39وَاستَكبَرَ هُوَ وَجُنودُهُ فِي الأَرضِ بِغَيرِ الحَقِّ وَظَنّوا أَنَّهُم إِلَينا لا يُرجَعونَMuhammad AsadThus arrogantly, without the least good sense,1 did he and his hosts behave on earth - just as if they thought that they would never have to appear before Us [for judgment]!2Lit., "without [any] truth" or "justification" (bi-ghayr al-haqq).Lit., "and they thought that they would not be brought hack to Us". There is no doubt that the ancient Egyptians did believe in a life after death, and that this belief included the concept of a divine judgment as well. Since, however, the particular Pharaoh whom Moses confronted is said to have behaved with an arrogance opposed to all good sense, the Qur'an by implication - likens his attitude to that of a person who does not believe in resurrection and in man's ultimate responsibility before God: hence my rendering of the conjunctive particle wa at the beginning of the above clause as "just as if".