A Response to WikiIslam’s Article: Allah the Best Deceiver

A Response to WikiIslam’s Article: Allah the Best Deceiver

Everything written below are my own views and explanations in response to the article written by WikiIslam.

Summary of the argument by WikiIslam:

WikiIslam argues that Allah is a Deceiver by using verses 3:54, 7:99, 8:30 10:21 and 13:42 of the Holy Qur’an. Then, the definition of the word is understood from the Hans-Wehr dictionary to mean that because “makr” means deceit, cunning and trickery, so that means that Allah is said to be a Deceiver in the Holy Qur’an. The question is put to Muslims, why do Muslims believe in God when He deceives and possibly tricks them as well? This conclusion is sought from verses 8:43-44. Furthermore, WikiIslam suggested that verse 3:55 is saying that Allah created Christianity by His deception. I will go more in-depth about these points in this article.

The exact quotations of the listed verses which are used to describe Allah as being a Deceiver are stated in WikiIslam as shown below:

“And they cheated/deceived and God cheated/deceived, and God (is) the best (of) the cheaters/deceivers.” (3:54)

“Did they secure God's scheme/deceit ? So no(one) trusts God's scheme/deceit except the nation the losers.” (7:99)

“And when those who disbelieved deceive/scheme at you to affix/affirm you, or kill you, or bring you out, and they scheme/deceive , and God deceives/schemes and God (is) best (of) the deceivers/schemers.” (8:30)

“And if We made the people taste/experience mercy from after calamity/disastrous distress touched them, then for them (is) cheatery/deceit/schemes in Our verses/evidences . Say: "God (is) quicker/faster (in) cunning/scheming , that Our messengers write what you cheat/ deceive/scheme."” (10:21)

“And those from before them had cheated/deceived/schemed, so to God (is) all the cheatery/deceit/scheme. He knows what every self gains/acquires , and the disbelievers will know to whom (is) the house's/home's end/turn (result).” (13:42)

Then the definition of the word from Hans-Wehr dictionary is stated to show that the word “makr” means exactly as what WikiIslam translates above. Readers were suggested to read Lane’s Lexicon to also see the meaning of “makr” under Miim-Kaaf-Raa in the dictionary.

Now, I will explain the true meaning of this word. The commentary under verse 3:54 in the Large Commentary of the Holy Qur’an lists the definition of the word “makr” and explains it.

“Makaroo (they planned) and Makara (he planned) are from the same root. Makara means, he plotted or planned secretly with a view to circumventing the other; he practised an evasion or a device or a machination; he exercised art or cunning or skill in the management or ordering of affairs with excellent consideration and deliberation; he tried to do harm or mischief secretly. MakarAllaha (God planned) may also mean, God requited the machination of a person or a people (Lane) See also 2:16. Makara is of two kinds: (1) Makara mahmood i.e. a good plan by which a good object is sought, and (2) Makara Mazmoom i.e. an evil plan by which an evil object is sought (Mufradat). In view of the above, the word makara when use with regard to the enemies of Jesus would signify their wicked designs and evil machinations to destroy his mission and bring him to ruin; and when used with regard to God, it would signify the plan of God to frustrate the evil designs of the Jews and bring punishment on their heads.”

The commentary under this verse reads:

“The Jews had planned that Jesus should die an accursed death on the Cross (Deut. 21:23), but God’s plan was that he should be saved from that death. The plan of the Jews was frustrated and God’s plan was successful, because Jesus did not die on the Cross but came down alive, dying a natural death, full of years, in Kashmir, far away from the scene of his crucifixion.”

This explains the answer to the other point about the apparent deception of Allah on the Christians, that Jesus was made to appear crucified so that Allah could deceive Jesus’ followers into thinking he was crucified and so a whole religion falsely developed around this event due to this deceit.

This logic is flawed based upon the very context of the verse’s use of term “Allah’s plan” since the plan of Allah was meant to deceive the Jews in verse 3:54, hence the very purpose of Jesus appearing to be crucified was to throw off the plan of the Jews, not to deceive Christians. Furthermore, the assumption here is that the Christians were believers in Jesus’ crucifixion as a fundamental part of their faith right from the time of this event around 2000 years ago, while the Holy Qur’an has stated differently that the Christians invented this belief of Jesus being God’s son later on. The early Christians of Jesus’ time did not believe Jesus was God’s son, thus this argument is flawed.

“Further, that He may warn those (also) who say, "Allah hath begotten a son": No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying what they say is nothing but falsehood!” (Holy Qur’an, 18:4-5)

This argument by WikiIslam to try and show Allah as a Deceiver of Christians is therefore false.

The translation of verse 7:99 is itself flawed, under consideration of the verse’s context. When one reads the verses before verse 7:99 and after verse 7:99 one realizes that the translation of WikiIslam is itself deceitful and cunning. In fact, to drive this point home and demonstrate just how out of place this translation is, I am going to state three verses before verse 7:99 and three verses after it.

