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
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ وَلِتَسْتَبِينَ سَبِيلُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
And thus do We detail the verses, and [thus] the way of the criminals will become evident.
وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا ۚ لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can alter His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
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."
وَمِنَ ٱلْإِبِلِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ ٱلْبَقَرِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا ٱشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖ أَمْ كُنتُمْ شُهَدَآءَ إِذْ وَصَّىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا لِّيُضِلَّ ٱلنَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And of the camels, two and of the cattle, two. Say, "Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Or were you witnesses when Allāh charged you with this? Then who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allāh to mislead the people by [something] other than knowledge? Indeed, Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people."