An-Nazi'at · Makki · ayah 21 of 46

An-Nazi'at 79:21

فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ

“But he [i.e., Pharaoh] denied and disobeyed.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Pharaoh saw the greatest sign, knew it was true, and still denied it and disobeyed: knowing is not the same as yielding.

A reflection

Knowing is not believing

A financial adviser spends her days telling clients to avoid expensive credit. She can explain interest rates in her sleep. At home, three credit cards sit in her purse, all at their limit. She knows exactly what she is doing. Knowing has never been her problem.

Pharaoh had just seen the greatest sign. The sources are clear that he recognised it for what it was. One classical scholar says that when he called it sorcery, it was bravado. Another says he disobeyed after he knew the matter was true and that obedience was owed.

Then comes a sentence that deserves to be read slowly. The narration-based commentator explains the ayah this way: Pharaoh's heart disbelieved, and he did not yield to Musa inwardly or outwardly. His knowing that what Musa brought was true does not make him a believer. Knowledge, he says, is the heart's knowing. Faith is the heart's act: yielding to the truth and submitting to it.

That distinction clears up a great deal of confusion. Many people assume that faith is a matter of information. Give someone enough evidence, and belief will follow. But a person can hold every piece of evidence and still refuse to bend. The obstacle is not in the mind. It is in the will.

It also explains a common inner struggle among believers. We know that prayer is good for us, that backbiting is wrong, that a debt should be repaid. Knowing is rarely what is missing. What is missing is the yielding: the moment the heart stops negotiating and agrees.

The good news is that the gap between knowing and yielding can be crossed at any moment. Pharaoh chose not to cross it. We do not have to follow him. The step is usually small: one prayer said instead of postponed, one apology offered instead of defended.

Think of one thing you already know is right, and have not done. Today, let the knowing become yielding.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.