“Or lest it say, ‘If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among those mindful of Him’; or lest it say, when it sees the punishment, ‘If only I had another chance, I would be among those who do good.’ But indeed, My signs came to you, yet you denied them, acted arrogantly, and were among the disbelievers.”

“Or lest it say, ‘If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among those mindful of Him.’ The particle law here expresses a wish. In other words: If only Allah had guided me, so that I might be mindful of Him, escape punishment, and deserve the reward. Here, law is not conditional, for if it were, they would be invoking divine decree as an excuse for their misguidance. That is an invalid argument, and on the Day of Resurrection every invalid argument will vanish.

“Or lest it say, when it sees the punishment” and becomes certain that it will befall it, “‘If only I had another chance’”—that is, a return to this world—“then I would be among those who do good.” Allah, Exalted is He, says that this is neither possible nor beneficial, and that these are baseless wishes with no reality to them, for were the servant returned, no further clarification would be given beyond that which was given the first time.

“Indeed, My signs came to you,” pointing to the truth with an indication about which there can be no doubt, “yet you denied them, acted arrogantly” by refusing to follow them, “and were among the disbelievers.” Asking to be returned to this world is therefore futile: “If they were returned, they would certainly revert to what they had been forbidden, and indeed they are liars.”