َ أَيَطْمَعُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُدْخَلَ جَنَّةَ نَعِيمٍ ﴿۳۸﴾ كَلَّا إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُمْ مِمَّا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۳۹﴾ فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ إِنَّا لَقَادِرُونَ ﴿۴۰﴾ عَلَى أَنْ نُبَدِّلَ خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ ﴿۴۱﴾ فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّى يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ ﴿۴۲﴾ يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَى نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ ﴿۴۳﴾ خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ ﴿۴۴﴾

﴾38﴿ Ayatma'u kullum ri'im minhum anyyudkhala jannata Na'eem
﴾39﴿ Kallaaa innaa khalaq nahum mimmaa ya'lamoon
﴾40﴿ Falaaa uqsimu bi Rabbil mashaariqi wal maghaaribi innaa laqaadiroon
﴾41﴿ Alaaa an nubaddila khairan minhum wa maa nahnu bi masbooqeen
﴾42﴿ Fazarhum yakhoodoo wa yal'aboo hattaa yulaaqoo yawma humul lazee yoo'adoon
﴾43﴿ Yawma yakhrujoona minal ajdaasi siraa'an ka anna hum ilaa nusubiny yoofidoon
﴾44﴿ Khaashi'atan absaaruhum tarhaquhum zillah; zaalikal yawmul lazee kaanoo yoo'adoon

﴾38﴿ Does every one of them aspire to be admitted into gardens of bliss
﴾39﴿ Never! Indeed, We have created them from what they know
﴾40﴿ But no! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests that indeed We have power
﴾41﴿ To replace them with ones better than them, and We are not weak
﴾42﴿ So leave them to indulge in false speech and play, until they meet the Day which they have been promised
﴾43﴿ The Day when they will emerge from the graves rapidly, as if they were rushing towards their idols
﴾44﴿ Their eyes cast down, humiliation covering them. This is the Day which they were promised

[38,39] Ṭama‘ (hopeful desire) refers to wanting something while having no means for it, or having the means but not valuing them.
The first case applies to the idolaters hoping for Paradise, and the second applies to the believers, as mentioned in Sūrah al-Mā’idah (5:84).
(Innā khalaqnāhum) – This means their statement indicates they make a very bold claim, yet they possess no real strength. The substance of their creation—semen—is extremely weak.
In this creation, they are no different from other human beings, so why do they show arrogance?
[40,41] (Al-mashāriq wa al-maghārib) – Every star, the sun, and the moon each has its own place of rising and setting, or the sun and moon have multiple rising and setting points in their respective paths. That is why the plural form is used.
(Khayran minhum) – “Better than them” refers to being superior in physical form, indicating resurrection after death. It means Allah the Exalted is capable of creating new, greater bodies besides them, so He is certainly able to bring them back to life.
Alternatively, the replacement is in terms of character—meaning that in place of these disbelievers, Allah can create obedient ones, as mentioned in Sūrah Muḥammad (47:38).
Indeed, He replaced the deniers with the Companions and Followers.
Since there are many human bodies, and each can be destroyed (like a sunset) and created (like a sunrise), the plural mashāriq (rising points) and maghārib (setting points) is also mentioned here.
[42] This is a consolation for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), and for warning, five conditions of the Day of Judgment are mentioned.
(Yakhūḍū) – Criticizing Islam—its monotheism, prophethood, and the noble Companions—and attacking the people of truth is referred to as khawḍ (vain disputing).
(Wa yal‘abū) – Becoming absorbed in the love of the world is referred to as la‘b (play or amusement).
[43] (Nuṣub) – These are the deities worshipped besides Allah the Exalted. In the early morning, they would rush toward them, competing to be the first to touch and prostrate to them, considering it a source of blessing.
Nuṣub, with a ḍammah on the nūn, refers to something that has been set upright or erected as a sign or symbol.
[44] This describes their disgraceful condition.
(Tarhaquhum) – Irhāq means to encompass while also bringing pressure or tightness.
This is the state of their humiliation in contrast to their condition in the world, where they saw themselves as honorable and turned away from the Noble Qur’an because of that pride.