وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُۥٓ ۚ أَلَيْسَ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ 68
Translations
And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allāh or denies the truth when it has come to him? Is there not in Hell a [sufficient] residence for the disbelievers?
Transliteration
Wa man azlamu mimman iftara alallahi kathiban aw kadhdhaba bil-haqqi lamma jaahu. Alaysa fi jahannama mathwan lil-kafireen.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns two grave sins: fabricating lies against Allah and rejecting the truth when it arrives. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that inventing false claims about Allah's religion and denying His signs constitute the greatest injustice (zulm), as they lead people astray and distort divine guidance. The ayah concludes with a rhetorical question affirming that Hell is the rightful abode for those who commit these sins of disbelief and deception.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-'Ankabut, which addresses the early Muslim community facing persecution and testing of their faith. It contextualizes the spiritual dangers faced by the Muslim community when encountering stubborn rejection and deliberate distortion of Islamic truth by their opponents in Mecca.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah, and the next is to lie' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, 'Whoever intentionally attributes a lie to me should prepare his seat in the Fire' (Sahih Bukhari 110).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that distorting divine truth and consciously rejecting clear guidance are among the greatest spiritual crimes, serving as a stern warning against theological dishonesty and willful denial of Allah's signs. For modern readers, it underscores the importance of sincere seeking of truth and the serious responsibility of speaking about matters of faith with accuracy and integrity.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ
But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allāh will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.
وَقَـٰرُونَ وَفِرْعَوْنَ وَهَـٰمَـٰنَ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ سَـٰبِقِينَ
And [We destroyed] Qārūn and Pharaoh and Hāmān. And Moses had already come to them with clear evidences, and they were arrogant in the land, but they were not outrunners [of Our punishment].
فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنۢبِهِۦ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allāh would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّن نَّزَّلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهَا لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
And if you asked them, "Who sends down rain from the sky and gives life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "Praise to Allāh"; but most of them do not reason.