Al-An'am Verse 108

˹O believers!˺ Do not insult what they invoke besides Allah or they will insult Allah spitefully out of ignorance. This is how We have made each people’s deeds appealing to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do.

Do not revile those whom they supplicate besides Allah, lest they revile Allah out of spite and lack of knowledge. This is how We made the deeds of every people appealing to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do.

Abuse not those to whom they pray, apart from God, or they will abuse God in revenge without knowledge. So We have decked out fair to every nation their deeds; then to their Lord they shall return, and He will tell them what they have been doing.

[Believers], do not revile those they call on beside God in case they, in their hostility and ignorance, revile God. To each community We make their own actions seem alluring, but in the end they will return to their Lord and He will inform them of all they did.

Revile not those whom they invoke besides Allah, lest they may spitefully revile Allah without knowledge. Thus fair-seeming unto every community We have made their work. Then unto their Lord is their return, and then He will declare unto them that which they were wont to work.

Revile not ye those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they out of spite revile Allah in their ignorance. Thus have We made alluring to each people its own doings. In the end will they return to their Lord, and We shall then tell them the truth of all that they did.

Do not revile those whom they invoke other than Allah, because they will revile Allah in ignorance out of spite. For We have indeed made the deeds of every people seem fair to them. Tlen, their return is to their Lord and He will inform them of what they have done.

Do not revile those who invoke others apart from God, lest they begin to revile God out of malice and ignorance. We have made attractive their deeds to every people. They have to go back to their Lord, when He will tell them what they used to do.

Do not abuse those whom they worship besides Allah lest they become disrespectful towards Allah’s Majesty, through injustice and ignorance; likewise, in the eyes of every nation, We have made their deeds appear good – then towards their Lord they have to return and He will inform them of what they used to do.

Do not abuse those whom they invoke besides Allah, lest they should abuse Allah out of hostility, without any knowledge. That is how to every people We have made their conduct seem decorous. Then their return will be to their Lord and He will inform them concerning what they used to do.

And do not (O believers) revile the things or beings that they have, apart from God, deified and invoke, lest (if you do so) they attempt to revile God out of spite, and in ignorance. Thus have We made their deeds seem fair to every people; then to their (true) Lord is the return of all of them, and He will make them understand what they were doing (and call them to account for it).

Do not revile those whom they call upon besides Allâh, lest they should revile Allâh transgressingly (and) through lack of knowledge. Just We made their deeds fair-seeming to them so have We made to each people fairseeming what they do. Then to their Lord is their return, so He will inform them as to what they have been doing.

And do not insult/abuse/defame those who call from other than God, so they insult/abuse/defame God, transgression/violation without knowledge, like that We decorated/beautified to every nation/generation their work , then to their Lord (is) their return, so He informs them with what they were making/doing .

Do not abuse those whom they worship besides Allah lest they become disrespectful towards Allah’s Majesty, through injustice and ignorance; likewise, in the eyes of every nation, We have made their deeds appear good - then towards their Lord they have to return and He will inform them of what they used to do.

Revile (or abuse) not those who call on other than Allah, for then they may abuse Allah openly in their ignorance. Thus We make seemly to every nation their deeds. But unto their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of the truth of what they used to do.

And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do.

And if Allah had pleased, they would not have set up others (with Him). And We have not appointed thee a keeper over them, and thou art not placed in charge of them.

And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest exceeding the limits they should abuse Allah out of ignorance. Thus have We made fair seeming to every people their deeds; then to their Lord shall be their return, so He will inform them of what they did.

Revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance. Thus unto every nation have We made their deed seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, and He will tell them what they used to do.

Believers, do not say bad words against the idols lest they (pagans) in their hostility and ignorance say such words against God. We have made every nation's deeds seem attractive to them. One day they will all return to their Lord who will inform them of all that they have done.

Do not say crude words to those who call upon other than Allah, lest they use crude words about Allah in revenge without knowledge. As such we have made the actions of each nation seem pleasing. To their Lord they shall return, and He will inform them of that they were doing.

And insult not those whom they worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall inform them of all that they used to do.

Do not revile those [beings] whom they invoke instead of God, lest they, in their hostility, revile God out of ignorance. Thus to every people We have caused their actions to seem fair. To their Lord they shall all return, and He will declare to them all that they have done.

Do not insult those they call upon besides God, lest they insult God out of hostility and ignorance. We made attractive to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do.

Do not revile those whom they call upon, besides God, namely, the idols, lest they then revile God out of spite, out of aggression and wrongfully, through ignorance, that is, through their ignorance of God. So, in the same way that We have adorned for these that which they practise, We have adorned for every community their, good and evil, deeds, and they commit them; then to their Lord they shall return, in the Hereafter, and He will tell them what they used to do, and requite them for it.

The Prohibition of Insulting the False gods of the Disbelievers, So that they Do not Insult Allah

Allah says;

وَلَا تَسُبُّواْ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ فَيَسُبُّواْ اللّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ

And insult not those whom they worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge.

Allah prohibits His Messenger and the believers from insulting the false deities of the idolators, although there is a clear benefit in doing so. Insulting their deities will lead to a bigger evil than its benefit, for the idolators might retaliate by insulting the God of the believers, Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but He.

Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn Abbas commented on this Ayah,

"They (disbelievers) said, `O Muhammad! You will stop insulting our gods, or we will insult your Lord.' Thereafter, Allah prohibited the believers from insulting the disbelievers' idols,
فَيَسُبُّواْ اللّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
(lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge)."

Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ma`mar said that Qatadah said,

"Muslims used to insult the idols of the disbelievers and the disbelievers would retaliate by insulting Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Allah revealed,
وَلَا تَسُبُّواْ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ
(And insult not those whom they worship besides Allah)."

On this same subject -- abandoning what carries benefit to avert a greater evil - it is recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَلْعُونٌ مَنْ سَبَّ وَالِدَيْه

Cursed is he who insults his own parents!

They said, "O Allah's Messenger! And how would a man insult his own parents!"

He said,

يَسُبُّ أَبَا الرَّجُلِ فَيَسُبُّ أَبَاهُ وَيَسُبُّ أُمَّهُ فَيَسُبُّ أُمَّه

He insults a man's father, and that man insults his father, and insults his mother and that man insults his mother.

Allah's statement,

كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ

Thus We have made fair seeming to each people its own doings;

means, as We made fair seeming to the idolators loving their idols and defending them, likewise We made fair seeming to every previous nation the misguidance they indulged in. Allah's is the most perfect proof, and the most complete wisdom in all that He wills and chooses.

ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ

then to their Lord is their return,

gathering and final destination,

فَيُنَبِّيُهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ



and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do.

He will compensate them for their deeds, good for good and evil for evil