Quran Universe
16:22

إِلَٰهُكُمۡ إِلَٰهٞ وَٰحِدٞۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مُّنكِرَةٞ وَهُم مُّسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ

Ilahukum ilahun wahidun faallatheena la yuminoona bialakhirati quloobuhum munkiratun wahum mustakbiroona

Your god is one God. But those who do not believe in the Hereafter - their hearts are disapproving, and they are arrogant.

Word by word
  1. إِلَٰهُكُمۡYour god
  2. إِلَٰهٞ(is) God
  3. وَٰحِدٞۚOne
  4. فَٱلَّذِينَBut those who
  5. لَا(do) not
  6. يُؤۡمِنُونَbelieve
  7. بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِin the Hereafter
  8. قُلُوبُهُمtheir hearts
  9. مُّنكِرَةٞrefuse
  10. وَهُمand they
  11. مُّسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ(are) arrogant
An-Nahl · 16:22Makkah

One God, and the proud heart that refuses it.

Denial starts in the heart, then shows as pride

The truth and the response
your God is Onethe plain message
met by
hearts that denyno belief in the Hereafter
pridetoo proud to worship
What really blocks it
lack of proofthe signs were all listed
pridethe heart refuses to bow

After all the signs, the verse names the real problem. Ibn Kathir says the hearts of the disbelievers were astonished that all the gods were made into one God, and they were too proud to worship Allah alone. Not believing in a return to Him made the pride easy.

Someone gives you good advice and it is clearly right. Still, something in your chest pushes back, because it came from them, or because it means admitting you were wrong. That push is not logic. It is pride.

I reject things when the argument is weak.

Sometimes I reject the truth because my pride does not want to bow.

Try this

Think of one piece of advice you dismissed lately and ask honestly if pride was the reason.

Related38:539:4540:60
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Your god is one God. But for those who believe not in the Hereafter, their hearts are in denial, and they are proud (22)Certainly, Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal. Truly, He does not like the proud (23)

None is to be worshipped except Allah

Allah tells us that there is none to be worshipped besides Him, the One, the Unique, the Lone, the Self-Sufficient. He tells us that the hearts of the disbelievers deny that and are astonished by that:

أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَٰهًا وَاحِدًا ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ

("Has he made the gods (all) into One God?! Verily, this is a curious thing!")(38:5).

وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ الَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

(And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter are filled with disgust, and when those besides Him are mentioned, behold, they rejoice!)(39:45).

وَهُم مُّسْتَكْبِرُونَ

(and they are proud) meaning they are too proud to worship Allah, and their hearts reject the idea of singling Him out, as Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ

(Verily! Those who scorn My worship they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!)[40:60] So here, Allah says;

لَا جَرَمَ

(Certainly), meaning truly,

أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ

(Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal.) meaning He will requite them for that in full.

إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْتَكْبِرِينَ

(Truly, He does not like the proud.)