45:7

وَيۡلٞ لِّكُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٖ

Waylun likulli affakin atheemin

Woe to every sinful liar

Word by word
  1. وَيۡلٞWoe
  2. لِّكُلِّto every
  3. أَفَّاكٍliar
  4. أَثِيمٖsinful
Al-Jathiyah · 45:7Makkah

Woe to every sinful liar.

A heart shaped by lying


Who this describes
lies in speechoften
swears a lotto be believed
sins openlyword and deed
Small lies
harmlessjust to get by
a habitthat blinds the heart

Ibn Kathir describes the sinful liar as one who lies in his speech, often swears, and commits and utters sinful acts and words, then disbelieves in Allah's verses. Lying is listed first.

"I'm five minutes away" when you have not left. "I swear it was not me." Each small lie makes the truth a little easier to ignore.

Little lies are just how everyday life works.

A habit of lying makes it harder to hear the truth when it comes.

Try this

Go one full day without a single small lie, even a polite one.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 45:6)

These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth. Then in which speech after Allah and His Ayat will they believe (6)Woe to every sinful liar (7)Who hears the Ayat of Allah Tutla (recited) to him, yet persists with pride as if he heard them not. So announce to him a painful torment (8)And when he learns something of Our Ayat, he makes them a jest. For such there will be a humiliating torment (9)In front of them there is Hell. And that which they have earned will be of no profit to them, nor those whom they have taken as protective friends besides Allah. And theirs will be a great torment (10)This is guidance. And those who disbelieve in the Ayat of their Lord, for them there is a painful torment of Rijz (11)

The Description of the Sinful Liar and His Requital

Allah the Exalted says,

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ

(These are the Ayat of Allah) – in reference to the Qur'an with the proofs and evidences that it contains,

نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ

(which We recite to you with truth.) for they contain the truth from the Truth (i.e., Allah). Therefore, if they do not believe in Allah's Ayat nor abide by them, what speech after Allah and His Ayat will they then believe in? Allah said next,

وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

(Woe to every sinful liar.) who lies in his speech, often swears, who is worthless, commits and utters sinful acts and statements, and disbelieves in Allah's Ayat,

يَسْمَعُ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ

(Who hears the Ayat of Allah Tutla (recited) to him,) meaning, being recited to him,

ثُمَّ يُصِرُّ

(yet persists) in his disbelief, denial, pride and rebellion,

كَأَنْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهَا

(as if he heard them not.) as if he did not hear them being recited to him,

فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

(So announce to him a painful torment!) convey the news to him that on the Day of Resurrection, he will have a painful, severe torment from Allah. Allah said,

وَإِذَا عَلِمَ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا شَيْئًا اتَّخَذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ 

(And when he learns something of Our Ayat, he makes them a jest.) if he learns anything from the Qur'an, he disbelieves in it and takes it as the subject of jest and ridicule,

أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ 

(For such there will be a humiliating torment.) as recompense for ridiculing the Qur'an and jesting about it. In the Sahih, Muslim recorded from 'Abdullah bin 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited traveling with the Qur'an to enemy lands for fear that the Qur'an might be desecrated by the enemy.

Allah explained the type of torment that these people earn on the Day of Return;

مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ 

(In front of them there is Hell.) meaning, all those who have these evil characteristics will end up in Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection,

وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ مَا كَسَبُوا شَيْئًا 

(And that which they have earned will be of no profit to them,) their wealth and children will not avail them,

 وَلَا مَا اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۖ 

(nor those whom they have taken as protecting friends besides Allah.) nor will the false gods that they worshipped besides Allah benefit them in the least,

وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ 

(And theirs will be a great torment.) Allah the Exalted said,

هَٰذَا هُدًى ۖ 

(This is Huda (guidance).) in reference to the Qur'an,

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مِنْ رِجْزٍ أَلِيمٌ

(And those who disbelieve in the Ayat of their Lord, for them there is a painful torment of Rijz.) that is agonizing and severe. Allah knows best.