Extinguishing of the fire of deceit
When we read the Qur’an with reflection, one recurring theme that stands out is the warning against deception, corruption, and the plots of those who oppose the truth. Allah ﷻ does not merely recount historical plots against the prophets; He teaches us how to be alert, how to prepare, and how to respond with faith and action.
Deceit and corruption in the Qur’an
In Surat Al-Anfal, Allah addresses the believers directly:
يَـٰۤأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا۟ إِن تَتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ فُرۡقَانࣰا وَيُكَفِّرۡ عَنكُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمۡ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡۗ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلۡفَضۡلِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ
“O you who believe! If you become mindful of Allah, He will give you a criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove your sins from you, and forgive you. And Allah is the Possessor of great grace.” (Al-Anfāl, 29)
This verse was revealed around the time of the Battle of Badr. The disbelievers of Makkah had plotted to capture, kill, or expel the Prophet ﷺ:
وَإِذۡ يَمۡكُرُ بِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيُثۡبِتُوكَ أَوۡ يَقۡتُلُوكَ أَوۡ يُخۡرِجُوكَۚ وَيَمۡكُرُونَ وَيَمۡكُرُ ٱللَّهُۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡمَـٰكِرِينَ
“And remember when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you. They were planning, and Allah was planning. But Allah is the best of planners.” (Al-Anfāl, 30)
These verses reassure us that although the enemies of truth may scheme, Allah’s plan always overcomes. He is Khayrul makireen, the Best of Planners. In Surat An Naml, He said:
وَمَكَرُوا۟ مَكۡرࣰا وَمَكَرۡنَا مَكۡرࣰا وَهُمۡ لَا یَشۡعُرُونَ
And they devised a plan, and We devised a plan while they were unaware.
(An-Naml, Ayah 50)
Responsibility doesn’t end with tawakkul
The fact that Allah will ultimately defeat the enemies doesn’t mean we sit back passively. The Prophet ﷺ worked with great diligence. Though he was divinely supported, he never relied solely on that. When he arrived in Madinah, as reported by Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), he ﷺ said:
“Count for me those who say: ‘La ilaha illallah’.” They replied, “O Messenger of Allah, do you fear for us while we say ‘La ilaha illallah’?” He replied, “Indeed, Satan has despaired of being worshipped in this town, but he is satisfied with sowing discord among them.” (Muslim)
This shows his strategic mind. He was gathering data, assessing the strength of the community. This is a sunnah of planning we often neglect.
The arrogance of the corrupt
Allah tells us that the corrupters and deceivers do not just harm others, but they destroy themselves:
وَكَذَ ٰلِكَ جَعَلۡنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرۡيَةٍ أَكَـٰبِرَ مُجۡرِمِيهَا لِيَمۡكُرُوا۟ فِيهَاۖ وَمَا يَمۡكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمۡ وَمَا يَشۡعُرُونَ
“And thus We placed in every town the chief criminals to plot in it, but they plot only against themselves, though they perceive it not.” (Al-Anʿām, 123)
وَلَا يَحِيقُ ٱلۡمَكۡرُ ٱلسَّيِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهۡلِهِۦۚ…
“But the evil plot does not engulf except its own people…” (Fāṭir, 43)
Time and again, we are reminded: corruption brings self-destruction. In Surat Al Araf, Allah says:
ثُمَّ بَعَثۡنَا مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِم مُّوسَىٰ بِـَٔایَـٰتِنَاۤ إِلَىٰ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَمَلَإِی۟هِۦ فَظَلَمُوا۟ بِهَاۖ فَٱنظُرۡ كَیۡفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِینَ
Then, after them, We sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they did injustice to them. So look what the outcome was for the corrupters.
Al-Aʿrāf, Ayah 103
Corruption on Earth: a modern reality
We see the world ablaze with conflict and deceit, wars sparked by lies, economies destroyed by greed, families torn apart by manipulation. Allah has already described these situations:
وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ لِيُفۡسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهۡلِكَ ٱلۡحَرۡثَ وَٱلنَّسۡلَۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡفَسَادَ
“When he turns away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption and destroy crops and progeny. Allah does not love corruption.” (Al-Baqarah, 205)
And again:
كُلَّمَاۤ أَوۡقَدُوا۟ نَارࣰا لِّلۡحَرۡبِ أَطۡفَأَهَا ٱللَّهُۚ وَيَسۡعَوۡنَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَسَادࣰاۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ
“Whenever they kindle a fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They strive to spread corruption in the land. And Allah does not love corrupters.” (Al-Māʾidah, 64)
What do we do as a community?
We must not relax and assume Allah will always “take care of it” without any effort from us. The Prophet ﷺ planned, strategised, and acted wisely. We too must do our part:
- Be alert.
- Be united.
- Work within our families and communities to build unity and strength.
- Do our best and put our trust in Allah ﷻ.
As Allah says:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ
“Indeed, Allah does not love those who spread corruption.” (Al-Qaṣaṣ, 77)
And He reminds us:
مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلۡعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا… وَٱلَّذِينَ يَمۡكُرُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَهُمۡ عَذَابࣱ شَدِيدࣱ وَمَكۡرُ أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُوَ يَبُورُ
“Whoever seeks honour—then to Allah belongs all honour… those who plot evil—for them is a severe punishment, and their plots will fail.” (Fāṭir, 10)
We must live with awareness, purpose, and unity. If we can’t even unite as families at Eid, how can we build a strong community or expect victory?
Let us unite as families, within our mosques and communities, and come together. The more we unite, the more pleased Allah will be and the more hope we have of His granting us victory sooner, rather than later.
Of course, we have to be careful. Without doubt, our communities are very exposed at the moment. However we cannot be relaxed or complacent. Let’s do our best and rely on Allah.
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
“Put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who trust in Him.” (Aal-ʿImrān, 159)
Based on the Khutbah delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 13th June 2025