Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:22

"Your God is one God"—this is in the sense that the God is one on the Day of Resurrection, similar to [the phrase] "Master of the Day of Judgment." Abu Hayyan said: This statement is not valid, because ayyan (when) at that time departs from its established nature—as being a circumstantial adverb [for] either interrogation or condition—and becomes purely temporal, in the sense of "a time" added to the sentence following it, such as [the phrase] "at the time Zayd stands, I will stand." Furthermore, this attachment itself is contrary to the apparent meaning. The apparent meaning is that His saying—Exalted is He—"Your God" is an explicit declaration of the claim and a distillation of the conclusion following the establishment of the argument.

"So those who do not believe in the Hereafter"—and its conditions, among which are the Resurrection and the recompense that follows it—"their hearts are deniers"—of the Oneness, stubbornly resisting it, or [deniers] of the signs indicating it—"and they are arrogant."

"Arrogant"—that is, regarding acknowledging it, or regarding the signs that indicate it. The fa (so) is to signal that their persistence in denial and their continuation in arrogance have occurred as the consequence of the manifest evidence and definitive proofs; thus, it is for causation, as in your saying: "I did good to Zayd, for he did good to me." The meaning is that it has been established, by the evidence and arguments presented, that divinity belongs exclusively to Him—Exalted is He—and the result of that was their persistence in denial and their continuation in arrogance. The attribution of the ruling to the noun joined by a relative pronoun (al-mawsul) serves to signify that what is contained within the relative clause is the cause of it. For disbelief in the Hereafter, and in the Resurrection and recompense within it—with reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience—leads to focusing one's sight solely on the immediate [world] and paying no heed to the evidence, which necessitates denying it and denying its implications, and [leads to] arrogance regarding following the Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—and believing in him. As for belief in it and what it contains, it inevitably leads to paying heed to the evidence and reflecting upon it out of desire and fear, which thus bequeaths certainty in the Oneness and submission to the command of Allah—Exalted is He; this was stated by some of the accomplished scholars.

Some people have said: The meaning is "and they are arrogant" regarding belief in the Messenger of Allah—may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him—and following him. Thus, the denial is a reference to their disbelief in Allah—Exalted is He—and the arrogance is a reference to their disbelief in the Messenger of Allah—may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. The first [interpretation] is more manifest. The attribution of denial to the hearts is because they are its locus, and it is more eloquent than attributing it to them [the people themselves]. Perhaps the same path was not followed in attributing the arrogance because it is a manifest effect, as the verse following it indicates. Some scholars have said: Every sin can be concealed and hidden, except for arrogance, for it is an open defiance (fisq) that necessitates public display.