قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ ﴿۱۴﴾ فَمَا زَالَتْ تِلْكَ دَعْوَاهُمْ حَتَّى جَعَلْنَاهُمْ حَصِيدًا خَامِدِينَ ﴿۱۵﴾ وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاءَ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَاعِبِينَ ﴿۱۶﴾ لَوْ أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نَتَّخِذَ لَهْوًا لَاتَّخَذْنَاهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا إِنْ كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ ﴿۱۷﴾

﴾14﴿ Qaaloo yaa wailanaaa innaa kunnaa zaalimeen
﴾15﴿ Famaa zaalat tilka da'waahum hattaa ja'alnaahum haseedan khaamideen
﴾16﴿ Wa maa khalaqnas samaaa'a wal arda wa maa bainahumaa laa'ibeen
﴾17﴿ Law aradnaaa an nattakhiza lahwal lat takhaznaahu mil ladunnaaa in kunnaa faa'ileen

﴾14﴿ They said, Woe to us! Indeed, we were truly wrongdoers
﴾15﴿ So that cry of theirs did not cease until We made them like a harvested field, lifeless and extinguished
﴾16﴿ And We did not create the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in play
﴾17﴿ If We had intended to take a pastime, We could have taken it from within Us, if We were to do so

[14] This is an admission and regret over their wrongdoing and sins — but at such a time when it is of no benefit.
[15] The meaning here is that despite their confession, the punishment was not lifted from them.
(Ḥaṣīdan) refers to crops that have been harvested and cut down into pieces.
(Khāmidīn) — Khumūd originally means the extinguishing of a fire.
This implies that their arrogance, pride, and rage were like a blazing fire — but just as fire dies out, so too did their strength, passion, and fury come to an end.
[16] From this verse to verse 30 is the second section (bāb al-thānī), which includes two brief rational arguments for reflection — found in verses 16 and 19 — and two transmitted (naqlī) proofs for reflection: one from the angels, and one from all the prophets in general (verses 20, 21, 25, 90).
It also contains four warnings (zajr): in verses 17, 18, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, and 29.
In verse 16, the rational argument is that the heavens and the earth were not created in vain or without purpose; rather, they were created to point to the existence of Allah the Exalted and His Oneness (Tawḥīd).
This same point is mentioned in Ṣād (38:27) and in Sūrat al-Dukhān (44:38–39).
[17] In this verse, one interpretation is that the word lahw means "vain amusement" — something pointless that occupies one’s attention.
The meaning is: If We had intended to create the heavens and the earth purely for amusement, We would have kept it to Ourselves and not revealed its signs and purposes to you.
This interpretation aligns well with both the preceding and following verses.
The second interpretation is: If We had desired to take a child (walad), We would have chosen one from what is with Us — meaning, We would have done so by Our own will, not according to your assumptions or claims.
As for (إِنْ كُنَّا), the word in can be understood as:
1. For negation — meaning: “We do not do such things.” So the phrase means: "We are not ones to do that."
2. As a conditional (sharṭiyyah) — with the result (jazāʾ) implied from context, such as: “If We had done such a thing, then Paradise and Hell would have no purpose,” or, “We would not have established reward and punishment.”
Another meaning: Even if We had done that, it would not have been up to you — it would have been purely Our decision.