وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَحْيَاءُ وَلَا الْأَمْوَاتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَن يَشَاءُ وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِي الْقُبُورِ
nor are the living equal to the dead. Indeed Allah makes whomever He wishes to hear, and you cannot make those who are in the graves hear you.
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 35:22
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 35:22] Aqa Mahdi Puya says: It is a figurative expression indicating that those who are alive to the message are not like those who are indifferent to it.