Plotting

At a glance

Plotting in Arabic, known as makr, refers fundamentally to hidden planning and contriving schemes behind the scenes. While human beings frequently plot out of arrogance, unchecked desire, or a wish to block the truth, their schemes remain fragile and limited. The Quran warns that no human deceit can ever outmaneuver the divine plan.

When the Quran attributes plotting to Allah, it signifies His perfect justice, supreme wisdom, and irresistible power. Allah turns the deceptive schemes of tyrants back upon their own heads, rescues His righteous servants, and exposes wickedness. Divine scheming is never initiated as wrongdoing; rather, it is a righteous requital and a subtle gradual drawing of the corrupt toward reckoning.

Reflecting on this theme builds deep reliance on Allah and protects the heart from complacency. A believer learns neither to fear the sophisticated plots of adversaries nor to become deceived by worldly ease when disobeying God.

Key verses

1. Ali 'Imran 3:54: Allah declares that while the disbelievers plotted, He also planned, and He is the very best of planners.
2. Ar-Ra'd 13:42: All plotting ultimately belongs entirely to Allah, meaning human schemes are subject to His will and cannot cause harm except by His permission.
3. Yunus 10:21: When ungrateful people scheme against divine signs after being granted mercy, Allah is swifter in responding with His decisive plan.

Words to know

المكر al-makr

Diverting another from their intended course through hidden contrivance, which can be praiseworthy when pursuing good or blameworthy when intending evil.

Appears 43 times in the Quran.

Most common forms: مَكَرَ (22), مَكْر (19), ماكِر (2)

Root: م ك ر

الخيانة al-khiyanah

Breaching a trust or covenant in secret, an act of pure evil that can never be praiseworthy nor attributed to Allah.

Root: خ و ن

الكيد al-kayd

Willing harm against another secretly through calculated contrivance, or from Allah, arranging things with truth to requite human actions.

Root: ك ي د

الاحتيال al-ihtiyal

Exhausting one or more methods in order to turn someone away from what they dislike toward what they desire.

الخديعة al-khadi'ah

Adopting an artificial demeanor contrary to one's true disposition in order to lure the victim into what the deceiver desires.

Attributing plotting to Allah

From the paper: «أولًا: إسناد المكر إلى الله»

The Quran attributes plotting to Allah in several verses, such as Ali 'Imran 3:54 and Al-A'raf 7:99. Scholars explain that this attribution reflects divine perfection and justice, understood through several established scholarly perspectives:

• Stylistic correspondence (mushakalah): Mentioning Allah's action with the term "plotting" mirrors the plot of the transgressors, showing He destroys them unexpectedly.
• Just recompense: The retribution for a scheme is termed a plot just as the punishment for an evil deed is called an evil.
• Attribution of creation: Attributing the creation of the consequence to the Creator, as in "the she-camel of Allah."
• Divine attribute of perfection: Plotting is an action-based attribute of Allah that operates in response to those who scheme against His message, as noted by Ibn al-Qayyim and al-Shinqiti. It is never absolute, so one does not derive from it a proper name like "the Plotter."

In Allah's right, plotting represents ultimate wisdom: granting respite, showering the rebellious with apparent blessings, and suddenly seizing them when they are heedless.

Causes of plotting

From the paper: «ثانيًا: أسباب المكر»

Plotting is divided into praiseworthy and blameworthy types, each carrying distinct motives.

Praiseworthy planning occurs when Allah defends His allies, breaks tyrannical arrogance, and executes just retribution. A key divine instrument is istidraj: gradually drawing the arrogant into destruction by showering them with wealth, health, and worldly comfort despite their sins. It also includes legitimate strategic deception in warfare to spare blood and achieve victory.

Blameworthy plotting arises from corrupt human motives:

• Earthly arrogance: Striving for unwarranted grandeur leads criminals to plot against prophetic guidance Fatir 35:43.
• Excessive lust and luxury: Pampered living darkens the heart and sparks scheming to protect illicit indulgences, illustrated by the women around the minister's wife and continuous day-and-night manipulation.
• Obstructing divine truth: Seeking to extinguish faith through relentless traps, character assassination, or driving believers from their homes.

