بَلِ الَّذينَ كَفَروا يُكَذِّبونَ

وَاللَّهُ أَعلَمُ بِما يوعونَ

Rather, the faithless deny,

and Allah knows best what they keep to themselves.

EXEGESIS

Yuʿūn (they keep to themselves) is an imperfect verb from waʿy. The core meaning of this root is preservation, where something is preserved by being contained within something else and encompassed by it, whether physically or metaphorically. A container is called wiʿāʾ, because it is used to contain goods.^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 877, w-ʿ-y.} Other usages include: preserving knowledge by placing it firmly within the heart (metaphorically); safeguarding belongings by placing them in a specific location; retaining speech in memory; and storing money in a chest.^{‎[2]Tahqiq, 13/166, w-ʿ-y.} Here it refers to that which they have hidden within their hearts.^{‎[3]Tantawi, 15/339.} In other words, God knows full well their every thought and hidden intention.

EXPOSITION

The rhetorical questions presented in the two previous verses should not be understood to mean that God does not know why some people refuse to believe. He is fully aware of what they hide in their hearts and the true reasons of their actions.

Rather, the faithless deny: at the heart of their disbelief lies a stubborn denial of God’s communications. Denial is an essential part of kufr, and the Quran constantly emphasises this. Kufr is not simply a passive state of ignorance; it is an active state of denial (takdhīb), like what is expressed in the verses, He neither confirmed [the truth], nor prayed, but denied [it] and turned away (75:31-32).

Allah knows best what they keep to themselves: the excuses for this denial may vary from individual to individual, but as stated in the previous verse, its bedrock and foundation is pride and an unwillingness to submit to a higher power, even though the person may not always openly admit that.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Imam Ali (a): ‘These hearts are containers (awʿiyah), and the best of them are those most filled with wisdom (awʿāhā).’^{‎[4]Nahj, saying 147.}

Note: Waʿy is also used to intend wisdom and understanding. The word play in the report leans on this dual meaning, that the best hearts are the ones that retain the most information and contain the most wisdom.

2. From ʿAbd-Allāh ibn ʿUmar, that the Prophet said: ‘The hearts are containers, and some of them are more spacious (awʿā) than others.’^{‎[5]Ahmad, 2/177.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. ‘There is no creature that is not revealed in His sight, for all things are bare and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.’^{‎[6]Hebrew 4:13.}

[1] Raghib, p. 877, w-ʿ-y.
[2] Tahqiq, 13/166, w-ʿ-y.
[3] Tantawi, 15/339.
[4] Nahj, saying 147.
[5] Ahmad, 2/177.
[6] Hebrew 4:13.