قَالُوْا رَبَّنَآ اَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَاَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوْبِنَا فَهَلْ اِلٰى خُرُوْجٍ مِّنْ سَبِيْلٍ ( غافر: ١١ )
Qaaloo Rabbanaaa amat tanasnataini wa ahyaitanas nataini fa'tarafnaa bizunoo binaa fahal ilaa khuroojim min sabeel (Ghāfir 40:11)
Sahih International:
They will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins. So is there to an exit any way?" (Ghafir [40] : 11)
1 Mufti Taqi Usmani
They will say, “Our Lord, You gave us death twice and You gave us life twice. Now we confess our sins. So, is there any way to come out of here?”
2 Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
They will plead, “Our Lord! You made us lifeless twice, and gave us life twice.[[ You created us from nothing, then gave us life in the wombs of our mothers, then caused us to die at the end of our worldly lives, and finally resurrected us after our death (see {2:28}). ]] Now we confess our sins. So is there any way out?”
3 Ruwwad Translation Center
They will say, “Our Lord, You have caused us to die twice and brought us to life twice. Now we acknowledge our sins; is there any way out?”
4 A. J. Arberry
They shall say, 'Our Lord, Thou hast caused us to die two deaths and Thou hast given us twice to live; now we confess our sins. Is there any way to go forth?'
5 Abdul Haleem
They will say, ‘Our Lord, twice You have caused us to be lifeless and twice You have brought us to life. Now we recognize our sins. Is there any way out?’
6 Abdul Majid Daryabadi
They will say: our Lord! Thou hast made us die twice, and Thou hast made us live twice now We confess our sins: there no getting out any way?
7 Abdullah Yusuf Ali
They will say; "Our Lord! twice hast Thou made us without life, and twice hast Thou given us Life! Now have we recognised our sins; Is there any way out (of this)?"
8 Abul Ala Maududi
They will say: “Our Lord, twice have You caused us to die and twice have You given us life. We have now confessed our sins. Is there, then, any way out?”
9 Ahmed Ali
They say: "O Lord, twice You made us die, and twice You made us live. We admit our sins. Is there still a way out for us?"
10 Ahmed Raza Khan
They will say, “O Our Lord! Twice You have given us death and twice You have given us life* – we now confess to our sins – so is there a way out of the fire?” (From nothingness to life in this world, to death and then Resurrection.)
11 Ali Quli Qarai
They will say, ‘Our Lord! Twice did You make us die, and twice did You give us life. We admit our sins. Is there any way out [from this plight]?’
12 Ali Ünal
They will say: "Our Lord! You have made us die twice, and given us life twice, so (we have become fully convinced of the truth of all that You have informed us of, and) we acknowledge our sins (of unbelief). Is there, then, any way to get out (so that we may believe and do good, righteous deeds)?"
13 Amatul Rahman Omar
They will say, `Our Lord! twice You have caused us to die (as the state without life before birth is a sort of death and the end of this life is the second) and twice You have given us life. We confess our sins (now). Is then, there, a way out (of the torment)?´
14 English Literal
They said: "Our Lord You made us die two (twice), and You revived us/gave us life two (twice), so we confessed/acknowledged with our crimes, so is (there) from a way/path to getting out/(an) exit?"
15 Faridul Haque
They will say, “O Our Lord! Twice You have given us death and twice You have given us life * - we now confess to our sins - so is there a way out of the fire?” (From nothingness to life in this world, to death and then Resurrection.)
16 Hamid S. Aziz
They shall say, "Our Lord! Twice didst Thou makest us die, and twice hast Thou givestn us life, so we do confess our faults; is there then a way to get out?"
17 Hilali & Khan
They will say: "Our Lord! You have made us to die twice (i.e. we were dead in the loins of our fathers and dead after our deaths in this world), and You have given us life twice (i.e. life when we were born and life when we are Resurrected)! Now we confess our sins, then is there any way to get out (of the Fire)?"
18 Maulana Mohammad Ali
Those who disbelieve are told: Certainly Allah’s hatred (of you), when you were called upon to the faith and you rejected, was much greater than your hatred (now) of yourselves.
