Quran Universe
30:56

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ وَٱلۡإِيمَٰنَ لَقَدۡ لَبِثۡتُمۡ فِي كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡبَعۡثِۖ فَهَٰذَا يَوۡمُ ٱلۡبَعۡثِ وَلَٰكِنَّكُمۡ كُنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

Waqala allatheena ootoo alAAilma waaleemana laqad labithtum fee kitabi Allahi ila yawmi albaAAthi fahatha yawmu albaAAthi walakinnakum kuntum la taAAlamoona

But those who were given knowledge and faith will say, "You remained the extent of Allah 's decree until the Day of Resurrection, and this is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not used to know."

Word by word
  1. وَقَالَBut will say
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. أُوتُواْwere given
  4. ٱلۡعِلۡمَthe knowledge
  5. وَٱلۡإِيمَٰنَand the faith
  6. لَقَدۡVerily
  7. لَبِثۡتُمۡyou remained
  8. فِيby
  9. كِتَٰبِ(the) Decree
  10. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  11. إِلَىٰuntil
  12. يَوۡمِ(the) Day
  13. ٱلۡبَعۡثِۖ(of) Resurrection
  14. فَهَٰذَاAnd this
  15. يَوۡمُ(is the) Day
  16. ٱلۡبَعۡثِ(of) the Resurrection
  17. وَلَٰكِنَّكُمۡbut you
  18. كُنتُمۡwere
  19. لَاnot
  20. تَعۡلَمُونَknowing
Ar-Rum · 30:56Makkah

Those with knowledge and faith will answer: you stayed long enough.

The record of your time

The reply
people of knowledgeand faith
answer
as Allah decreedthe Book of deeds
this is the Dayyou did not know
What was recorded
an hourtheir claim
every dayfrom creation to rising

The believers with knowledge reply, as they established the proof in this world. Ibn Kathir says they mean: you stayed according to the Book of deeds, from the day you were created until the day you were raised. But you did not know.

Every day you lived is written: the long commute, the Tuesday nobody remembers, the night you helped a friend move. None of it disappears. Knowledge and faith let you see your days now as they will be seen then.

Most of my days are forgettable and do not count.

Every day I live is recorded. Each one counts.

Try this

Tonight, write one line about something good you did today, as if for the record.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 30:55)

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).