Surah As-Sajdah: (Verse 12) And if you could but see...

When Allah mentioned that they will return to their Lord, He then clarified what will occur upon that return in a general manner by His saying: {And if you could but see when the criminals hang their heads down}.

This means, if you could see their state and witness their intense shame, you would see something astonishing.

The address {you could but see} (wa law tarā) can be interpreted in two ways:

1. It is addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), to console his heart, as they used to hurt him by calling him a liar.
2. It is a general address to everyone, similar to when someone says, "So-and-so is generous; if you serve him even for a moment, he will treat you well for your entire life," without intending a specific person.

His saying {with their Lord} clarifies the intensity of their shame, because when a servant (the created) has wronged his Master (the Lord) and then stands before Him, the shame will be at its utmost degree.

Then the Almighty said: {Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard}.

This means they will say, or be saying, "Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard." The phrase "they will say" (qā'ilīn) is omitted as an indication of the extreme degree of their shame, because intense shame prevents speech.

The meaning of {Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard} is: We have seen the gathering (Resurrection) and we have heard the message of the Messenger. Therefore, send us back to the abode of the world so that we may do righteous deeds.

Their statement {indeed, we are certain/convinced} means: We have believed in this moment. However, what benefits is belief coupled with righteous action. Righteous action can only occur when one is commanded to do it, which is in the worldly life. Thus, they ask to be returned for action.

This request is invalid on their part, because belief is not accepted in the Hereafter, just as righteous action is not accepted.

Alternatively, what is meant is that they deny polytheism, as they also said: {And we were not polytheists}. They are saying: What has befallen us has only happened because we abandoned righteous action, but as for belief, we are convinced, and we did not commit Shirk (polytheism).

{13} {If We had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance, but the word from Me has taken effect: "I will surely fill Hell with the jinn and mankind all together."}