Allah, the Best Deceiver (Qur'an 3:54): Difference between revisions

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-The [[Qur'an]] openly states many times that [[Allah]] is the best ''maakir'', a word sometimes mildly translated as ''planner'', though also as ''schemer''. The Arabic word used here is "ماكر" "maakir", coming from the root m-k-r م-ك-ر, with the word ''Makr'' "مكر" meaning to practice deceit or guile or circumvention, practice evasion or elusion, to plot, to exercise art or craft or cunning, act with policy, practice strategem.<ref>Makr - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000256.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 2728]</ref> Due to the primary definitions, many critics consider this a highly inappropriate term for the Quran to describe Allah, theologically, particularly as the Quran elsewhere tells believers to shun lying speech ({{Quran|22|30}}), to not testify to falsehood ({{Quran|25|72}}), and describes them as the truthful ({{Quran|3|17}}). Similar exhortations to truthfulness are found in hadiths, with exceptions in the case of warfare, assassinations and peacemaking (note that one Quranic concept is sometimes misrepresented in online discourse as if it were a general permission to lie about the faith - see the article [[taqiyya]]).
+The [[Qur'an]] openly states many times that [[Allah]] is the best of ''l-mākirīna'', a word sometimes mildly translated as ''planners'', though also as ''schemers'' or ''plotters''. The Arabic word used here is "ماكر" "maakir", coming from the root m-k-r م-ك-ر, with the word ''Makr'' "مكر" primarily meaning to practice deceit or guile or circumvention.<ref>Makr - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000256.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 2728]</ref> Due to this definition, some critics consider it a highly inappropriate term for the Quran to describe Allah, particularly as the Quran elsewhere tells believers to shun lying speech ({{Quran|22|30}}), to not testify to falsehood ({{Quran|25|72}}), and describes them as the truthful ({{Quran|3|17}}). Similar exhortations to truthfulness are found in hadiths, with apparent exceptions in the case of warfare, assassinations and peacemaking (on a related note, one Quranic concept is commonly misrepresented in online discourse as if it were a general permission to lie about the faith, which is not the case, as explained in the article [[taqiyya]]).
 ==Introduction==
-The Qur'an openly states many times that Allah is the 'best deceiver'. The root word used in these verses is ''Makr'' which means ''deception''. The literal translations presented here, referenced from a Muslim website, make this very clear. However, the majority of Qur'anic translations [[Mistranslations of Islamic Scripture (English)|erroneously translate]] this term; as can be seen in the following quotes and analysis.
+The Qur'an openly states many times that Allah is the best of ''l-mākirīna''. The root word used in these verses is ''Makr'' which means deception, guile or circumvention. The literal translations presented here, referenced from a Muslim website, make this very clear. However, the majority of Qur'anic translations [[Mistranslations of Islamic Scripture (English)|erroneously translate]] this term; as can be seen in the following quotes and analysis.
-Although there are many places in the Qur'an that use the same word (makir) in reference to Allah,<ref>[http://www.irreduciblefifth.force9.co.uk/burhan/b.x.311.htm Quran root browser - م ك ر - m-k-r]</ref>  this article will focus only on the verses in which Allah describes himself as the 'best deceiver'.
+Although there are many places in the Qur'an that use the same word (makir) in reference to Allah,<ref>[http://www.irreduciblefifth.force9.co.uk/burhan/b.x.311.htm Quran root browser - م ك ر - m-k-r]</ref>  this article will focus only on the verses in which Allah describes himself as the best of l-mākirīna.
 ==Qur'an==
-In the following Qur'an verses, Allah reveals to us that he is the "best deceiver".
+In the following Qur'an verses, Allah is said to be the best of l-mākirīna, is faster in makran, or that all l-makru is Allah's.
