وَجَحَدُوا۟ بِهَا وَٱسْتَيْقَنَتْهَآ أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا ۚ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ 14
Translations
And they rejected them, while their [inner] selves were convinced thereof, out of injustice and haughtiness. So see how was the end of the corrupters.
Transliteration
Wa jahadu biha wastaiqanat ha anfusuhum zulman wa 'uluwwan, fanzur kayfa kana 'aqibatu al-mufsideen.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Pharaoh and his people who rejected the clear signs (ayaat) brought by Prophet Musa despite their hearts knowing the truth with certainty. Ibn Kathir explains that they denied out of wrongdoing and arrogance, choosing disbelief despite inner conviction. The ayah concludes by drawing attention to the destructive end that befell these corruptors, serving as a warning that denial rooted in pride and oppression inevitably leads to ruin.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah An-Naml within the narrative of Musa and Pharaoh (27:7-14). It directly addresses Pharaoh's rejection of Musa's miracles despite witnessing them firsthand. The context is thematic rather than tied to a specific revelation event, serving to remind the Meccan polytheists of the consequences faced by ancient deniers.
Related Hadiths
The theme of hearts knowing truth while rejecting it is referenced in Surah Al-Ankabut (29:49) and related to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet ﷺ stated: 'Every newborn is born upon the natural disposition (fitrah), but his parents make him Jewish, Christian, or Magian.' This reflects how denial contradicts inner knowing.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should recognize that denial of truth often stems not from ignorance but from pride and stubbornness, and that such arrogance inevitably leads to destruction. This serves as a reminder to examine our own hearts for hidden resistance to divine guidance and to embrace humility in accepting truth.
Related Ayahs
ٱرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودٍ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِهَا وَلَنُخْرِجَنَّهُم مِّنْهَآ أَذِلَّةً وَهُمْ صَـٰغِرُونَ
Return to them, for we will surely come to them with soldiers that they will be powerless to encounter, and we will surely expel them therefrom in humiliation, and they will be debased."
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ قَالَ أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٍ فَمَآ ءَاتَىٰنِۦَ ٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَىٰكُم بَلْ أَنتُم بِهَدِيَّتِكُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ
So when they came to Solomon, he said, "Do you provide me with wealth? But what Allāh has given me is better than what He has given you. Rather, it is you who rejoice in your gift.
وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَكُبَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِى ٱلنَّارِ هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And whoever comes with an evil deed - their faces will be overturned into the Fire, [and it will be said], "Are you recompensed except for what you used to do?"
قَالُوا۟ تَقَاسَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُۥ وَأَهْلَهُۥ ثُمَّ لَنَقُولَنَّ لِوَلِيِّهِۦ مَا شَهِدْنَا مَهْلِكَ أَهْلِهِۦ وَإِنَّا لَصَـٰدِقُونَ
They said, "Take a mutual oath by Allāh that we will kill him by night, he and his family. Then we will say to his executor, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family, and indeed, we are truthful.'"