Overall meaning : Allah, Exalted be He, mentions that He will prevent those who behave haughtily in the land—those who disdainfully reject the truth and despise people—from understanding His revelations and reflecting on the signs in the universe pointing to His greatness. If they see every unquestionable sign proving that Allah alone is deserving of worship, they will not believe in it. If they see the way of right guidance, they will not take it as a way. But if they see the way of error, they will take that as a way. This is because they have disbelieved Allah’s signs and paid no heed to them.
The Almighty then explains that the good deeds of those who deny His revelations, signs and proofs and disbelieve in the resurrection after death and the meeting with Him in the hereafter, will be vain and will go unrewarded, and that they will only be repaid according to their evil deeds.