وَ الَّذِیْنَ And those who كَفَرُوْا disbelieve لَهُمْ for them نَارُ (will be the) Fire جَهَنَّمَ ۚ (of) Hell لَا Not یُقْضٰی is decreed عَلَیْهِمْ for them فَیَمُوْتُوْا that they die وَ لَا and not یُخَفَّفُ will be lightened عَنْهُمْ for them مِّنْ of عَذَابِهَا ؕ its torment كَذٰلِكَ Thus نَجْزِیْ We recompense كُلَّ every كَفُوْرٍۚ ungrateful one وَ هُمْ And they یَصْطَرِخُوْنَ will cry فِیْهَا ۚ therein رَبَّنَاۤ Our Lord! اَخْرِجْنَا Bring us out نَعْمَلْ we will do صَالِحًا righteous (deeds) غَیْرَ other than الَّذِیْ (that) which كُنَّا we used نَعْمَلُ ؕ (to) do اَوَ لَمْ Did not نُعَمِّرْكُمْ We give you life long enough مَّا that یَتَذَكَّرُ (would) receive admonition فِیْهِ therein مَنْ whoever تَذَكَّرَ receives admonition وَ جَآءَكُمُ And came to you النَّذِیْرُ ؕ the warner فَذُوْقُوْا So taste فَمَا then not لِلظّٰلِمِیْنَ (is) for the wrongdoers مِنْ any نَّصِیْرٍ۠ helper
(35:36) As for those who disbelieved, 62 the Fire of Hell awaits them. There they shall not be finished off and die; nor will the torment (of Hell) be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every thankless being.
(35:37) They will cry out in Hell and say: “Our Lord, let us out so that we may act righteously, different from what we did before.” (They will be told): “Did we not grant you an age long enough for anyone to take heed if he had wanted to take heed?63Besides, there came a warner to you. So have a taste of the torment now. None may come to the help of the wrong-doers.”
62. Here reference is made to those who do not believe in the Qur ‘an, the Book God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him).
63. This signifies the age during which one acquires the ability to distinguish between good and evil and truth and falsehood and becomes mature enough to turn to guidance in place of error should one so want to. The present verse makes it clear that if one were to die before attaining that age, one will not face accountability. However, those who have attained such age will definitely be held responsible for their deeds. The greater the number of opportunities for a person to mend his ways, the more strictly will he be called to account. Anyone who fails to mend his ways despite reaching old age will have no reason to be extenuated. This point features in the following hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah and Sahl ibn Sa‘d al-Sa‘idi: “There is an excuse for him who dies at a young age.
However, there is no excuse for those who live for sixty years or more”.
(Bukhari, Kitab al-Riqaq, Bab man Balagha Sittin Sanah; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Abu Hurayrah; Nasa’I, Kitab al-Riqaq; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on verse 37; Tabari, Tafsir, comments on verse 37.)