I realize the thread has taken on a whole new (and quite amusing) turn, but this has been bugging me and I just wanna confirm with someone who knows Arabic...
Does that verse Shan quoted,
"and [they] deceived and Allah deceived and Allah is the best of deceivers"
Sura 3:54
actually mean 'deceiver' as in 'liar' in the context? I know different translations have taken it different ways, so I was just wondering what was the most correct translation, and also how scholars interpret it? (not necessarily the same).
Probably. The word is
Makr (
مكر).
See here, the same word is used in 6:123
كذلك جعلنا في كل قرية اكابر مجرميها ليمكروا فيها وما يمكرون الا بانفسهم وما يشعرون
"thus have we placed in every city chief leaders of the wicked men thereof, that they may act deceitfully therein; but they shall act deceitfully against their own souls only; and they know it not. "
Some would translate
Makr (verb) as "plan" but this has problems; as you can deceive yourself, but not plan against yourself.