A reflection on Surah Al-Mulk 67:10 - the confession that listening and reasoning, taken seriously in this life, are the path to guidance.
Few lines in the Qur'an capture regret as plainly as this one - a confession made only once every chance to act on it has passed.
A Confession That No Longer Helps
Allah (SWT) says:
وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِىٓ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ
"And they will say, "If only we had been listening or reasoning, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze."" (Surah Al-Mulk 67:10)
The heedlessness described here is total - a state in which people were veiled from using their own senses and intellect, not because they lacked them, but because they chose not to engage them.
Listening and Reasoning, Not Blind Following
This ayah tells us something important about how Islam expects belief to work: not through blind adoption of ideas, but through sincere listening and honest intellectual engagement with Allah's words. We encourage our students not to postpone their engagement with the Qur'an, telling themselves they will take its guidance seriously "someday." That day, this ayah warns, can arrive too late.
May Allah (SWT) grant us hearts that listen and minds that reason while there is still time to act on what we learn. Ameen.