Quran Universe
37:20

وَقَالُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَا هَٰذَا يَوۡمُ ٱلدِّينِ

Waqaloo ya waylana hatha yawmu alddeeni

They will say, "O woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense."

Word by word
  1. وَقَالُواْAnd they will say
  2. يَٰوَيۡلَنَاO woe to us
  3. هَٰذَاThis
  4. يَوۡمُ(is the) Day
  5. ٱلدِّينِ(of) the Recompense
As-Saffat · 37:20Makkah

Woe to us, this is the Day of Recompense.

Regret that comes too late

Their realisation
they see itwith their own eyes
and say
"Woe to us!"regret, blaming themselves
Day of Recompensewhat they denied
When regret helps
regret on that Dayavails nothing
regret todayit is called repentance

Ibn Kathir says they will blame themselves and admit they wronged themselves, filled with regret when regret no longer helps. They see with their own eyes what they had mocked.

You snapped at your mother and she went quiet. That night you feel the sting. That sting, today, is a gift. Regret while there is time can still become an apology, a change, a tawbah.

Regret is just a bad feeling to push away.

Regret now is a mercy, because now it can still turn into repentance.

Try this

Turn one regret into action today: an apology, a repayment, or a sincere istighfar.

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

They will say: "Woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense! (20)(It will be said:) "This is the Day of Judgement which you used to deny. (21)(It will be said to the angels:) Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions and what they used to worship (22)Instead of Allah, and lead them on to the way of flaming Fire (Hell)(23)But stop them, verily, they are to be questioned (24)"What is the matter with you? Why do you not help one another? (25)Nay, but that Day they shall surrender (26)

The Day of Recompense

Allah tells us what the disbeliever will say on the Day of Resurrection, how they will blame themselves and admit that they wronged themselves in this world. When they see the horrors of the Day of Resurrection with their own eyes, they will be filled with regret at the time when regret will not avail them anything.

وَقَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا هَٰذَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ

(They will say: "Woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense!") And the angels and the believers will say:

هَٰذَا يَوْمُ الْفَصْلِ الَّذِي كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ 

(This is the Day of Judgement which you used to deny.) This will be said to them as a rebuke and reproof. Allah will command the angels to separate the disbeliever from the believers in the place where they are standing. Allah says:

احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ

((It will be said to the angels:) Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions) An-Nu'man bin Bashir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Their companions means their counterparts, those who are like them." This was also the view of Ibn 'Abbas, Sa'id bin Jubayr, 'Ikrimah, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Abu Salih, Abu Al-'Aliyah and Zayd bin Aslam." Sharik said, narrating from Simak, from An-Nu'man: "I heard 'Umar say:

احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ

(Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions) means, 'Those who are like them. So those who committed Zina will be gathered with others who committed Zina, those who dealt in Riba will be gathered with others who dealt in Riba, those who drank wine will be gathered with others who drank wine.' Mujahid and Sa'id bin Jubayr narrated from Ibn 'Abbas:

وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ

(their companions) means "Their friends."

وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ - مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ

(and what they used to worship. Instead of Allah,) means, instead of Allah, i.e., their idols and false gods will be gathered together with them in the same place.

فَاهْدُوهُمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطِ الْجَحِيمِ

(and lead them on to the way of flaming Fire.) means, take them to the way to Hell. This is like the Ayah:

وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا ۖ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا 

(and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire)(17:97).

وَقِفُوهُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ مَسْئُولُونَ 

(But stop them, verily, they are to be questioned.) means, stop them so that they may be questioned about the things they did and said in this world. As Ad-Dahhak said, narrating from Ibn 'Abbas, this means, 'detain them, for they are to be brought to account.' 'Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said, "I heard 'Uthman bin Za'idah say, 'The first thing about which a man will be asked is the company that he kept. Then by way of rebuke, it will be said to them:

مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَنَاصَرُونَ 

(What is the matter with you? Why do you not help one another?).'" meaning, 'as you claimed that you would all help one another.'

بَلْ هُمُ الْيَوْمَ مُسْتَسْلِمُونَ 

(Nay, but that Day they shall surrender.) means, they will be subjected to the command of Allah, and they will not be able to resist it or avoid it. And Allah knows best.