muḍāriʿـُيَفْعُلُmaṣdarمَكْرٌ خَدِيعَةٌ
Core sense — he practised deceit, guile, or a stratagem; he plottedgenerated
1.1
maṣdar مَكْرٌ and امكر.
He practised deceit, guile, or circumvention; or he did so wanting to do another a foul, abominable, or evil act secretly, without the other knowing where it came from. Synonym خَدَعَ.
Of the: he practised an evasion, a shift, an artifice, a machination, a trick, a plot, or a stratagem; he plotted; or he used art, craft, cunning, or skill in managing affairs, with excellent deliberation and the ability to manage as he chose. Synonym of the maṣdar إِحْتِيَالٌ.
Or to this explanation, given by احتيال as the synonym of the maṣdar, should be added: secretly, or privately.
مَكْرٌ is praised or blamed according to the nature of its object. For further explanation, see what follows.
1.1.1he deceived, beguiled, or circumvented him—مَكَرَ بِهِ
It is made transitive by means of بِ, and also, according to Z, by itself. [But I know no instance of its being transitive by itself, except as meaning he plotted a thing: see مَكْرَ السَّيِّئ in the Qur'ān 35:41, cited under سَيِّئٌ.]
Or: he deceived, beguiled, or circumvented him, and wanted to do him a foul, abominable, or evil act secretly, without his knowing where it came from.
Synonym كَادَهُ.
Or it differs somewhat from كاده, according to Aboo-Hilál El-'Askeree.
Some say that مكر به means the above with the addition of feigning the contrary of one's real intentions, which كاده does not imply; or that this latter means he did him harm, or mischief, and the former, he did him harm, or mischief, secretly.
See the article خدع.
1.1.2he managed with consideration, acted with policy, and used stratagem, in war—مَكَرَ
1.1.3figurative · مجازGod recompensed, or requited, for deceit—مَكَرَ ٱللّٰهُ
أَمْكَرَ has the same meaning.
That is, for مَكْر, the practising of deceit and the like.
Er-Rāghib: مَكْرُ ٱللّٰهِ is God's granting a man respite, and enabling him to reach his worldly aims [so as to bring on himself the punishment due for his evil actions].
Or, according to IAth, God's causing his trials to fall on his enemies and not on his friends; or his taking men little by little, so that they do not reckon on it, giving them renewed favours for acts of obedience that are thought to be accepted while in fact they are rejected.
Qur’ānic occurrences Form 1 4 shown of 17
3:54
وَمَكَرُوا۟ وَمَكَرَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرُ ٱلْمَـٰكِرِينَAnd (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah.
27:50
وَمَكَرُوا۟ مَكْرًا وَمَكَرْنَا مَكْرًا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَThey plotted and planned, but We too planned, even while they perceived it not.
27:70
وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا تَكُن فِى ضَيْقٍ مِّمَّا يَمْكُرُونَBut grieve not over them, nor distress thyself because of their plots.
71:22
وَمَكَرُوا۟ مَكْرًا كُبَّارًا"And they have devised a tremendous Plot.
Occurrences of this form in the Qur’ān, not Lane’s choice of verse. They show the word in use; they do not say which sense above applies. Where more occur than are shown, the shortest āyāt are chosen.
Show Lane's original text
, aor. مَكُرَ , (Msb, TA,) inf. n. مَكْرٌ ; (S, A, Msb, K;) and امكر ; (Msb;) He practised deceit, guile, or circumvention; or he practised deceit, guile, or circumvention, desiring to do to another a foul, an abominable, or an evil, action, clandestinely, or without his knowing whence it proceeded; syn. خَدَعَ ; (Msb;) and of the inf. n. خَدِيعَةٌ : (S, A, K:) he practised an evasion or elusion, a shift, an artifice, or artful contrivance or device, a machination, a trick, a plot, a stratagem, or an expedient; he plotted; or he exercised art, craft, cunning, or skill, in the management or ordering of affairs, with excel-lent consideration or deliberation, and ability to manage according to his own free will; syn. of the inf. n. إِحْتِيَالٌ : (S, TA:) or to this explanation, conveyed by احتيال as the syn. of the inf. n., should be added secretly, or privately: (Lth, TA:) مَكْرٌ is praised or dispraised according to the nature of its object. (El-Basáir.) [For further explanation, see what follows.] It is trans. by means of بِ : and also, accord. to Z, by itself: (MF:) [but I know not any instance of its being trans. by itself: except as meaning he plotted a thing: see مَكْرَ السَّيِّئ in the Kur, xxxv. 41, cited voce سَيِّئٌ :] you say مَكَرَ بِهِ , (S, A, TA,) aor. and inf. n. as above, (S, TA,) meaning, He deceived, beguiled, or circumvented, him; or he deceived, beguiled, or circumvented, him, and desired to do him a foul, an abominable, or an evil, action, clandestinely, or without his knowing whence it proceeded: &c.: (S, A, TA:) syn. كَادَهُ : or it differs [somewhat] from كاده , accord. to Aboo-Hilál El-'Askeree: (TA:) some say, that مكر به signifies as above with the addition of feigning the contrary of his real intentions; which كاده does not imply: or this latter signifies “ he did him harm, ” or “ mischief; ” and the former, he did him harm, or mischief, clandestinely. (MF, voce كاد .) See art. خدع . مَكَرَ also signifies He managed with thought, or consideration, or acted with policy, and practised stratagem, in war. (TA.) مَكَرَ ٱللّٰهُ and أَمْكَرَ are syn., (IKtt, Msb,) signifying, God recompensed, or requited, for مَكْر [or the practising deceit, &c.]: (Lth, * Msb, TA: *) or مَكْرُ ٱللّٰهِ signifies God's granting a man respite or delay, and enabling him to accomplish his worldly aims [so as to bring upon himself the punishment due to his evil actions]: (Er-Rághib, TA:) or, accord. to IAth, God's causing his trials to befall his enemies, exclusively of his friends: or his taking men by little and little, so that they do not reckon upon it, bestowing upon them renewed favours for acts of obedience which are imagined to be accepted whereas they are rejected. (TA.)