God exalted be He says Nay — here used in order to reject the desire to believe implied by the optative exclamation — that which they used to conceal to hide before by their saying By God our Lord we were never idolaters! Q. 623 has now become evident to them as their limbs have borne witness against them and so they now wish for that mentioned in the previous verse; and even if hypothetically they were returned to the world they would return to that which they are forbidden of idolatry; they are truly liars when they promise that they would believe if they were to be returned.
