Quran Universe
30:57

فَيَوۡمَئِذٖ لَّا يَنفَعُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مَعۡذِرَتُهُمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يُسۡتَعۡتَبُونَ

Fayawmaithin la yanfaAAu allatheena thalamoo maAAthiratuhum wala hum yustaAAtaboona

So that Day, their excuse will not benefit those who wronged, nor will they be asked to appease [Allah].

Word by word
  1. فَيَوۡمَئِذٖSo that Day
  2. لَّاnot
  3. يَنفَعُwill profit
  4. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  5. ظَلَمُواْwronged
  6. مَعۡذِرَتُهُمۡtheir excuses
  7. وَلَاand not
  8. هُمۡthey
  9. يُسۡتَعۡتَبُونَwill be allowed to make amends
Ar-Rum · 30:57Makkah

On that Day excuses help no one.

No going back to make amends

That Day
excusesno benefit
no returnno second chance
but today
amends possiblethe door is open
When to make amends
thentoo late
nowwhile it still counts

Ibn Kathir explains that on the Day of Resurrection their excuses will not help, and they will not be allowed to return to this world to seek Allah's pleasure. The chance to make amends belongs to this life.

Today you can still say sorry to your mother. You can still pay back the money, delete the cruel post, pray the prayer you missed. Excuses fail there, but repentance works here. The verse is a reason to act while the door is open.

I will explain myself to Allah when the time comes.

Explanations will not help then. Repentance helps now.

Try this

Make one amends today that you have been delaying: an apology, a repayment, or a sincere tawbah.

Related41:24
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).