وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ إِلَّا بِأَمْرِ رَبِّكَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا وَمَا خَلْفَنَا وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا ﴿۶۴﴾ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَاعْبُدْهُ وَاصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَادَتِهِ هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ﴿۶۵﴾ وَيَقُولُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَإِذَا مَا مِتُّ لَسَوْفَ أُخْرَجُ حَيًّا ﴿۶۶﴾ أَوَلَا يَذْكُرُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَمْ يَكُ شَيْئًا ﴿۶۷﴾ فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَحْشُرَنَّهُمْ وَالشَّيَاطِينَ ثُمَّ لَنُحْضِرَنَّهُمْ حَوْلَ جَهَنَّمَ جِثِيًّا ﴿۶۸﴾

﴾64﴿ Wa maa natanazzalu illaa bi amri Rabbika lahoo maa baina aideenaa wa maa khalfanaa wa maa baina zaalik; wa maa kaana Rabbuka nasiyyaa
﴾65﴿ Rabbus samaawaati wal ardi wa maa bainahumaa fa'bud hu wastabir li'ibaadatih; hal ta'lamu lahoo samiyyaa
﴾66﴿ Wa yaqoolul insaanu 'a izaa maa mittu lasawfa ukhraju haiyaa
﴾67﴿ 'A wa laa yazkurul insaanu annaa khalaqnaahu min qablu wa lam yaku shai'aa
﴾68﴿ Fawa Rabbika lanahshu rannahum wash shayaateena summa lanuhdirannahum hawla jahannama jisiyyaa

﴾64﴿ And (the angels say), We do not descend except by the command of your Lord. To Him belongs what is before us, what is behind us, and what is between these, and your Lord is never forgetful
﴾65﴿ He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. So worship Him alone and remain steadfast in His worship. Do you know of anyone who is equal to Him (in name or attribute)
﴾66﴿ And the disbelieving human says, When I die, will I really be brought forth alive again
﴾67﴿ Does this human not remember that We created him before, when he was nothing
﴾68﴿ So, by your Lord, We will surely gather them together along with the devils; then We will surely bring them around Hell, humbled on their knees.

[64,65] These two verses mark the second section of the sūrah, in which the weakness and dependency of the angels is described.
It explains that angels are in need of Allah in all situations—even to descend to the earth, they require His permission.
It also contains a refutation of shirk in worship, specifically shirk involving angels, and addresses those polytheists who associated angels with Allah in worship.
These verses are a response to a statement made by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Jibril (peace be upon him), when he said: "Why don’t you visit us more often than you do?"
So this verse was revealed, explaining that Jibril only descends by the command of Allah.
Connection to previous verses: The truth of all that has been said is affirmed—because it is Jibril who brings it down by Allah’s will, confirming divine control over all revelation.
The phrase “lahu” (to Him) refers to Allah’s complete control and knowledge over all affairs.
“Mā bayna aydīnā” (what is before us): refers to the affairs of the worldly life.
“Wa mā khalfana” (what is behind us): refers to the affairs of the Hereafter.
“Wa mā bayna dhālik” (what is in between): refers to everything in between, such as the barzakh or unknown matters.
The word “samiyyan” (equal in name) in this context: Ibn Kathir, narrating from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them), explains that no one other than Allah can rightfully be named ar-Raḥmān.
Finally, the verse expresses the principle of linking tawḥīd in worship (ulūhiyyah) to the affirmation of Allah’s exclusive lordship (rubūbiyyah)—since He alone has control, He alone deserves worship.
[66] From this verse to the end of the surah is the third section, in which six forms of divine rebuke (zajr) are mentioned.
1. First Rebuke – Denial of resurrection after death, in verses 66–67.
Then comes the warning of the Hereafter in verses 68–71.
Followed by glad tidings in verse 72.
2. Second Rebuke – Arrogance due to worldly wealth in opposition to the Qur’an, in verse 73.
Then a worldly warning in verses 74–75, and glad tidings in verse 76.
3. Third Rebuke – Claiming honor and dignity through shirk, in verses 77–78, followed by Hereafter warning in verses 79–80.
4. Fourth Rebuke – Taking false gods for help and honor, in verse 81, followed by a warning in verse 82.
5. Fifth Rebuke – Following Shayṭān, in verses 83–84, followed by glad tidings in verse 85, a warning in verse 86, and a rebuttal of compelled intercession (shafā‘ah qahriyyah) in verse 87.
6. Sixth Rebuke – Attributing a son to Allah, in verses 88–92.
Then the main claim of the surah is restated in verses 93–95, followed by glad tidings in verse 96, encouragement toward the Qur’an in verse 97, and a final worldly warning in verse 98.
In verse 66, the first rebuke is directed against the denial of resurrection after death (baʿth baʿd al-mawt).
It uses a rhetorical question (istifhām inkārī) to express how irrational this belief is.
The connection is that from the beginning of the surah, the Qur’an has been refuting the polytheists’ shirk by describing the states of the prophets and angels.
Now, it refutes another key false belief of theirs: denial of the resurrection.
[67] In this verse is a refutation of those who deny resurrection and an affirmation of it, using the evidence of the first creation.
A similar argument appears in verse 29 of Surah Al-A‘rāf and verse 79 of Surah Yā-Sīn.
The reasoning is that the One who created life the first time is fully capable of bringing it back again.
[68] In this verse, there is an oath by Allah to affirm the Resurrection (ḥashr), followed by a warning of the Hereafter.
Allah swears by His own Essence to confirm the reality of the Day of Judgment—a form of oath mentioned four times in the Qur'an:
1. Surah Yūnus (10:53),
2. Surah Saba' (34:3),
3. Surah Taghābun (64:7), and
4. Here in this verse.
The word “al-shayāṭīn” includes both human and jinn devils.
“Jithiyyan” means sitting on their knees, either due to the intense awe and fear of that Day, or because they used to fall like this before their false deities in the world.
Alternatively, “jithiyyan” can mean groups or gatherings.