19 Mohammad Habib Shakir
They shall say: Our Lord! twice didst Thou make us subject to death, and twice hast Thou given us life, so we do confess our faults; is there then a way to get out?
20 Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall
They say: Our Lord! Twice hast Thou made us die, and twice hast Thou made us live. Now we confess our sins. Is there any way to go out?
21 Muhammad Sarwar
They say, "Lord, You have caused us to die twice and You have brought us back to life twice. We have confessed our sins, so is there any way out of this (hell)?"
22 Qaribullah & Darwish
They shall say: 'Our Lord, twice You have made us die, and twice You have given us life, now, we confess our sins. Is there any way we can be brought out of this'
23 Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
They will say: "Our Lord! You have made us to die twice, and You have given us life twice! Now we confess our sins, then is there any way to get out"
24 Wahiduddin Khan
They will say, "Our Lord! Twice You have made us die, and twice You have given us life! Now we have confessed our sins: is there any way out [of this]?"
25 Talal Itani
They will say, “Our Lord, you made us die twice, and twice you gave us life. Now we acknowledge our sins. Is there any way out?”
26 Tafsir jalalayn
They will say, `Our Lord, You have caused us to die twice, two deaths, and You have given us life twice -- for they were lifeless drops of semen, then they were given life, then made to die, then brought back to life for the Resurrection. We [now] confess our sins, in having disbelieved in the Resurrection. Is there then any way to go out?', out of the Fire and return to the world to be obedient to our Lord? The answer given to them will be; No!
27 Tafseer Ibn Kathir
قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ
فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِّن سَبِيلٍ
They will say;"Our Lord! You have made us to die twice, and You have given us life twice!..."
Ath-Thawri narrated from Abu Ishaq from Abu Al-Ahwas from Ibn Mas`ud, may Allah be pleased with him;
"This Ayah is like the Ayah;
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَتًا فَأَحْيَـكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
How can you disbelieve in Allah Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life and then unto Him you will return. "(2;28)
This was also the view of Ibn Abbas, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and Abu Malik.
This is undoubtedly the correct view. What is meant by all of this is that when they are standing before Allah in the arena of Resurrection, the disbelievers will ask to go back, as Allah says;
وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُواْ رُءُوسِهِمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ رَبَّنَأ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَارْجِعْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـلِحاً إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ
And if you only could see when the criminals shall hang their heads before their Lord (saying);
"Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back, that we will do righteous good deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty." (32;12)
However, they will get no response. Then when they see the Fire and they are held over it and they look at the punishments therein, they will ask even more fervently than before to go back, but they will get no response.
Allah says;
وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ
بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ
If you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say;"Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!"
Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before. But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars. (6;27-28)
When they actually enter Hell and have a taste of its heat, hooked rods of iron and chains, their plea to go back will be at its most desperate and fervent;
وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَأ أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـلِحاً غَيْرَ الَّذِى كُـنَّا نَعْمَلُ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَأءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ فَذُوقُواْ فَمَا لِلظَّـلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ
Therein they will cry;"Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not that we used do."
(Allah will reply);"Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it, and the warner came to you. So taste you. For the wrongdoers there is no helper." (35;37)
رَبَّنَأ أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْهَا فَإِنْ عُدْنَا فَإِنَّا ظَـلِمُونَ
قَالَ اخْسَيُواْ فِيهَا وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ
Our Lord! Bring us out of this. If ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be wrongdoers."
He (Allah) will say;"Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me! (23;108)
According to this Ayah, they will speak more eloquently, and they will introduce their plea with the words;
رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ
(Our Lord! You have made us to die twice, and You have given us life twice!)
meaning, `by Your almighty power, You have brought us to life after we were dead, then You caused us to die after we were alive; You are able to do whatever You will.
فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا
(Now we confess our sins), i.e. We confess our sins and admit that we wronged ourselves in the world,'
فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِّن سَبِيلٍ
then is there any way to get out?
means, `will You answer our prayer to send us back to the world, for You are able to do that, so that we might do deeds different from those which we used to do. Then if we go back to our former ways, we will indeed be wrongdoers.'
The response will be;`There is no way for you to go back to the world.' Then the reason for that will be given;`Your nature will not accept the truth and be governed by it, you would reject it and ignore it.'
Allah says