Regret is an inevitable emotion, experienced as a result of making a mistake or missing an opportunity. Though it is a negative emotion, it has tremendous positive value because it motivates a person towards corrective action. In the Hereafter, however, regret takes on a restricted paradigm. In Qur’an, Allah calls the Day of Judgment the Day of Regret—when all matters have been decided, when the window of opportunity to rectify is closed. The people of Hell will make statements of regret. Man will wish to be turned to dust. Even the believers destined for Paradise will regret the periods they spent in heedlessness of Allah. They will see these missed opportunities of remembrance as not only a way to have increased their rewards and ranks, but also as a way of having reciprocated the love that Allah has always shown us. Thus, when we experience regret in this world, we have two options. We can let it overtake us and burden ourselves with blame and depression. Or, we can take this emotion as a reminder for the Hereafter: ‘I have the opportunity to correct any mistake I’ve made in this world, but on the Day of Judgment I won’t have that opportunity.’ These are the lessons that the believer takes from the emotions they experience in their life.