 ===Qur'an 3:54===
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 Edward William Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon is the most revered and scholarly English dictionary of the Arabic language. From Lane's Lexicon p. 2728 (the full entry can be viewed [[:File:Makr Lane-Lexicon-page Vol 7-pg. 256.jpg|here]] or [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000256.pdf here]):
-It is summarized here with a concordance of occurances:
+{{Quote|1=[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000256.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 2728]|2=1. مَكَرَ, aor. مَكُرَ, (Msb, TA,) inf. n. مَكْرٌ; (S, A, Msb, K;) and ↓ امكر; (Msb;) He practised deceit, guile, or circumvention; or he practised deceit, guile, or circumvention, desiring to do to another a foul, an abominable, or an evil, action, clandestinely, or without his knowing whence it proceeded; syn. خَدَعَ; (Msb;) and of the inf. n. خَدِيعَةٌ: (S, A, K:) he practised an evasion or elusion, a shift, an artifice, or artful contrivance or device, a machination, a trick, a plot, a stratagem, or an expedient; he plotted; or he exercised art, craft, cunning, or skill, in the management or ordering of affairs, with excel-lent consideration or deliberation, and ability to manage according to his own free will; syn. of the inf. n. إِحْتِيَالٌ: (S, TA:) or to this explanation, conveyed by احتيال as the syn. of the inf. n., should be added secretly, or privately: (Lth, TA:) مَكْرٌ is praised or dispraised according to the nature of its object. (El-Basáir.) [For further explanation, see what follows.] It is trans. by means of بِ: and also, accord. to Z, by itself: (MF:) [but I know not any instance of its being trans. by itself: except as meaning he plotted a thing: see مَكْرَ السَّيِّئ in the Kur, xxxv. 41, cited voce سَيِّئٌ:] you say مَكَرَ بِهِ, (S, A, TA,) aor. and inf. n. as above, (S, TA,) meaning, He deceived, beguiled, or circumvented, him; or he deceived, beguiled, or circumvented, him, and desired to do him a foul, an abominable, or an evil, action, clandestinely, or without his knowing whence it proceeded: &c.: (S, A, TA:) syn. كَادَهُ: or it differs [somewhat] from كاده, accord. to Aboo-Hilál El-'Askeree: (TA:) some say, that مكر به signifies as above with the addition of feigning the contrary of his real intentions; which كاده does not imply: or this latter signifies “ he did him harm,” or “ mischief; ” and the former, he did him harm, or mischief, clandestinely. (MF, voce كاد.) See art. خدع. مَكَرَ also signifies He managed with thought, or consideration, or acted with policy, and practised stratagem, in war. (TA.) مَكَرَ اللّٰهُ and ↓ أَمْكَرَ are syn., (IKtt, Msb,) signifying, (tropical:) God recompensed, or requited, for مَكْر [or the practising deceit, &c.]: (Lth, * Msb, TA: *) or مَكْرُ اللّٰهِ signifies God's granting a man respite or delay, and enabling him to accomplish his worldly aims [so as to bring upon himself the punishment due to his evil actions]: (Er-Rághib, TA:) or, accord. to IAth, God's causing his trials to befall his enemies, exclusively of his friends: or his taking men by little and little, so that they do not reckon upon it, bestowing upon them renewed favours for acts of obedience which are imagined to be accepted whereas they are rejected. (TA.)<BR />
-{{Quote|1=[http://www.studyquran.co.uk/14_MIIM.htm&date=2013-07-21 Lane's Lexicon - Miim]|2='''Miim-Kaf-Ra''' = To practice deceit or guile or circumvention, practice evasion or elusion, to plot, to exercise art or craft or cunning, act with policy, practice strategem.
+. ماكرهُ He practised with him mutual deceit, guile, or circumvention; &c.; (A, * TA;) syn. خَادَعَهُ. (TA.)<BR />
-''makara'' vb. (1){{br}}
+. see 1, in two places.<BR />
-perf. act. 3:54, 3:54, 7:123, 13:42, 14:46, 16:26, 16:45, 27:50, 40:45, 71:22{{br}}
-impf. act. 6:123, 6:123, 6:124, 8:30, 8:30, 8:30, 10:21, 12:102, 16:127, 27:70, 35:10{{br}}
-n.vb. 7:99, 7:99, 7:123, 10:21, 10:21, 12:31, 13:33, 13:42, 14:46, 14:46, 14:46, 27:50, 27:50, 27:51, 34:33, 35:10, 35:43, 35:43, 71:22{{br}}
-pcple. act. 3:54, 8:30
-[[:File:Makr Lane-Lexicon-page Vol 7-pg. 256.jpg|LL, V7, p: 256]]}}
+. تماكروا They practised mutual deceit, guile, or circumvention; &c. (A, * TA.)<BR />
+مَكُورٌ: see مَاكِرٌ.<BR />
+مَكَّارٌ: see مَاكِرٌ.<BR />
+مَاكِرٌ (S, A, Msb, K) and ↓ مَكَّارٌ (S, A, K) and ↓ مَكُورٌ (K) epithets from مَكَرَ: (S, A, Msb, K:) [the first signifying Practising deceit, guile, or circumvention; &c.: and the second and third, practising the same much, or frequently; deceitful, guileful, artful, crafty, or cunning; a trickster, or crafty knave.]
+[[:File:Makr Lane-Lexicon-page Vol 7-pg. 256.jpg|Lane's Lexicon, p: 2728]]}}
 ===Hans Wehr===
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 ==Inaccurate Translations==
-The following are the English translations of the selected verses. As mentioned above, makir is never used in a positive sense - it denotes a shifty, sly person who uses deception as a means to their ends.
+The following are the English translations of the selected verses. As mentioned above, makir is never used in a positive sense - it denotes a shifty, sly person who uses deception as a means to their ends, even if the ends themselves may be viewed in either a favourable or unfavourable light.
-We see that most of the translators have taken makir (with one of its possible translations 'scheme') to mean 'a systematic plan of action', and have translated makir to mean 'planner' or 'plotter'. However this completely disregards the accepted connotations of the word and the context of the given verses. Makir does not mean planner. Just because makir can be translated as scheme, and scheme can mean plan/plot, this does not mean that you can translate makir as planner/plotter.
+We see that most of the translators have taken makir (with one of its possible translations 'scheme') to mean 'a systematic plan of action', and have translated makir to mean 'planner'. However this completely disregards the accepted connotations of the word and the context of the given verses. Makir does not mean planner. Just because makir can be translated as scheme, and scheme can mean plan/plot, this does not mean that you can translate makir as planner.
 Since the same word is used for both the unbelievers and Allah, in most cases the translations have opted for the more benign (and incorrect) translation in order to avoid the difficult statements made by the Qur'an.