وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ 21
Translations
And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie or denies His verses? Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.
Transliteration
Wa man azlamu mimman iftara ala Allahi kathiban au kadhdhaba bi-ayatihi, innahu la yuflihu az-zalimun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns two grave sins: fabricating lies against Allah and rejecting His signs. Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that there is no greater injustice (zulm) than attributing falsehoods to Allah or denying His clear revelations, as this strikes at the very foundation of faith and truth. The ayah concludes with the certainty that those who commit such tyranny will never succeed in this life or the next.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-An'am, a comprehensive Meccan surah that addresses core Islamic beliefs and refutes polytheistic arguments. It is situated within a section responding to the Meccan pagans' rejection of the Quran and their fabrication of false claims about Allah and His religion, serving as both a warning and a correction to those who distort divine truth.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah, and to speak a lie against Him' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Also related: 'Whoever intentionally attributes a false hadith to me, let him prepare his seat in the Fire' (Sahih Bukhari), illustrating the severity of fabricating religious claims.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that integrity in speech, especially regarding matters of faith, is paramount, and that rejecting divine guidance is a self-inflicted injustice that leads to inevitable failure. We must guard our tongues from falsehood about Allah and His religion, and sincerely accept His signs with humble hearts.
Related Ayahs
أَفَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَبْتَغِى حَكَمًا وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مُفَصَّلًا ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُۥ مُنَزَّلٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُمْتَرِينَ
[Say], "Then is it other than Allāh I should seek as judge while it is He who has revealed to you the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] explained in detail?" And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth, so never be among the doubters.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِىٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَـٰطِينَ ٱلْإِنسِ وَٱلْجِنِّ يُوحِى بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ ٱلْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ ۖ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ
And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy - devils from mankind and jinn, inspiring to one another decorative speech in delusion. But if your Lord had willed, they would not have done it, so leave them and that which they invent.
وَهُوَ ٱللَّهُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَفِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّكُمْ وَجَهْرَكُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُونَ
And He is Allāh, [the only deity] in the heavens and the earth. He knows your secret and what you make public, and He knows that which you earn.
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَىٰكُمْ عَذَابُ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
Say, "Have you considered: if there came to you the punishment of Allāh or there came to you the Hour - is it other than Allāh you would invoke, if you should be truthful?"