Surah An-Nazi'at: (21) So he denied and disobeyed.

Issues Discussed Here:

This means he denied the evidence provided by the miracle concerning the truthfulness of the claimant (Moses).

We must understand that casting doubt upon the evidential power of a miracle regarding the truthfulness of the messenger can occur in several ways:

1. Belief that it can be challenged/countered: He thought someone else could produce a similar act.
2. Attribution to others: Even if it cannot be countered, he might claim it was not an act of God, but rather the act of a Jinn or an Angel.
3. Denial of purpose: Even if it is an act of God, he might claim God did not perform it for the purpose of confirming the messenger's truthfulness.
4. Denial of necessary consequence: Even if God performed it for the purpose of confirmation, it does not necessarily imply the truth of the claim, because God does nothing that is inherently wrong or unjust.

The subsequent verse indicates that Pharaoh's denial of the miracle's evidential power stemmed from his belief that it could be countered, as evidenced by His saying: "Then he turned his back, striving" (An-Nazi'at: 23), which is similar to the verse: "So Pharaoh sent forth among the cities a gatherer" (Ash-Shu'ara: 53).

The question is: Everyone knows that whoever denies God has disobeyed. So, what is the benefit of stating, "So he denied and disobeyed" (فكذب وعصى)?

The answer is: He denied with his heart and tongue (disbelief/falsehood), and he disobeyed by manifesting rebellion and tyranny (action).

What God described here (this denial and disobedience) is different from what preceded it. His previous denial of Moses (peace be upon him) occurred before Moses presented this miracle. This current act supersedes the previous denial and disobedience (which was the refusal to accept him), as the current situation involves a greater level of defiance than before.