“If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (All kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth; but they rejected (the truth), and We brought them to book for their misdeeds.

Did the people of the towns feel secure against the coming of Our wrath by night while they were asleep?

Or else did they feel secure against its coming in broad daylight while they played about (care-free)?

Did they then feel secure against the plan of Allah?- but no one can feel secure from the Plan of Allah, except those (doomed) to ruin!

To those who inherit the earth in succession to its (previous) possessors, is it not a guiding, (lesson) that, if We so willed, We could punish them (too) for their sins, and seal up their hearts so that they could not hear?

Such were the towns whose story We (thus) relate unto thee: There came indeed to them their messengers with clear (signs): But they would not believe what they had rejected before. Thus doth Allah seal up the hearts of those who reject faith.

Most of them We found not men (true) to their covenant: but most of them We found rebellious and disobedient.” (Holy Qur’an, 7:96-102, Yusuf Ali translation)

The meaning here agrees with the definition given under verse 3:54 from the Large Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, which is that Allah is frustrating the evil designs of the people.

WikiIslam uses verse 8:30 as a proof that Allah is a Deceiver and a very good one at that. However, nothing about this verse suggests anything evil on the part of Allah, but it suggests Allah’s thwarting the plans of the Meccans against the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw). The commentary under this verse says (I am reproducing only the relevant part of this commentary as it is lengthy):

“It should be noted that the word makr (plan) used in this verse does not necessarily mean an evil plan. It is general in its significance, comprising both good and evil planning, according to the purpose for which it is contrived. The plots of the enemies of truth were, of course, evil; but God never has recourse to evil design. He planned things in such a way as to frustrate the evil designs of the enemy and make the cause of Islam triumph. The very fact that the Quran prefixes the word khair (best) to the word makireen (planners) shows that the word has been used in a good sense with respect to God; for the word khair (meaning good, better or best) is invariably prefixed to words which are used in a good sense...

The present verse has been placed most fittingly between the verses relating to the Battle of Badr; for after speaking to that great battle, the Quran reminds the Holy Prophet and his Companions of the plots of the enemy against him and draws his attention to the wonderful way in which God had helped him at the time of his flight, frustrating the designs of the enemy and turning them to the advantage of Islam. He would do it again when needed and the Battle of Badr was another instance of the kind.”

WikiIslam also uses verse 10:21 to make their point about Allah being a Deceiver. The Large Commentary of the Holy Qur’an explains the importance of the word makr under this verse.

“makr (plan) is the infinitive noun from the verse makara which means, he practised deceit, guile or circumvention secretly; he practised an evasion, an artifice, a trick, an expedient, an evasion, an artifice a trick, an expedient or device; he planned or plotted. Makara bihi means, he did him harm or mischief clandestinely. Makarahullaha means, God requited him for his practising deceit, etc. Makr is praiseworthy or otherwise according to its object (Lane).”

The commentary under this verse which follows the discussion of the important words of this verse reads (the relevant portion):

“In v. 19 it was said that as God had created men that He might show them mercy, so He was merciful to them. In v. 20 it was said that people demanded punishment, but God deferred and delayed the sending down of punishment that they might have time to repent. The present verse says that not only does God always delay His punishment, but when at last He sends it, He does so intermittently and piecemeal in order that the disbelievers may realize that the punishment was due to their opposing His Prophet and may desist from their evil course and thus save themselves. But the wicked take no warning and do not benefit by it. They only show some fear when they are being actually visited with punishment but, as soon as there is an abatement or remission, they revert to their evil course. The verse points out that God’s decree can come into operation at once, even before the evil machinations of the disbelievers take effect but out of His boundless mercy He purposely delays His punishment because, being all-Powerful, He knows He can punish them whenever He likes and, being All-Knowing, there is no likelihood of His forgetting the evil deeds of disbelievers.”

This verse is, like verse 7:99, about the punishment of Allah in response to the evil trespasses of the people of certain cities. The verse before 10:21 and the two after it, when read together, constitute a portion of the Surah which deals very beautifully with the demonstration of Allah’s power as the commentary of verse 10:21 has stated:

“They say: "Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "The Unseen is only for Allah (to know), then wait ye: I too will wait with you."

When We make mankind taste of some mercy after adversity hath touched them, behold! they take to plotting against Our Signs! Say: "Swifter to plan is Allah!" Verily, Our messengers record all the plots that ye make!

He it is Who enableth you to traverse through land and sea; so that ye even board ships;- they sail with them with a favourable wind, and they rejoice thereat; then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides, and they think they are being overwhelmed: they cry unto Allah, sincerely offering (their) duty unto Him saying, "If thou dost deliver us from this, we shall truly show our gratitude!"

