27:85

وَوَقَعَ ٱلۡقَوۡلُ عَلَيۡهِم بِمَا ظَلَمُواْ فَهُمۡ لَا يَنطِقُونَ

WawaqaAAa alqawlu AAalayhim bima thalamoo fahum la yantiqoona

And the decree will befall them for the wrong they did, and they will not [be able to] speak.

Word by word
  1. وَوَقَعَAnd (will be) fulfilled
  2. ٱلۡقَوۡلُthe word
  3. عَلَيۡهِمagainst them
  4. بِمَاbecause
  5. ظَلَمُواْthey wronged
  6. فَهُمۡand they
  7. لَا(will) not
  8. يَنطِقُونَspeak
An-Naml · 27:85Makkah

No excuse left, and no words to say.

Speechless before the One who sees


What happens
the wrong they didwronged themselves
so
the word befallsthe proof is made
speechlessno excuse
Where excuses work
on the DayI will explain
only nowwhile I can still change

Ibn Kathir says they will be stunned and speechless, unable to give any answer, because they wronged themselves in the world and have now returned to the One from Whom nothing is hidden. He cites the verse that they will not be permitted to give excuses.

You have a ready explanation for most things: tired, busy, stressed, everyone does it. Excuses work on people. The time to fix things is while words can still turn into change.

I will be able to explain my reasons when the time comes.

The time for explaining and changing is now, not on the Day.

Try this

Drop one excuse you use often. Do the thing instead, once, today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 27:83)

And (remember) the Day when We shall gather out of every nation a Fawj of those who denied Our Ayat, and they shall be driven (83)Till, when they come, He will say: "Did you deny My Ayat whereas you comprehended them not by knowledge, or what was it that you used to do? (84)And the Word will be fulfilled against them, because they have done wrong, and they will be unable to speak (85)See they not that We have made the night for them to rest therein, and the day sight-giving? Verily, in this are Ayat for the people who believe (86)

Gathering the Wrongdoers on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us about the Day of Resurrection when the wrongdoers who disbelieved in the signs and Messengers of Allah will be gathered before Allah, so that He will ask them about what they did in this world, rebuking, scolding and belittling them.

وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فَوْجًا

(And the Day when We shall gather out of every nation, a Fawj) means, from every people and generation a group

مِمَّنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِآيَاتِنَا

(of those who denied Our Ayat). This is like the Ayat:

احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ

("Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions (from the devils).")(37:22)

وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ

(And when the souls are joined with their bodies)(81:7).

فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ

(and they shall be driven,)

Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "They will be pushed." 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said: "They will be driven."

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوا 

(Till, when they come,) and stand before Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, in the place of reckoning,

قَالَ أَكَذَّبْتُمْ بِآيَاتِي وَلَمْ تُحِيطُوا بِهَا عِلْمًا أَمَّاذَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(He will say: "Did you deny My Ayat whereas you comprehended them not by knowledge, or what was it that you used to do?") meaning they will be asked about their beliefs and their deeds. Since they are among the doomed and, as Allah says:

فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّىٰ - وَلَٰكِنْ كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

(He neither believed nor performed Salah! But on the contrary, he denied and turned away!)(75:31-32) Then the proof will be established against them and they will have no excuse whatsoever, as Allah says:

هَٰذَا يَوْمُ لَا يَنْطِقُونَ - وَلَا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ

(That will be a Day when they shall not speak. And they will not be permitted to put forth any excuse)(77:35-36). Similarly, Allah says here:

وَوَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِمَا ظَلَمُوا فَهُمْ لَا يَنْطِقُونَ

(And the Word will be fulfilled against them, because they have done wrong, and they will be unable to speak.)

They will be stunned and speechless, unable to give any answer. This is because they wronged themselves in the world, and now they have returned to the One Who sees the unseen and the seen, from Whom nothing can be hidden.

Then Allah points out His complete power, immense authority and greatness, all dictating that He is to be obeyed and that His commands must be followed, and that the message of inescapable truth brought by His Prophets must be believed in. Allah says:

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ

(See they not that We have made the night for them to rest therein,) Due to the darkness of the night they halt their activities and calm themselves down, to recover from the exhausting efforts of the day.

 وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا

(and the day sight-giving) meaning filled with light, so that they can work and earn a living, and travel and engage in business, and do other things that they need to do.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

(Verily, in this are Ayat for the people who believe.)