وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَخْرِقَ الْأَرْضَ وَلَنْ تَبْلُغَ الْجِبَالَ طُولًا ﴿۳۷﴾ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ سَيِّئُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ مَكْرُوهًا ﴿۳۸﴾ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا أَوْحَى إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ الْحِكْمَةِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ فَتُلْقَى فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا مَدْحُورًا ﴿۳۹﴾ أَفَأَصْفَاكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِالْبَنِينَ وَاتَّخَذَ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنَاثًا إِنَّكُمْ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوْلًا عَظِيمًا ﴿۴۰﴾

﴾37﴿ Wa laa tamshi fil ardi marahan innaka lan takhriqal arda wa lan tablughal jibaala toola
﴾38﴿ Afa asfaakum rabbukum bilbaneena wattakhaza minal malaaa'ikati inaasaa; innakum lataqooloona qawlan 'azeema
﴾39﴿ Wa laqad sarrafnaa fee haazal Quraani liyazzakkaroo wa maa yazeeduhum illaa nufooraa
﴾40﴿ Afa asfaakum rabbukum bilbaneena wattakhaza minal malaaa'ikati inaasaa; innakum lataqooloona qawlan 'azeema

﴾37﴿ And do not walk upon the earth with arrogance. Indeed, you will never tear the earth apart, nor will you reach the mountains in height
﴾38﴿ All of these evil deeds are detestable in the sight of your Lord
﴾39﴿ This is from what your Lord has revealed to you of wisdom. And do not associate any other deity with Allah, lest you be cast into Hell, blameworthy and rejected
﴾40﴿ Has your Lord then chosen sons for you and taken daughters from among the angels for Himself? Indeed, you are uttering a grave statement

[37] This is the sixth prohibition against oppression, which is arrogance and pride.
What is meant by walking boastfully (mashi marahā) is showing arrogance, the effect of which becomes visible in one’s manner of walking. That is, arrogance originates in the heart, but its outward manifestation is particularly ugly.
As for the description of the believers, in verse 63 of Surah Al-Furqan, it says they “walk humbly,” and further explanation is found in verse 19 of Surah Luqman.
Included in mashi marahā is also dancing, and its ugliness has been elaborated upon in Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī.
"(Innak lan takhriq al-arḍ)" – This means: Arrogance may stem from weight or strength, or from height and loftiness. But you cannot split the earth due to your weight, nor can you reach the height of the mountains – meaning, humans do not possess either of these traits to justify arrogance. So why be arrogant?
[38] "(Dhālika)" – This refers to the previously mentioned commands and prohibitions.
What is meant by sayyi’uhu is the abandonment of those commands and the committing of those prohibitions.
In the Shari‘ah, what is termed makrūh (detestable) is essentially ḥarām (forbidden), and the use of this term for makrūh tanzīhī (mildly discouraged) is a later development.
[39] This is a confirmation of the preceding rulings, meaning that these commands and prohibitions are the revelation of Allah, the Exalted, and this is wisdom.
In this context, ḥikmah (wisdom) refers to what was mentioned in verse 125 of Surah An-Naḥl.
In "(wa lā taj‘al)", the seventh prohibition against oppression and polytheism is mentioned again, indicating that shirk (associating partners with Allah) is the root of all forms of injustice.
When a person commits these injustices along with shirk, he becomes greatly blameworthy and deserving of punishment.
That is why in this verse the terms malūm (blameworthy) and madḥūr (repelled) are used.
And in verse 22, since virtues were previously mentioned and the polytheist imagines that a deity will support and elevate him, the terms madhmūm (condemned) and makhdhūl (forsaken) were used in refutation of that thought.
[40] In this verse, there is a warning directed at the polytheists concerning the angels, as they used to claim that the angels are the daughters of Allah, the Exalted.
This interpretation of malūm (blameworthy) and madḥūr (repelled) serves as a rebuke to the polytheists.
The meaning of madḥūr (repelled, cast away) is clarified in the following verses:
– Verse 57 of Surah An-Naḥl
– Verse 149 of Surah As-Sāffāt
– Verse 169 of Surah Az-Zukhruf