Quran 38:10

Or [that] the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between them is theirs? Why, then, let them try to ascend [to God-like power] by all [conceivable] means

another traslation :

Or is theirs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what is between them? Then let them ascend through [any] ways of access.

Verse (38:9) - Word by Word

(فِي) – Fi – Arabic Word A Day

Filed under: Arabic,particles — arabicwordadayposts @ 7:04 am

(فِي) – Fi – particle

Definitions:

In; at; on;
near, by
within, during
for the sake of, on behalf of
times (as in multiplied by)

Preposition

[edit]

فِي • (fī)

in, within
during, for a duration of
in with, among, together with
of, about, in regards to, pertaining to, in the subject or topic of
عِنْدِي سُؤَالٌ فِي النَّحْوِ ― ʕindī suʔālun fī n-naḥwi ― I have a question about grammar
on account of, for the reason of, in relation to
times, multiplied by, to have a measure of this by this

The use of the particle fi (in) makes it difficult to give the word the meaning of ordinary, normal, familiar rope and path, unless what is meant here is something extraordinary, unusual, something like a path and a rope that we do not know.

في - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

the intersection of all meanings of the word instrumentality,means,cause

means:

/ miːnz /

noun

functioning as singular or plural the medium, method, or instrument used to obtain a result or achieve an end

means - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Muhammad Asad (The Message Of Quran):
38:10 Or [that] the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between them is theirs? Why, then, let them try to ascend [to God-like power] by all [conceivable] means!14

Note 14
I.e., "Do they think that human beings are so highly endowed that they are bound to attain, some day, to mastery over the universe and all nature, and thus to God-like power?" Cf. in this connection 96:6 and the corresponding note. As regards my rendering of al-asbab as "all [conceivable] means", see note 82 on 18:84

.18:84 Behold, We established him securely on earth, and endowed him with [the knowledge of] the right means to achieve anything82 [that he might set out to achieve];

Note 82
According to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak (all of them quoted by Ibn Kathir), the term sabab - lit., "a means to achieve [anything]" - denotes, in this context, the knowledge of the right means for the achievement of a particular end.

Let's look at Quran 55:33 and examine the different word usage and scientific data as it is relevant to the subject: