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
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّا فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ ۗ قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ ۖ وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Say, "Is it other than Allāh I should take as a protector, Creator of the heavens and earth, while it is He who feeds and is not fed?" Say, [O Muḥammad], "Indeed, I have been commanded to be the first [among you] who submit [to Allāh] and [was commanded], 'Do not ever be of the polytheists."
وَإِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَةٌ قَالُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ حَتَّىٰ نُؤْتَىٰ مِثْلَ مَآ أُوتِىَ رُسُلُ ٱللَّهِ ۘ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُۥ ۗ سَيُصِيبُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا۟ صَغَارٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَعَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَمْكُرُونَ
And when a sign comes to them, they say, "Never will we believe until we are given like that which was given to the messengers of Allāh." Allāh is most knowing of where [i.e., with whom] He places His message. There will afflict those who committed crimes debasement before Allāh and severe punishment for what they used to conspire.
فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ۚ وَٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
So the people that committed wrong were eliminated. And praise to Allāh, Lord of the worlds.
قُلْ إِنِّى نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قُل لَّآ أَتَّبِعُ أَهْوَآءَكُمْ ۙ قَدْ ضَلَلْتُ إِذًا وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
Say, "Indeed, I have been forbidden to worship those you invoke besides Allāh." Say, "I will not follow your desires, for I would then have gone astray, and I would not be of the [rightly] guided."