َ رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا الرَّحْمَنِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا ﴿۳۷﴾ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الرُّوحُ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ صَفًّا لَا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ وَقَالَ صَوَابًا ﴿۳۸﴾ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الْحَقُّ فَمَنْ شَاءَ اتَّخَذَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ مَآبًا ﴿۳۹﴾ إِنَّا أَنْذَرْنَاكُمْ عَذَابًا قَرِيبًا يَوْمَ يَنْظُرُ الْمَرْءُ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ وَيَقُولُ الْكَافِرُ يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ تُرَابًا ﴿۴۰﴾

﴾37﴿ Rabbis samaa waati wal ardi wa maa baina humar rahmaani laa yam likoona minhu khitaaba
﴾38﴿ Yauma yaqoo mur roohu wal malaa-ikatu saf-fal laa yatakallamoona ill-laa man azina lahur rahmaanu wa qaala sawaaba
﴾39﴿ Zaalikal yaumul haqqu faman shaa-at ta khaaza ill-laa rabbihi ma-aaba
﴾40﴿ In naa anzar naakum azaaban qareebaiy-yauma yan zurul marr-u maa qaddamat yadaahu wa ya qoolul-kaafiru yaa lai tanee kuntu turaaba

﴾37﴿ He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful; they cannot speak to Him
﴾38﴿ The Day when the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for the one whom the Most Merciful has permitted, and he will speak the truth
﴾39﴿ That is the true Day, so whoever wills, let him take a path to his Lord
﴾40﴿ Surely, We have warned you of a near punishment, the Day when every person will see what his hands have sent forth, and the disbeliever will say, Oh, I wish I were dust

[37] (لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا)—the intended meaning of khiṭāb here is either speech in general, or intercessory speech on someone’s behalf, or it refers to issuing a command or judgment upon Allah the Exalted.
In this context, no one will have the power or authority to speak in any of these ways.
Yes, intercession by permission is excluded from this, as in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:255) and Surah Hūd (11:105).
This verse affirms Tawḥīd of Lordship (Rubūbiyyah) and refutes shirk-based or coercive intercession.
[38] (الرُّوحُ)—Al-Qurṭubī mentions eight opinions regarding its meaning: 1. The souls of the children of Adam—rūḥ is a generic term, referring to all human souls.
2. Jibrīl (peace be upon him)—who is also called Rūḥ al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) and Rūḥ al-Amīn (the Trustworthy Spirit).
3. An angel so great in size and rank that he stands as an independent line (row) among the angels.
4. All of the children of Adam collectively.
5. A distinct army from the armies of Allah, separate from the angels.
6. The Qur'an, as mentioned in Surah Ash-Shūrā (42:52).
7. The elite among the angels.
8. A unique creation in human-like form but not actually human.
Ibn Jarīr suspended judgment (waqf) on the matter. Ibn Kathīr favored the fourth opinion, while most commentators preferred the second opinion—that al-rūḥ refers to Jibrīl (peace be upon him).
(لَا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ)—Here, it refers specifically to intercession on behalf of others, whereas in (لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا) the meaning was broader—either speaking generally or speaking for oneself. A similar meaning appears in Surah Hūd (11:105).
According to hadith, no one will be able to speak except the messengers.
(وَقَالَ صَوَابًا)—this means speaking rightly and truthfully. So, declaring Tawḥīd (the oneness of Allah) in the world and interceding only for believers in the Hereafter falls under ṣawāb (correct speech).
[39] In this verse, human will (mashī’ah) is affirmed—even though this will is dependent on the will of Allah the Exalted.
[40] (عَذَابًا قَرِيبًا)—the intended meaning is either the punishment of the Day of Judgment or the punishment of the grave, based on what follows in the verse. It does not refer to worldly punishment.
Anything destined to come in the future is considered near, and the Day of Judgment is described as near in Surah Al-Maʿārij (70:7).
(كُنْتُ تُرَابًا)—there are two interpretations:
1. That “I wish I had remained as dust in the world and had not become a responsible human being.”
2. That “I wish I had been turned into dust along with the soil,” meaning: “I wish there were no return to life or resurrection.” This statement is also supported by a verse in Surah An-Nisā’ (4:42).