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
وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَرًا ۖ فَسَآءَ مَطَرُ ٱلْمُنذَرِينَ
And We rained upon them a rain [of stones], and evil was the rain of those who were warned.
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُوا۟ فِيهِ وَٱلنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Do they not see that We made the night that they may rest therein and the day giving sight? Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
۞ فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَخْرِجُوٓا۟ ءَالَ لُوطٍ مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ
But the answer of his people was not except that they said, "Expel the family of Lot from your city. Indeed, they are people who keep themselves pure."
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَلَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا وَلَّوْا۟ مُدْبِرِينَ
Indeed, you will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the call when they have turned their backs retreating.