Quran Universe
30:55

وَيَوۡمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ يُقۡسِمُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ مَا لَبِثُواْ غَيۡرَ سَاعَةٖۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَانُواْ يُؤۡفَكُونَ

Wayawma taqoomu alssaAAatu yuqsimu almujrimoona ma labithoo ghayra saAAatin kathalika kanoo yufakoona

And the Day the Hour appears the criminals will swear they had remained but an hour. Thus they were deluded.

Word by word
  1. وَيَوۡمَAnd (the) Day
  2. تَقُومُwill (be) established
  3. ٱلسَّاعَةُthe Hour
  4. يُقۡسِمُwill swear
  5. ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَthe criminals
  6. مَاnot
  7. لَبِثُواْthey remained
  8. غَيۡرَbut
  9. سَاعَةٖۚan hour
  10. كَذَٰلِكَThus
  11. كَانُواْthey were
  12. يُؤۡفَكُونَdeluded
Ar-Rum · 30:55Makkah

They will swear their whole life lasted an hour.

How short life will look from the end

Looking back
a whole lifetimedecades of choices
will feel like
an hourthey will swear it
The excuse
not enough timeto be ready
time was givenas Allah decreed

Ibn Kathir explains the ignorance of the wrongdoers in both worlds. On that Day they will swear they stayed no more than an hour. They mean there was not enough time for proof against them. That was always their delusion.

You look at a photo from ten years ago and think, where did the time go? It felt like there was always more of it. The verse says that at the end, your whole life will feel shorter than an afternoon. Use the hours you have.

I have plenty of time to get serious later.

My whole life will feel like an hour. Today matters.

Try this

Give one hour today, or even ten minutes, fully to something you would want to have done.

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

And on the Day that the Hour will be established, the criminals will swear that they stayed not but an hour – thus were they ever deluded (55)And those who have been bestowed with knowledge and Faith will say: "Indeed you have stayed according to the decree of Allah, until the Day of Resurrection; so this is the Day of Resurrection, but you knew not. (56)So, on that Day no excuse of theirs will avail those who did wrong, nor will they be allowed to return to seek (Allah's) pleasure (57)

The Ignorance of the Disbelievers in this World and in the Hereafter

Here Allah tells us of the ignorance of the disbelievers in this world and in the Hereafter. In this world they worship idols, and in the Hereafter they will also display great ignorance. They will swear by Allah that they did not even stay for one hour in this world. They will mean that there was not enough time given to establish proof against them which would leave them with no excuse. Allah says:

كَذَٰلِكَ كَانُوا يُؤْفَكُونَ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ وَالْإِيمَانَ لَقَدْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْبَعْثِ ۖ

(thus were they ever deluded. And those who have been bestowed with knowledge and Faith will say: "Indeed you have stayed according to the decree of Allah, until the Day of Resurrection...") The believers who have knowledge of the Hereafter will respond to them, just as they established the proof of Allah against them in this world. When they swear that they did not stay even one hour in this world, they will say to them:

 لَقَدْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ

(Indeed you have stayed according to the decree of Allah,) meaning, the Book of deeds,

إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْبَعْثِ

(until the Day of Resurrection;) means, 'from the day when you were created until the day you were resurrected. '

وَلَٰكِنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(but you knew not.) Allah says:

فَيَوْمَئِذٍ

(So, on that Day) meaning, the Day of Resurrection,

لَا يَنْفَعُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ

(no excuse of theirs will avail those who did wrong,) means, their excuses for what they did.

وَلَا هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ 

(nor will they be allowed (then) to return to seek (Allah's) pleasure.) means, they will not be allowed to return to this world. This is like the Ayah,

وَإِنْ يَسْتَعْتِبُوا فَمَا هُمْ مِنَ الْمُعْتَبِينَ

(and if they seek to please (Allah), yet they are not of those who will ever be allowed to please (Allah))(41:24).