Quran Universe
9:94

يَعۡتَذِرُونَ إِلَيۡكُمۡ إِذَا رَجَعۡتُمۡ إِلَيۡهِمۡۚ قُل لَّا تَعۡتَذِرُواْ لَن نُّؤۡمِنَ لَكُمۡ قَدۡ نَبَّأَنَا ٱللَّهُ مِنۡ أَخۡبَارِكُمۡۚ وَسَيَرَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمۡ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَٰلِمِ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

YaAAtathiroona ilaykum itha rajaAAtum ilayhim qul la taAAtathiroo lan numina lakum qad nabbaana Allahu min akhbarikum wasayara Allahu AAamalakum warasooluhu thumma turaddoona ila AAalimi alghaybi waalshshahadati fayunabbiokum bima kuntum taAAmaloona

They will make excuses to you when you have returned to them. Say, "Make no excuse - never will we believe you. Allah has already informed us of your news. And Allah will observe your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger; then you will be taken back to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do."

Word by word
  1. يَعۡتَذِرُونَThey will make excuses
  2. إِلَيۡكُمۡto you
  3. إِذَاwhen
  4. رَجَعۡتُمۡyou (have) returned
  5. إِلَيۡهِمۡۚto them
  6. قُلSay
  7. لَّا(Do) not
  8. تَعۡتَذِرُواْmake excuse
  9. لَنnever
  10. نُّؤۡمِنَwe will believe
  11. لَكُمۡyou
  12. قَدۡVerily
  13. نَبَّأَنَاAllah (has) informed us
  14. ٱللَّهُAllah (has) informed us
  15. مِنۡof
  16. أَخۡبَارِكُمۡۚyour news
  17. وَسَيَرَىand Allah will see
  18. ٱللَّهُand Allah will see
  19. عَمَلَكُمۡyour deeds
  20. وَرَسُولُهُۥand His Messenger
  21. ثُمَّThen
  22. تُرَدُّونَyou will be brought back
  23. إِلَىٰto
  24. عَٰلِمِ(the) Knower
  25. ٱلۡغَيۡبِ(of) the unseen
  26. وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِand the seen
  27. فَيُنَبِّئُكُمthen He will inform you
  28. بِمَاof what
  29. كُنتُمۡyou used (to)
  30. تَعۡمَلُونَdo
At-Tawbah · 9:94Madinah

Excuses lined up for the return home.

Your deeds will be seen, then shown to you

When the army came back
the excusesready and polished
met by
"Allah has told us"your news is known
deeds observedthen shown to you
What really persuades
a better excusethe right words
what you do nextAllah will see your deeds

When the believers returned to Madinah, Ibn Kathir says the hypocrites began apologizing. The answer: Allah has told us your news. Allah and His Messenger will see your deeds, and then you return to the Knower of the seen and unseen, who will inform you of what you did.

You missed the deadline and you are drafting the perfect email: traffic, a sick kid, a broken laptop. Some of it is even true. The verse says the words matter less than what you do from here.

If I explain it well enough, it will be fine.

Better deeds from here count more than a better excuse.

Try this

Next time you owe an apology, keep it short and then show the change instead.

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

They (the hypocrites) will present their excuses to you (Muslims), when you return to them. Say "Present no excuses, we shall not believe you. Allah has already informed us of the news concerning you. Allah and His Messenger will observe your deeds. In the end you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He (Allah) will inform you of what you used to do. (94)They will swear by Allah to you (Muslims) when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are Rijs (impure), and Hell is their dwelling place – a recompense for that which they used to earn (95)They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Fasiqin (rebellious)(96)

Exposing the Deceitful Ways of Hypocrites

Allah said that when the believers go back to Al-Madinah, the hypocrites will begin apologizing to them.

قُل لَّا تَعْتَذِرُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ

(Say "Present no excuses, we shall not believe you."), we shall not believe what you say,

قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا اللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ

(Allah has already informed us of the news concerning you.) Allah has exposed your news to us,

وَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ

(Allah and His Messenger will observe your deeds.) your actions will be made public to people in this life,

ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(In the end you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He (Allah) will inform you of what you used to do.)

Allah will inform you of your deeds, whether they were good or evil, and will recompense you for them. Allah said that the hypocrites will swear to the believers in apology, so that the believers turn away from them without admonishing them. Therefore, Allah ordered disgracing them by turning away from them, for they are,

رِجْسٌ 

(Rijs) meaning, impure inwardly and in their creed. Their destination in the end will be Jahannam,

جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

(a recompense for that which they used to earn.) of sins and evil deeds. Allah said that if the believers forgive the hypocrites when they swear to them,

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَرْضَىٰ عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ

(certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Fasiqin.) who rebel against the obedience of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. 'Fisq' means 'deviation'.