on the basis of a confession and witness testimony, even though the inward reality may differ from what he confessed and what the witnesses testified to.” When confronted with evidence from the Quran, the Sunnah and scholarly consensus that such a person is truly a disbeliever and will be punished in the Hereafter, they say: “This proves that assent and knowledge are absent from his heart.”
Thus, in their view, disbelief consists of a single thing—ignorance—and faith consists of a single thing—knowledge; alternatively, they consist of the heart’s denial and assent, respectively. For they disagree over whether the heart’s assent is something distinct from knowledge or is identical to it. Although this is the most corrupt view ever expressed concerning “faith,” many “Murjiʾite speculative theologians” have adopted it. The early scholars—such as Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāh, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abū ʿUbayd and others—declared those who held this view to be disbelievers.
They said: “Iblīs is a disbeliever according to the explicit text of the Quran. His disbelief consisted in his arrogance and refusal to prostrate before Adam, not in denying the truth of a report.”
The same applies to Pharaoh and his people. Allah Most High said of them:
“They denied them, though their souls were convinced of their truth, out of injustice and arrogance.”
Moses, peace be upon him, said to Pharaoh:
“You know well that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent these down as clear proofs.”
This follows His words:
“We certainly gave Moses nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel about when he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, ‘Indeed, I think you are bewitched, Moses.’”
“He said, ‘You know well that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent these down as clear proofs. Indeed, I think you are doomed, Pharaoh.’”
Thus Moses, who is truthful and whose truthfulness is attested, says:
“You know well that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent these down as clear proofs.”
This shows that Pharaoh knew that Allah had sent down the signs, yet he was