Surah An-Nahl — Verse 116

Word Meanings:

• تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ – "what your tongues describe as lies": meaning, the false statements and baseless claims your tongues utter.
• لِتَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ – "to invent lies against Allah": to fabricate falsehood and attribute it to Allah, claiming He has legislated something He has not.
• لَا يُفْلِحُونَ – "they will not succeed": they will not attain prosperity, salvation, or any good in this life or the Hereafter.

Explanation of the Verse:

O people, Allah Almighty forbids you from a grave sin that was widespread among the idolaters of Arabia: declaring things to be lawful (halal) or unlawful (haram) based on your own whims, desires, or inherited customs, without any authority from Allah. They used to say about certain cattle, crops, or practices: "This is lawful," and about others: "This is unlawful," all while their tongues were uttering sheer falsehood. They even claimed that Allah had commanded them to do so.

Allah sternly prohibits this behavior, for it is a form of inventing lies against Him. To declare something lawful that Allah has made unlawful, or to declare something unlawful that Allah has made lawful, is to speak about Allah without knowledge and to attribute to Him what He never said. This is one of the most severe transgressions, as it distorts the religion and misleads people.

The verse then delivers a decisive warning: those who fabricate lies against Allah will never succeed. They will not achieve their hopes, nor will they find salvation from what they fear. Their schemes may appear to prosper temporarily in this world, but in the end, they will face humiliation and loss, both in this life and in the Hereafter, where the punishment for such lies is severe.

A Call to Reflection and Faith:

This verse is a profound reminder of the sanctity of Allah's religion. Islam teaches us that the authority to declare what is lawful and unlawful belongs exclusively to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). No human being, no scholar, no ruler, and no society has the right to change Allah's laws or invent new ones. When we respect this boundary, we protect the purity of our faith and ensure that our worship is accepted.

How beautiful is the religion of Islam, which guards the honor of Allah and the integrity of His revelation! It calls us to be truthful, to seek knowledge, and to submit wholeheartedly to the wisdom of our Creator. When we follow what Allah has legislated, we find peace in our hearts, harmony in our societies, and success in both worlds.

Let us, therefore, be among those who speak the truth, who learn the rulings of Allah from authentic sources, and who never dare to attribute to Allah what He has not said. For the path of truth leads to eternal bliss, while the path of falsehood leads only to ruin. May Allah guide us all to the straight path and protect us from inventing lies against Him.