Tafsir of Al-Mu'minoon 23:100

"That I may do righteousness" (100) — meaning: in what I have abandoned of faith, for which I have turned away. La‘alla (that I may) is for expressing hope (tarajji). It either refers to both action and faith—given his knowledge of the impossibility of returning—or to action only, to fulfill his faith. If it refers to returning, it is like your saying: "Perhaps I shall profit in this wealth," or like your saying: "Perhaps I shall build upon a foundation," meaning: I shall establish a foundation and then build upon it. It is also said: "In what I have abandoned" refers to wealth or the world, deeming the separation from it a "leaving" of it.

It is permissible for la‘alla to be for causation. In al-Burhan, al-Baghawi narrates from al-Waqidi that every instance of la‘alla in the Qur’an is for causation, except for His saying: "That you might abide eternally" (la‘allakum takhludun), which is for simile. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated a similar view through al-Suddi from Abu Malik.

Furthermore, requesting to return is not unique to the disbelievers. It is reported from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that one who withholds zakat and one who abandons the pilgrimage while having the means, will both request a return at the time of death. Al-Daylami narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When death comes to a person, everything that kept him from the truth is gathered and placed before his eyes. At that moment, he says, 'My Lord, send me back that I might do righteousness in what I left behind.'" This report supports the view that what is intended by "what I left behind" is wealth and the like.

"No!" (Kalla)—a rebuke against the request to return and a dismissal of its possibility. "It is but a word he is saying"—meaning his plea, "My Lord, send me back," is a word he will inevitably utter; he will not refrain from it or remain silent, due to the intensity of his regret and the dominance of his remorse. The fronting of the predicate (huwa qa'iluha) is for emphasis, or it means he is the only one saying it, in which case the fronting denotes exclusivity. The meaning of this is that his request will not be answered, nor will it be listened to, treating the answer and the act of paying attention as if the one who ignores it is a partner to the speaker. This is a common idiom; if one is spoken to in vain, one says: "You alone occupy yourself with this word, so speak and listen [to yourself]," meaning that it is something that will not be heard from you and does not deserve a response. The "word" here means "speech," as in their saying: "the word of testimony." In this sense, it is a metaphor according to the grammarians, while among the linguists, it is said to be literal, and others say it is a well-known metaphor.

The apparent meaning is that "No!" and what follows it is the speech of Allah Almighty. It is extremely far-fetched to claim that "No!" is said by the one witnessing death, saying it to himself by way of regret and remorse.

"And behind them"—meaning in front of them, as has been previously established. The pronoun refers to each one of them, and the plural is used regarding the meaning, as it is in the position of all of them, just as the singular pronouns before it were based on the wording. "Is a barrier"—a partition between them and returning—"until the Day they are resurrected," from their graves, which is the Day of Resurrection. This makes their return to the world contingent upon an impossibility, just as the entry of the disbelievers into Paradise is made contingent upon His saying: "Until the camel enters into the eye of a needle."

From Ibn Zayd: The meaning is a barrier between them and the Resurrection, from the time of death until they are resurrected from their graves. Others said: It is a barrier between them and full recompense, remaining until the Day of Resurrection; when that day arrives, they will be recompensed in the most complete manner.