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

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'.

{{quote |1=[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.yourdictionary.com/deceive|2=2011-04-10}} Deceive definition]<BR>Webster's New World College Dictionary|2='''<big>de·ceive</big>''' (dē sēv′, di-)

:• '''deceivingly de·ceiv′·ingly ''adverb'''''}}

In the following Qur'an verses, Allah reveals to us that he is the "best deceiver".

The word makir is always used disparagingly, and never in a positive context. It is often used to describe someone sly and dishonest. This is because of the way a makir deceives - they set out to cheat you by deception. It is highly inappropriate for Allah to use this word to describe himself; especially when two of his names are الحق (the truth) and الوكيل (the dependable).

This section quotes numerous academic sources to study the meaning of ''Makr''.

From Lane's Lexicon (the full entry can be viewed [[:File:Makr Lane-Lexicon-page Vol 7-pg. 256.jpg|here]]):

[[:File:Makr Lane-Lexicon-page Vol 7-pg. 256.jpg|LL, V7, p: 256]]}}

Hans Wehr dictionary also confirms the meaning of the term:

{{Quote|[[:File:Hans Wehr dictionary - page 917.jpg|Hans Wehr dictionary, page 917]]|[[File:Hans Wehr dictionary - page 917.jpg|300px]]}}

   

{{Quote|1=[{{Reference archive|1=http://lexicons.sakhr.com/openme.aspx?fileurl=/html/1088382.html|2=2013-07-21}} Arabic Lexicon on ''Al-Makr'']|2=[[File:Arabic-lexicon for Al-Makr.gif]]}}

{{Quote|1=[{{Reference archive|1=http://lexicons.sakhr.com/openme.aspx?fileurl=/html/3076064.html|2=2013-07-21}} Arabic Lexicon on ''Makir'']|2=[[File:Arabic-lexicon for Makir.gif]]}}

Meanings from other dictionaries and sources have been compiled below:

|}

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.  

== Apologetics ==

Although Dr. Badawi admits that makir is a negative word with negative connotations, he seeks to justify its usage in the Qur'an when referring to Allah, by claiming that it has a different meaning than that which we mere mortals have assigned it when referring to each other. This is from a Live Q & A session held on the 16^th of April, 2007, on the ''readingislam.com'' website. The question and answer are as follows:

These misquotes have been deliberately presented on this page because Harun Yahya is attributing the name ''Al Makir'' directly to Allah, but claiming it simply means "The planner". In order to spin makir into having a positive connotation, translating the same word differently in Qur'an 8:30 and 13:42  was necessary in order to portray Allah as being righteous, and the non believers (referred to in the verses) as devious. If they had been presented correctly - in that 'plotter' is attributed to Allah as well as the unbelievers, then it implies that Allah is also plotting the same type of activities that the unbelievers were [allegedly] plotting. This would serve to cast Allah in a bad light, as well as Muslims - since they are the ones who carry out his wishes (as relayed through Muhammad).

While claims from Muslims such as 'you're taking it out of context' are usually not legitimate, on the face of this apologetic claim it appears to have merit. Given the context of the verses provided in the above article, it is clear that they discuss Allah deceiving his (perceived) enemies only. However, what the verses also contain is a definitive statement from Allah - ''Allah is the best deceiver''. It does not state "Allah is better at deceiving than his enemies" Therefore, in these verses, we have the (supposedly) omniscient (all-knowing) being Allah, telling us outright that he is the best deceiver. Being all-knowing, he would be aware of anyone higher at deception than he is.  

Furthermore, there are verses in the Qur'an that show us that Allah did not only confine his deception to his enemies, as in the above quoted verses.

{{quote | {{cite quran|8|43|end=44|style=ref}} | 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.

Kathir claims it was 'compassion' on the part of Allah to show a 'few' to Muhammad when there were many more than that, but this does not negate the fact that Allah deceived the Muslims in this matter - it was deception plain and simple. If we say to you that you get 3 years in jail in return for your sworn testimony, but we know (and conceal) the fact that you will actually get 6 years, this is not compassion, it is deception. In the same way we can say that Allah has deliberately deceived the Muslims in these verses in order to get them to do what he wants (ie. [[The Meaning of Qatal|fight]]). This example alone negates the apologetic claim that "Allah only deceives his enemies" as we can see that Allah deceived Muhammad - uswa hasana - so it is not unlikely that Allah will (and has) deceived other Muslims before and after this event.

According to Islam, [[Jesus]] is not [[God]], and he was ''not'' crucified, yet an entire religion sprung from Jesus' death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. This is the central focus of Christianity. Allah however, makes it clear in the Qur'an that Jesus was not crucified (died) and he is not God's son, meaning that Christian's are in error to follow these beliefs. But why do Christians think he was crucified? Because Allah admits that he made it appear so: