In the Arabic of verse Al-Mu’min 40:56, Allah says:

“bil-ʿashiyyi wal-ibkār” in the later part of the day/evening and the early morning

This order does not imply that evening is superior to morning, nor does it establish a chronological sequence that must always be followed.

Why evening comes first

Classical Arabic, including Qur’anic Arabic, does not require time expressions to be listed chronologically. The order may serve rhetorical flow, emphasis, sound, or fit with the surrounding meaning.

Here, al-ʿashiyy refers broadly to the period after the sun declines through the early night, while al-ibkār refers to the early part of the day, from dawn onward. Some mufassirūn explain the pair as an idiom for continuity, worship Allah throughout one’s whole cycle of life, day and night, not merely at two isolated moments. 

A possible contextual wisdom

The verse first commands the Prophet^(sa) to be patient in the face of denial and opposition. Then it directs him to seek forgiveness and to draw strength through tasbīḥ and praise.

Mentioning the evening first can be especially fitting in this context

The later day is when a person may feel the accumulated weight of work, struggle, and hardship; ending the day in praise restores the heart.Then the early morning is mentioned as the renewed beginning, a believer starts the new day with remembrance and reliance on Allah.

Thus, the expression can evoke an unbroken spiritual rhythm: closing the day with Allah and opening the next with Allah.This is a reflection on the wording.

Relation to prayer

A number of commentators also see an allusion to the prescribed prayers: al-ʿashiyy encompasses the period from after midday into the night, whereas al-ibkār includes the dawn period, particularly Fajr. Others understand it more generally as continual dhikr and praise. These meanings can coexist:  ṣalāt is the greatest regular form of glorifying Allah, while dhikr extends beyond it. 

Also note that in other verses the Qur’an says “morning and evening” (bukratan wa aṣīlā), such as Al-Ahzab 33:41–42 Yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū, udhkurū Allāha dhikran kathīrā.Wa sabbiḥūhu bukratan wa aṣīlā. O ye who believe, remember Allah much; And glorify Him morn and eve. 

So the Qur’an varies the order according to eloquence and context; neither order indicates rank between the two times.

Allāhu aʿlam , Allah knows best