Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nahl Verse 116

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Do not say about what your tongues describe falsely, “This is lawful and that is unlawful” so that you may forge the lie upon Allah. Surely, those who forge a lie upon Allah do not prosper.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Do not falsely declare with your tongues, “This is lawful, and that is unlawful,” ˹only˺ fabricating lies against Allah. Indeed, those who fabricate lies against Allah will never succeed.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Do not falsely say what your tongues declare, “This is lawful and this is unlawful,” thus fabricating lies against Allah. Those who fabricate lies against Allah will never succeed.

A. J. Arberry

And do not say, as to what your tongues falsely describe, 'This is lawful; and this is forbidden, so that you may forge against God falsehood; surely those who forge against God falsehood shall not prosper.

Abdul Haleem

Do not say falsely, ‘This is lawful and that is forbidden,’ inventing a lie about God: those who invent lies about God will not prosper-

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And say not concerning that wherein Your togues utter a lie: this is lawful, and this is unlawful, that ye may fabricate a lie againt Allah, verily those who fabricate lie against Allah shall not fare well.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

But say not - for any false thing that your tongues may put forth,- "This is lawful, and this is forbidden," so as to ascribe false things to Allah. For those who ascribe false things to Allah, will never prosper.

Abul Ala Maududi

And do not utter falsehoods by letting your tongues declare: "This is lawful" and "That is unlawful," thus fabricating lies against Allah. Surely those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.

Ahmed Ali

Do not utter the lies your tongues make up: "This is lawful, and this is forbidden," in order to impute lies to God; for they who impute lies to God will not find fulfilment.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And do not say – the lie which your tongues speak – “This is lawful, and this is forbidden” in order to fabricate a lie against Allah; indeed those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.

Ali Quli Qarai

Do not say, asserting falsely with your tongues, ‘This is lawful, and that is unlawful,’ attributing lies to Allah. Indeed those who attribute lies to Allah will not be felicitous.

Ali Ünal

And do not pronounce for what your tongues falsely describe: "This is lawful and this is forbidden," so that you fabricate falsehood in attribution to God. Surely those who fabricate falsehood in attribution to God do not prosper.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And do not say because of the lies which your tongues utter, `This is lawful and that is unlawful,´ lest you should forge a lie against Allâh. Those who forge lies against Allâh will never attain the goal.

English Literal

And do not say to what your tongues/languages/speeches describes/categorizes the lies/defiance/falsehood, that (is) permitted/allowed, and that (is) forbidden ." To fabricate/cut and split on (about) God the lies/denials/falsehood: "That those who fabricate/cut and split on (about) God the lies/denials/falsehood do not succeed/win.

Faridul Haque

And do not say - the lie which your tongues speak - "This is lawful, and this is forbidden" in order to fabricate a lie against Allah; indeed those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.

Hamid S. Aziz

And say not of what your own tongues pronounce, the lie "This is lawful, and this is unlawful," inventing against Allah a lie; verily, those who invent against Allah a lie shall not prosper.

Hilali & Khan

And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: "This is lawful and this is forbidden," so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

He has forbidden you only what dies of itself and blood and the flesh of swine and that over which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked; but whoever is driven to (it), not desiring nor exceeding the limit, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And, for what your tongues describe, do not utter the lie, (saying) This is lawful and this is unlawful, in order to forge a lie against Allah; surely those who forge the lie against Allah shall not prosper.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And speak not, concerning that which your own tongues qualify (as clean or unclean), the falsehood: "This is lawful, and this is forbidden," so that ye invent a lie against Allah. Lo! those who invent a lie against Allah will not succeed.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Unbelievers), do not follow whatever your lying tongues may tell you is lawful or unlawful to invent lies against God. Those who invent lies against God will have no happiness.

Qaribullah & Darwish

And do not say what your tongues falsely describe 'This is lawful, and that is forbidden' in order to forge a lie about Allah. Indeed, those who forge a lie about Allah shall never prosper.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And do not describe what your tongues have lied about, saying: "This is lawful and this is forbidden," to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah, will never succeed.

Wahiduddin Khan

Do not falsely declare, "This is lawful, and this is forbidden," so as to invent a lie against God. Surely, those who invent a lie against God do not prosper --

Talal Itani

And do not say of falsehood asserted by your tongues, “This is lawful, and this is unlawful,” in order to invent lies and attribute them to God. Those who invent lies and attribute them to God will not succeed.

Tafsir jalalayn

And do not say, concerning that which your own tongues qualify, falsehood [such as] `This is lawful, and this is unlawful', for what God [respectively] has not made lawful, and what He has not made unlawful, in order to invent lies against God, by attributing such [claims] to Him. Truly those who invent lies against God will not prosper.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَلَا تَقُولُواْ لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ هَـذَا حَلَلٌ وَهَـذَا حَرَامٌ لِّتَفْتَرُواْ عَلَى اللّهِ الْكَذِبَ

And do not describe what your tongues have lied about, saying;"This is lawful and this is forbidden," to invent lies against Allah.

This includes everyone who comes up with an innovation (Bid`ah) for which he has no evidence from the Shariah, or whoever declares something lawful that Allah has forbidden, or whoever declares something unlawful that Allah has permitted, only because it suits his opinions or whim to do so.

لِمَا تَصِفُ
(describe what...),

meaning, do not speak lies because of what your tongues put forth.

Then Allah warns against that by saying;

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ



Verily, those who invent lies against Allah, will never succeed.

meaning, either in this world or the Hereafter.

مَتَاعٌ قَلِيلٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