this

Do one act of worship today you have been saving for later.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 15:1)

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

الر ۚ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُّبِينٍ - رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ - ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

(1. Alif-Lam-Ra. These are Ayat of the Book and a plain Qur'an.)(2. How much would those who disbelieved wish that they had been Muslims.)(3. Leave them to eat and enjoy, and let them be preoccupied with (false) hope. They will come to know!)

The Disbelievers will someday wish that They had been Muslims

We have already discussed the letters which appear at the beginning of some Surahs. Allah said:

رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

(How much would those who disbelieved wish) Here Allah tells us that they will regret having lived in disbelief, and will wish that they had been Muslims in this world. Regarding Allah's saying,

رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ

(How much would those who disbelieved wish that they had been Muslims.) Sufyan Ath-Thawri reported from Salamah bin Kuhayl, who reported from Abi Az-Za'ra', from 'Abdullah, who said: "This is about the Jahannamiyyun (the sinners among the believers who will stay in Hell for some time), when they [the disbelievers] see them being brought out of Hell."

رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ

(How much would those who disbelieved wish that they had been Muslims.) Ibn Jarir reported that Ibn 'Abbas and Anas bin Malik explained that this Ayah refers to the Day when Allah will detain the sinful Muslims in Hell along with the idolators. He said: "The idolators will say to them, 'What you used to worship on earth has not helped you.' Then by virtue of His mercy, Allah will be angry for their sake, and He will remove them [from it]. That is when

رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ

(How much would those who disbelieved wish that they had been Muslims)."

ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا

(Leave them to eat and enjoy) this is a stern and definitive threat for them, like His saying,

قُلْ تَمَتَّعُواْ فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ

(Say: "Enjoy your brief life! But certainly, your destination is the Fire!")[14:30]

كُلُوا وَتَمَتَّعُوا قَلِيلًا إِنَّكُم مُّجْرِمُونَ

((O disbelievers!) Eat and enjoy yourselves (in this worldly life) for a little while. Verily, you are the guilty.)[77:46] Allah says:

وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ

(let them be preoccupied with false hope.) i.e., distracted from repentance and turning to Allah, for

فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

(They will soon come to know!) that is, their punishment.