Consequences of plotting in this world

From the paper: «أولًا: عواقب المكر في الدنيا»

The Quran establishes universal divine laws regarding the worldly aftermath of deceit:

• Destruction of the plotters: Schemes inevitably backfire on those who concoct them Fatir 35:43. The plotters of Thamud conspired to murder Salih secretly, only for divine punishment to flatten their homes in an instant.
• Victory for the truthful: Allah takes it upon Himself to defend the oppressed. His counter-measure is swifter than any human scheme Yunus 10:21, neutralizing threats before they strike.
• Unanticipated punishment: Calamity often arrives precisely when schemers feel most secure, whether during nighttime slumber or midday distraction.
• Exposure and downfall: Secret malice is dragged into the open. Like a towering palace shattered at its foundational pillars, elaborate conspiracies crumble upon the heads of their builders.

Believers are reminded never to despair over hostile scheming; walking in piety and excellence guarantees divine companionship.

Consequences of plotting in the hereafter

From the paper: «ثانيًا: عواقب المكر في الآخرة»

While worldly ruin is terrifying, the ultimate accountability for deceit unfolds in the afterlife:

• A grievous penalty: The Quran highlights Pharaoh and his hosts, who drowned in the sea and are paraded before hellfire morning and evening, awaiting the harshest torment on Judgment Day.
• The ruin of all schemes: Conspirators who labored to crush truth or hypocritically displayed righteousness for show will find their plotting completely bankrupt. Their deceptive craft will perish without fruit.
• Bitter, useless regret: The day-and-night deceivers and those who blindly followed them will behold the torment and swallow agonizing remorse.

Every concealed intention and covert ploy will be made glaringly manifest before all witnesses on the Day when inner secrets are laid bare.

Takeaways

1. Beware of Ease During Disobedience

   Continuous health, wealth, and smooth circumstances while persisting in sin can be a form of gradual luring (istidraj), not a sign of divine pleasure.

2. Trust Allah Against Hostile Scheming

   No matter how intricate an adversary's plot appears, it cannot escape divine awareness or overcome Allah's promise to protect the righteous.

3. Take Practical Means Without Reliance on Deceit

   A believer must take protective actions and work diligently against harm, relying on Allah rather than resorting to dishonorable tricks.

4. Purify Intentions from Secret Hypocrisy

   Feigning piety to manipulate others is an evil scheme that is doomed to ruin, leaving only public disgrace and remorse on the Day of Judgment.

Reflect

• Have you ever viewed an increase in worldly comfort as divine approval, without examining whether you were living in obedience?
• When facing unfair treatment or covert hostility from others, do you place your trust in Allah's defense or feel tempted to use deceitful tactics yourself?
• How can you actively cultivate piety and reliance on Allah so that your heart remains calm when worldly plans unravel around you?

Go deeper

Linguistic meaning

The Arabic root m-k-r indicates entangling, twisting, hidden contrivance, and roundness.

Technical meaning

Al-Raghib defined human plotting as turning another person away from their intended objective through a contrivance, while al-Jurjani defined it as causing harm to reach a person without their awareness.

How it differs from related terms

الخيانة Treachery

Treachery specifically means breaching a covenant or trust in secret. Unlike plotting, which can be praiseworthy when aimed at an honorable end, treachery is unadulterated evil and can never be attributed to Allah.

الكيد Contriving / Plotting

Contriving involves deep reflection and mental calculation to bring about harm secretly. It is considered stronger than plotting because it can denote overpowering the victim whether they are aware of the impending harm or not.

الاحتيال Ingenious Contrivance

Contrivance or ingenuity refers to exhausting ways to move from an undesirable situation to a desirable one. It can be used purely to deliver benefit to someone, whereas plotting is fundamentally associated with estimating harm.

الخديعة Deception

In deception, enmity is usually known or anticipated, yet the deceiver assumes a false pretense so that the strike lands from an unexpected angle; in plotting, the victim does not even anticipate malice from the plotter.

Every verse in the paper

All 5 verses the research paper discusses, grouped under its own headings.

Plotting in Quranic usage «المكر في الاستعمال القرآني»

13:42, 10:21, 7:99, 3:54, 35:43

About this source

Volume

16

Research paper

«المكر» (Plotting)

Read the full paper (Arabic)

Encyclopedia of Thematic Tafsir of the Noble Quran, published by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

This study guide summarizes the Arabic research paper. For full scholarly detail, refer to the original. This preview has not been reviewed yet.

Related topics

• Loss الخسران
• Awe الخشية
• Treachery الخيانة
• Torment العذاب
• Concealment الكتمان
• Secret Counsel النجوى