َ مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ ﴿۳۶﴾ أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ ﴿۳۷﴾ إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ ﴿۳۸﴾ أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ ﴿۳۹﴾ سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَلِكَ زَعِيمٌ ﴿۴۰﴾ أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ ﴿۴۱﴾ يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ﴿۴۲﴾

﴾36﴿ Maa lakum kaifa tahkumoon
﴾37﴿ Am lakum kitaabun feehi tadrusoon
﴾38﴿ Inna lakum feehi lamaa takhaiyaroon
﴾39﴿ Am lakum aymaanun 'alainaa baalighatun ilaa yawmil qiyaamati inna lakum lamaa tahkumoon
﴾40﴿ Salhum ayyuhum bizaa lika za'eem
﴾41﴿ Am lahum shurakaaa'u fal ya'too bishurakaaa 'ihim in kaanoo saadiqeen
﴾42﴿ Yawma yukshafu 'an saaqinw wa yud'awna ilas sujoodi falaa yastatee'oon

﴾36﴿ What is the matter with you, How do you judge
﴾37﴿ Do you have a scripture in which you read
﴾38﴿ That indeed, for you in it is whatever you desire
﴾39﴿ Or do you have oaths binding upon Us until the Day of Judgment, that you will surely have whatever you decide
﴾40﴿ Ask them which of them is responsible for this claim
﴾41﴿ Or do they have partners (with Allah)? Then let them bring their partners, if they are truthful
﴾42﴿ On the Day when the shin will be uncovered, and they will be called to prostrate, but they will not be able to do so

[36] This verse points to the absence of any rational proof.
(مَا لَكُمْ) – Meaning: what rational evidence do you have for your salvation?
(كَيْفَ) – This expresses rebuke for making a judgment without any basis or proof.
[37,38] This verse negates the existence of any revealed (textual) proof—meaning: is there any such book from Allah the Exalted that contains evidence supporting your shirk?
But no such book exists with you.
The phrase (لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ) refers to your chosen beliefs, such as committing shirk or holding the polytheistic belief in intercession.
[39,40] This verse negates the existence of any divinely revealed promise (waḥy) that guarantees their claims.
(أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا) – Refers to oaths or pledges from Allah the Exalted that, according to them, He is bound to fulfill. The use of ‘ʿalā’ indicates obligation, implying that they think Allah is obliged to do something for them.
(بَالِغَةٌ) – Means firm, confirmed oaths—excluding casual or meaningless ones (qasam lāghū).

Previously, (تَخَيَّرُونَ) was mentioned, and here (تَحْكُمُونَ) appears.
The difference: Tukhayyirūn (you choose) refers to adopting a belief, path, or ideology—such as shirk, disbelief, or innovation. Taḥkumūn (you judge) refers to declaring something as allowed or forbidden based on that belief, i.e., making rulings of halal or haram.

(سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ) – This is a form of rebuke, negating the existence of any guarantor for their claims.
Dhālika refers either to the meaning of (أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ)—“Shall We treat the Muslims like the criminals?”—or to the claim that Allah has sworn oaths to save them.
[41] This verse negates the validity of blind following (taqlīd) as a proof.
(شُرَكَاءُ) – Refers to those scholars, leaders, elders, or spiritual guides who declare shirk and disbelief to be permissible—yet they possess no proof or evidence.
And you follow them without any Shar‘i (divine) proof, relying solely on imitation.
[42,43] This verse presents a warning of the Hereafter, following the clarification that the disbelievers have no valid proof for their beliefs.
(عَنْ سَاقٍ) – Refers to the Shin of Allah the Exalted, based on the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (Kitāb al-Tawḥīd), where it is stated: “Our Lord will uncover His Shin.”
According to the creed of the Salaf (righteous predecessors), this is affirmed in its literal sense, while acknowledging that the how (kayfiyyah) is unknown. Any attempt to interpret (ta’wīl) or liken it to creation (tashbīh) is considered a false and rejected approach.

(يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ) – This call to prostration is not an honor but a form of reproach and humiliation.
A hadith in Ṣaḥīḥ states that this refers to those people who used to perform prayer and prostrate in the world, but only for show (riyā’) and reputation. On the Day of Judgment, they will try to prostrate, but their backs will become like a single flat board, preventing them from doing so.

(وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ) – The sujūd here refers to sincere prostration to Allah the Exalted, or prayer itself. The call refers to the adhan and iqāmah, but they did not respond to it in the world.
Alternatively, sujūd may refer to submission to Allah’s commands and to listening to the Qur’an, while the call means the general invitation through da‘wah and preaching, which they rejected.