Overall meaning : Allah Almighty mentions another one of the unbelievers’ false arguments which He also so powerfully refutes: Are you not astonished, Muhammad, to see the kind of man who has disbelieved in the verses of the Qur’an and, denying the resurrection, mockingly says, ‘By Allah, I will be given wealth and children in the hereafter, if it exists at all.’
Allah confutes his false statement, saying: Has he obtained knowledge of the unseen and come to know that he will have wealth and children in the hereafter, or has the All-Merciful God made him such a promise?! No indeed! We will record all the lies he has forged against Us and increase his punishment in the hereafter because of such lies, and We will divest him of which he so boastfully talks and will, on the Day of Resurrection he will come before Us all alone, with neither wealth nor any children whatsoever.
The Almighty further mentions the idolaters’ false hope that the idols they worship besides Him will give them power, victory and glory: The idolaters have taken to worshipping false gods besides Allah to attain power and glory through them, to protect them from Allah’s torment, bring them nearer to Him, give them victory and intercede with Allah for them. Allah Almighty refutes such a claim, saying: No indeed! On the contrary, these false gods will in the hereafter deny the idolaters’ worship of them and turn against them.
Then He shows how the devils have gained mastery over these unbelievers: Do you not see, Muhammad, that We have assigned the devils to the unbelievers, as punishment for obstinately rejecting the truth and choosing the path of error, to incite them to evil and sin? Therefore, do not be in haste to call in Our punishment upon them. We defer their punishment only to an appointed time, and so when it comes, We will certainly destroy them.