وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ﴿۸۵﴾ وَلَئِنْ شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيلًا ﴿۸۶﴾ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَبِّكَ إِنَّ فَضْلَهُ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ كَبِيرًا ﴿۸۷﴾ قُلْ لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا ﴿۸۸﴾

﴾85﴿ Wa yas'aloonaka 'anirrooh; qulir roohu min amri rabbee wa maaa ooteetum minal 'ilmi illaa qaleelaa
﴾86﴿ Wa la'in shi'naa lanaz habanna billazeee awhainaaa ilaika summa laa tajidu laka bihee 'alainaa wakeelaa
﴾87﴿ Illaa rahmatam mir Rabbik; inna fadlahoo kaana 'alaika kabeeraa
﴾88﴿ Qul la'inij tama'atil insu waljinnu 'alaaa any ya'too bimisli haazal quraani laa ya'toona bimislihee wa law kaana ba'duhum liba 'din zaheeraa

﴾85﴿ And they ask you about the soul. Say, The soul is of the command of my Lord, and you have not been given of knowledge except a little
﴾86﴿ And if We willed, We could certainly take away that which We have revealed to you, and then you would not find for yourself against Us any protector
﴾87﴿ But (We do not take it away) as a mercy from your Lord. Indeed, His favor upon you is great
﴾88﴿ Say, If mankind and the jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce its like, even if they were to each assist the other

[85] This verse is a warning against argumentative and defiant questioning, where the purpose is not to seek knowledge but merely to silence or challenge the one being asked. The polytheists asked this question at the instigation of the Jews, so the warning applies to both groups. Its connection with the earlier phrases "he turned away" and "he distanced himself" is that people who turn away ask such types of questions.
There are many interpretations of the word "رُّوحِ" (spirit):
1. One interpretation is that it refers to the spirit of life. Their question was about the origin of the soul—just as it is known that the body was created from clay, from where and from what substance was the soul created? The answer given is that the soul is from the realm of command (عالم الامر), and beyond this, you cannot understand its details, as some matters belong to the category of the ambiguous (متشابهات). Thus, it becomes clear that the answer corresponds to the essence of their question.
2. The second view is that "روح" refers to the Qur'an, as it has been called "روح" in verse 2 of Surah An-Nahl. That is, they were asking: did you fabricate the Qur'an yourself, or did Jibreel bring it from his own will? The answer was that it was revealed by the command of Allah the Exalted.
3. The third opinion is that "روح" refers to Jibreel (Gabriel), since in the Qur'an he is called "الروح الأمين" and "روح القدس". Their question was: from what was Jibreel created?
[86,87] In this verse, the truthfulness of the Qur'an is affirmed, and it offers consolation to the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) that the objections of the disbelievers will not prevent the mercy and revelation from Allah the Exalted.
This verse is also proof that the Prophet cannot fabricate revelation on his own. The phrase "إِنَّ فَضْلَهُ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ كَبِيرًا" (Indeed, His favor upon you is great) points to the lofty status of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
The word "رَحْمَةً" refers to the continuation of the Qur'anic revelation as a special blessing, and the word "فَضْلَهُ" alludes to the other noble qualities and virtues of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
[88] In this verse, the truth of the Noble Qur'an is affirmed through the method of tahaddi (challenge), and it expresses the miraculous nature of the Qur'an. The verse points to the incapacity of all creation—therefore, they cannot be deities.
In verse 38 of Surah Yunus, the challenge is to produce one surah; in verse 13 of Surah Hud, the challenge is to bring ten surahs; and in verse 34 of Surah At-Tur, the challenge is to produce a single discourse, using the word hadith (speech).