Tafseer of The Believers · Al-Muminoon · 23:114
He will say, "You stayed not but a little - if only you had known.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The Qurʾān reciters differed in the reading of His word: قَالَ إِنْ لَبِثْتُمْ إِلا قَلِيلا (He said: you tarried only a little) — in the same manner as they differed in the reading of His word: كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ . Our verdict regarding this passage is equivalent to the verdict we have set forth previously concerning His word: كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ . The purport of the text, according to our reading, is: Allah said to them: you tarried on earth only a little, a slight span of time — had you but known the worth of your tarrying therein.