But when he delivereth them, behold! they transgress insolently through the earth in defiance of right! O mankind! your insolence is against your own souls,- an enjoyment of the life of the present: in the end, to Us is your return, and We shall show you the truth of all that ye did.” (Holy Qur’an, 10:20-23, Yusuf Ali translation)

WikiIslam also tries to use verse 13:42 to try and cunningly show that Allah is a Deceiver. The verse reads:

“Those before them did (also) devise plots; but in all things the master-planning is Allah's He knoweth the doings of every soul: and soon will the Unbelievers know who gets home in the end.” (Holy Qur’an, 13:42, Yusuf Ali translation)

The Large Commentary of the Holy Quran reads:

“The verse means that God knows the plans that disbelievers devise to frustrate the purpose and programme of the Holy Prophet, but they are not aware of the plans which God has devised to bring about their fall. Therefore, it is only when they face destruction that they will know who was destined to succeed in the end.

The words, the disbelievers shall soon know whose will be the final reward of this abode, not only signify that believers will certainly succeed in the end, which is not distant, but also hint that some leaders of disbelief will live to see Islam triumph, and this is exactly what happened.

The words, He knows what every soul earns, mean that since God is All-Knowing all the secret designs of the enemies of Islam are known to Him and so no plan or stratagem can frustrate His purpose.”

Nothing in this verse suggests deceit on the part of Allah.

WikiIslam also tries to suggest that verses 8:43-44 say that Allah deceived the Muslims by showing a dream to the Holy Prophet (saw) and made them think that the army they faced was smaller in number than they actually were. WikiIslam argues that no matter how you look at it, Allah tricked and deceived the Muslims. The verses are quoted by WikiIslam as:

“When Allah showed them to you in your dream as few; and if He had shown them to you as many you would certainly have become weak-hearted and you would have disputed about the matter, but Allah saved (you); surely He is the Knower of what is in the breasts. And when He showed them to you, when you met, as few in your eyes and He made you to appear little in their eyes, in order that Allah might bring about a matter which was to be done, and to Allah are all affairs returned.”

The commentary under verse 8:43 in the Large Commentary of the Holy Quran reads:

“While on his way to Badr, the Holy Prophet was shown the Meccan army in a dream to be less in number than they actually were (Jarir, x. 9). In the language of dreams, this meant that the Meccan force, in spite of their superior numbers and equipment, would be overcome by the Muslims. On the other hand, if the enemy had been shown in a dream to be in large numbers, the interpretation of the dream would have been that the party to which the dreamer belonged would lose heart and would be overpowered by the enemy.”

The commentary under verse 8:44 in the Large Commentary of the Holy Quran reads:

“Whereas the preceding verse referred to the appearance of the enemy in a dream, the present verse refers to its actual appearance on the battle-field. What happened was that the enemy had kept one-third of their number behind mounds so that, when both parties came face to face, Muslims saw only two-thirds of their army. The Meccan army, about 1000 strong, was more than three times the number of the Muslims who were only 313, but it so happened that the latter saw them to be only twice their own number. This naturally made the Faithful more hopeful. As hinted above, the enemy had concealed one-third of their number from the Muslims so that (as they thought) the latter might not be overawed and flee from the battle-field. This ruse was meant by them as an enticement to the Muslims so that the latter might be encouraged to give them battle and consequently be annihilated. Indeed, the Muslims were so weak at that time that the Meccans were anxious to get them within their grip, so that they might wipe them out of existence and thus extirpate Islam. The weakness of the Muslims became all the more apparent when the Meccans actually saw them, for they saw them smaller than their actual number, and both these impressions helped to encourage either party to come to grips with the opposing party, with the result that the “thing decreed” was miraculously brought about.”

The meaning of the verses is clear, it was not Allah who deceived the Muslims or the Meccans. Allah does not deceive people and use trickery, He stated what actually happened on the battlefield as things occurred. The Meccans tried to deceive the Muslims with their numbers, and the Muslims looked weak. Furthermore, the dream shown to the Holy Prophet (saw) was meant to demonstrate the imminent victory of the Muslims, which was due to the language of dreams. The language of dreams in Islam is considered highly metaphorical and based off of symbolism, verses of Qur’an, Ahadith, etc. Anyone not familiar with this branch of knowledge will fail to understand the derivation of the meanings of dreams, and Muslims are not advised to attempt interpreting dreams themselves, but only those with the proper knowledge of dreams are deemed worthy to interpret. The most famous book of the interpretation of dreams used by Muslims is the one written by Muhammad ibn Sirin.

Conclusion:

WikiIslam, after making every attempt to distort the meanings of the words of Allah, failed to make any convincing argument about the word makr, by virtue of their lack of understanding of the meanings of the verses of the Holy Qur’an.

For checking references, please see the Hans Wehr dictionary and the “Large Commentary of the Holy Qur’an” as found on www.alislam.org.