Quran Universe
36:31

أَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ كَمۡ أَهۡلَكۡنَا قَبۡلَهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡقُرُونِ أَنَّهُمۡ إِلَيۡهِمۡ لَا يَرۡجِعُونَ

Alam yaraw kam ahlakna qablahum mina alqurooni annahum ilayhim la yarjiAAoona

Have they not considered how many generations We destroyed before them - that they to them will not return?

Word by word
  1. أَلَمۡDo not
  2. يَرَوۡاْthey see
  3. كَمۡhow many
  4. أَهۡلَكۡنَاWe destroyed
  5. قَبۡلَهُمbefore them
  6. مِّنَof
  7. ٱلۡقُرُونِthe generations
  8. أَنَّهُمۡThat they
  9. إِلَيۡهِمۡto them
  10. لَاwill not return
  11. يَرۡجِعُونَwill not return
Ya-Sin · 36:31Makkah

So many generations gone, and none came back.

One life here, no return

The past nations
many generationsdestroyed before
and
none returnone life only
How many tries
we come back againanother round
this world oncethen the return to Allah

Ibn Kathir says those destroyed before came to this world only once and will not return to it. He notes the verse refutes the belief that people come back to this world as they had been before.

You walk through a graveyard, or scroll past old family photos. Every face there had one life, just like you. You are in yours now, and it still has pages to fill.

Somehow I will get another chance if I mess this up.

I have one life in this world. It is the only one, so it matters.

Try this

Visit or picture a graveyard this week and make dua for those resting there.

Related23:37
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 36:30)

Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him (30)Do they not see how many of the generations We have destroyed before them? Verily, they will not return to them (31)And surely, all – everyone of them will be brought before Us (32)

Woe to the Disbelievers!

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn 'Abbas commented on the Ayah:

يَا حَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ ۚ 

(Alas for mankind!), this means, woe to mankind! Qatadah said:

يَا حَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ ۚ 

(Alas for mankind!) means, "Alas for mankind, who have neglected the command of Allah."

The meaning is that they will feel regret and sorrow on the Day of Resurrection. When they see the punishment with their own eyes; they will regret how they disbelieved the Messengers of Allah and went against the commands of Allah, for they used to disbelieve in them in this world.

 مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ 

(There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him.) means, they disbelieved him and made fun of him, and rejected the message of truth with which he had been sent.

The Refutation of the Belief in the Transmigration of Souls

Then Allah says:

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ

(Do they not see how many of the generations We have destroyed before them Verily, they will not return to them.) meaning, 'do you not learn a lesson from those whom Allah destroyed before you of those who disbelieved in the Messengers? They came to this world only once, and will not return to it.' It is not as many of those ignorant and immoral people claim that

إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا

("There is nothing but our life of this world! We die and we live!")(23:37). This was the belief in the cycle of reincarnation; in their ignorance they believed that they would come back to this world as they had been before. But Allah refuted their false belief and said:

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ 

(Do they not see how many of the generations We have destroyed before them? Verily, they will not return to them.) Allah's saying:

وَإِنْ كُلٌّ لَمَّا جَمِيعٌ لَدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ 

(And surely, all – everyone of them will be brought before Us.) means, all of the past nations and those that are yet to come, will be gathered and brought to account before Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, on the Day of Judgement, and they will be requitted according to their good and evil deeds. This is like the Ayah:

وَإِنَّ كُلًّا لَمَّا لَيُوَفِّيَنَّهُمْ رَبُّكَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ۚ

(And verily, to each of them your Lord will repay their works in full.)(11:111).