وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ ٱلْأَشْهَـٰدُ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ أَلَا لَعْنَةُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 18
Translations
And who is more unjust than he who invents a lie about Allāh? Those will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, "These are the ones who lied against their Lord." Unquestionably, the curse of Allāh is upon the wrongdoers.
Transliteration
Wa man azlamu mimman iftara ala Allahi kathiban. Ulaika yuAAradun ala rabbihim wa yaqolu al-ashhadun haulaai alladhina kathaboo ala rabbihim. Ala laAnatu Allahi ala al-zalimin.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the grave sin of fabricating lies against Allah and His religion, declaring that no one is more unjust than such a person. On the Day of Judgment, these liars will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses (angels, prophets, and believers) will testify against them, pronouncing the curse of Allah upon all wrongdoers. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this ayah highlights the severity of inventing false claims about Allah's commands, attributes, or revelations.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah of Hud, which emphasizes monotheism and warnings against associating partners with Allah. The broader context addresses those who denied the message of the prophets and fabricated false narratives about Allah's religion, particularly relevant to the polytheists of Mecca who invented their own religious doctrines.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever lies about me intentionally, let him take his place in Hell' (Sahih Bukhari). Additionally, the Prophet warned: 'The greatest sin is to ascribe a partner to Allah and to speak a lie against Allah or against His Messenger' (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns believers to be scrupulous in religious matters and never fabricate or distort Allah's message for personal gain or preference. It serves as a powerful reminder that deception regarding faith will not remain hidden, and accountability is inevitable before Allah, encouraging honesty and sincerity in all religious discourse.
Related Ayahs
وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۖ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ
And to ʿAad [We sent] their brother Hūd. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. You are not but inventors [of falsehood].
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
Those are the ones who will have lost themselves, and lost from them is what they used to invent.
وَٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُنتَظِرُونَ
And wait; indeed, we are waiting."
قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن كُنتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّى وَءَاتَىٰنِى رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِهِۦ فَعُمِّيَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنُلْزِمُكُمُوهَا وَأَنتُمْ لَهَا كَـٰرِهُونَ
He said, "O my people, have you considered: if I should be upon clear evidence from my Lord while He has given me mercy from Himself but it has been made unapparent to you, should we force it upon you while you are averse to it?