وَإِنْ كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكَ إِعْرَاضُهُمْ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَبْتَغِيَ نَفَقًا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ سُلَّمًا فِي السَّمَاءِ فَتَأْتِيَهُمْ بِآيَةٍ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى الْهُدَى فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ ﴿۳۵﴾ إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ وَالْمَوْتَى يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ ﴿۳۶﴾ وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ آيَةً وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۳۷﴾ وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ ﴿۳۸﴾

﴾35﴿ Wa in kaana kabura 'alaika i'raaduhum fa inistata'ta an tabtaghiya nafaqan fil ardi aw sullaman fis samaaa'i fata' tiyahum bi Aayah; wa law shaaa'al laahu lajama'ahum 'alal hudaa; falaa takoonanna minal jaahileen
﴾36﴿ Innamaa yastajeebul lazeena yasma'oon; walmawtaa yab'asuhumul laahu summa ilaihi yurja'oon
﴾37﴿ Wa qaaloo law laa nuzzila 'alaihi Aayatum mir Rabbih; qul innal laaha qaadirun 'alaaa ai yunazzila Aayatanw wa laakinna aksarahum laa ya'lamoon
﴾38﴿ Wa maa min daaabbatin fil ardi wa laa taaa'iriny yateeru bijanaahaihi illaaa umamun amsaalukum; maa farratnaa fil Kitaabi min shaiyy' summa ilaa Rabbihim yuhsharoon

﴾35﴿ And if their turning away is hard on you, then if you are able to seek a tunnel in the earth or a ladder to the sky to bring them a sign—then do so. But if Allah had willed, He would have gathered them all upon guidance. So do not be among the ignorant.
﴾36﴿ None respond except those who listen, and as for the disbelievers—they are like the dead; Allah will resurrect them, then to Him they will be returned.
﴾37﴿ And they say, “Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?” Say, “Indeed, Allah is certainly capable of sending down a sign—but most people do not know.”
﴾38﴿ There is no creature on earth nor any bird that flies with its wings except that they are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in this Book (of what is necessary for religion). Then to your Lord you will all be gathered.

[35] This is the third consolation (tasliyah), and this verse is also proof that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) did not have control or power over miracles by his own will.
The essence is that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) was extremely eager for the guidance of the misguided. If he had the ability to bring about a miracle—by digging a tunnel into the earth or ascending to the sky—he would have done so. But this is not within his power.
(Nafaqan fī al-arḍ aw sullaman) – the request of the disbelievers for miracles was connected to the earth and the sky, as mentioned in Surah Al-Isra (verses 90–92).
After (fa-ta’tiyahum bi-āyah), the verb fa-if‘al (then do it) is understood to be implied.
(Wa law shā’a Allāh) – this too is part of the consolation: O Prophet, guidance is by Allah’s will—it is not in your control, so do not grieve over it.
(Lajamaʿahum ʿala al-hudā) – meaning: He would have guided them all through divine grace and enabling (tawfīq).
(Min al-jāhilīn) – refers to those who do not accept that guidance is subject to Allah’s will. It also refers to anyone who loses patience due to the denial and rejection of others.
So in (fa-lā takūnanna) the message is to protect the Prophet from resembling the state of the ignorant.
[36] This too is a consolation to the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace). In this verse, the reason for the disbelievers’ lack of guidance is explained—it is due to their stubbornness, hostility, and refusal to listen to the truth.
(Wa al-mawtā) – refers to those stubborn disbelievers who, in their refusal to hear, are likened to the dead.
From this analogy, it becomes clear that the dead do not hear—this is how it is explained in the tafsirs of Al-Khāzin, Al-Nayshāpūrī, Sirāj al-Munīr, and others.
(Yastajību) – the object is hidden, meaning: they do not respond to the call of faith (daʿwat al-īmān).
(Yasmaʿūn) – refers to a type of hearing that brings about reflection and understanding of the intended meaning, i.e., hearing with receptiveness and return to truth (inābah).
[37] This is a warning, followed by a rhetorical question and its implied answer.
(Āyah) – refers to the miracles that the disbelievers were demanding from the Prophet.
This phrase is connected to the previous context—just as the dead (i.e., stubborn disbelievers) do not listen, likewise, they do not truly understand but instead demand miracles.
(Lā yaʿlamūn) – they are unaware of the consequences of rejecting the very miracles they ask for, which often leads to destruction.
It can also mean: they do not recognize or acknowledge the One who has control over miracles—i.e., Allah, the Exalted.
[38] From this verse up to verse (73), it is the third section, which includes ten rational proofs and ten points of etiquette (adab).
In this verse (38), the rational proof is the power of Allah, the Exalted. It relates to “Indeed, Allah is capable,” or it indicates that there is no need for additional miracles, because the conditions and nature of beasts and birds are themselves a complete proof of Allah’s power and knowledge.
The phrases fī al-arḍ (on the earth) and bi-janāḥayhi (with its two wings) serve to emphasize and eliminate the misunderstanding of metaphorical usage—since dābbah (creature) is sometimes used only for humans, and ṭā’ir (bird) may sometimes refer to a messenger.
So, it becomes clear that this is not what is meant here.
(Umamun amthālukum) – refers to resemblance in many aspects: creation, sustenance, death, recognition of Allah, glorification (tasbīḥ), belief in Oneness (tawḥīd), needs, knowledge of benefit and harm, self-preservation from danger, and awareness of enemies.
(Fī al-kitāb) – this refers to the Preserved Tablet (Lawḥ Maḥfūẓ), the Book of Divine Decree—indicating that everything is preordained.
Or it could mean the Qur’an.
Question: Not everything is found in the Qur’an—how is this true?
Answer: Al-Nayshābūrī says: there is no branch of knowledge except that its foundation is found in the Qur’an.
This refers to everything needed in the religion, and even the Sunnah of the Prophet returns to the Qur’an.
Or the intended meaning may be the remembrance of matters of faith (īmāniyyāt).
(Illā umamun amthālukum) – meaning: like you in being created, in need of provision, and in all needs, they are also dependent on Allah, the Exalted.
(Mā farratnā) – meaning: in the Qur’an, all matters of faith have been clearly and completely explained.
(Thumma ilā rabbihim yuḥsharūn) – one interpretation is that humans will be gathered on the Day of Judgment.
Another interpretation is that even cattle, birds, and other creatures will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment, and justice will be served among them—then they will be extinguished.
Ibn Kathīr has mentioned many hadiths regarding this. The intended meaning of ḥashr here is their temporary resurrection and then their annihilation.