(وَكَذَٰلِكَ ) (And thus): Meaning all that was mentioned before, as well as everything that happened with the Prophets (PBUT).

(وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ أَكَابِرَ مُجْرِمِيهَا لِيَمْكُرُوا فِيهَا) (And thus We have placed within every city the greatest of its criminals to conspire therein): One might ask: “How is it their fault?” The answer is that Allah (swt) clarifies matters for them and shows them the path of guidance, but because of their bad ways, they accepted the path of error and falsehood. So, Allah (swt) helps the person with taking either the choice of falsehood or that of guidance, but then that person will be held accountable for the choice he takes.

Furthermore, the Arabic word (criminal) in Arabic comes from (jaram) which means to disconnect. So, the evil deeds of a criminal are what disconnect him from the rest of society. Criminals are those who kill, transgress morals and values, and desire falsehood to achieve their own benefits on the account of others.

( لِيَمْكُرُوا فِيهَا) (to conspire therein): Using the Arabic proposition of (to) is an indication of consequence and outcome. Allah (swt) does not do injustice, but it is criminals who leave the Divine Path by doing crimes and transgression over the rights of others. The Divine path which brings wellbeing and mercy for all humanity; it prevents assault on people; stops murder, robbery, bribery, lying, and defamation; and stops all kinds of evil and sins. Furthermore, good deeds are the basis of good behaviors across Divine religions across all Prophets (PBUT), from Adam, peace be upon him, to our Prophet Mohammad (saws). The Prophet (saws) clarified this by saying:

“All creatures are the dependents of Allah. The most beloved of them to Allah is he who is most beneficial to his dependents”[1]

He (saws) did not say “not the most malicious to his dependents”  nor did he (saws) say: “who prays, fasts, goes to pilgrimage, or pays alms the most”, because the Divine Path is distinguished by the positive trace it leaves behind. Allah (swt) says:

 إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ فِي إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ

(Indeed, it is We who bring the dead to life and record what they have put forth and what they left behind, and all things We have enumerated in a clear register.) (Yasin:12)

This is why faith is always mentioned together with good deeds:

 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلًا

(Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging,) (Al-Kahf:107)

 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا

(Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.) (Al-Kahf: 30)

 وَالْعَصْرِ (1) إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (2) إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (3)

((1) By time (2) Indeed, mankind is in loss (3) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.) (Al-Asr)

Good deeds are the opposite of corruption. So, criminals turned out like that because of their crimes, not because Allah (swt) initially created them evil like most people think.

In the Surah of (Al-Israa) Allah (swt) says:

 وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَن نُّهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا 

(And when We intend to destroy a city, We command its affluent but they defiantly disobey therein; so the word comes into effect upon it, and We destroy it with [complete] destruction.) (Al-Israa:16)

Scholars raised a question here on whether Allah (swt) would order of disobedience? Allah (swt) does not order immorality, but rather order us to do good. He (swt) says:

  إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

(Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.) (An-Nahl:90)

Allah (swt) ordered them to follow the righteous path but they disobeyed.

( لِيَمْكُرُوا فِيهَا ) (to conspire therein): The Arabic word for (conspiracy) used here describes how branches twirl on each other so that it is hard to recognize to which branch a particular leave belongs to.  It means, planning a matter made in secrecy, to hide the truth and conspire.

( وَمَا يَمْكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ) (But they conspire not except against themselves, and they perceive [it] not): Allah (swt) describes the result of their conspiracy when He (swt) says:

 وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ 

(But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.) (Al-Anfal: 30)

Indeed, they are unknowingly conspiring against themselves only, as they do not realize that He (swt) is  fully aware of their conspiracies and will revoke them. When the polytheists conspired against the Prophet (saws) on the day of his immigration and surrounded his home with forty men, each one from a different Arab tribe, so as to scatter the revenge for his blood (saws) between the tribes; the Prophet (saws) could walk out of his home passing them, following the order of Allah (swt), after he (saws) had taken all precautions. However, taking necessary precautions is part of committing to the Path of Guidance that Allah (swt) has set. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) slept in his bed to make the polytheists believe that the Prophet (saws) was still asleep in his house. His guide for the road was Abdulla bin Fuhaira, while Asmaa bint Abi Baker (may Allah be pleased with them) prepared the food. He (saws) then hid in the cave. Anas bin Malek narrates the story as he heard it from Abu Bakir (may Allah be pleased with him) when he and the Prophet (saws) were fully surrounded in the cave:

“I was in the company of the Prophet (saws) in the cave. Upon seeing the traces of the polytheists, I said: ‘O’ Allah’s Messenger, if one of them should lift up his foot, he will see us’. He said:

“What do you think of two, the third of whom is Allah?”[2]

The story is registered in the Holy Quran for history to remember:

 إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

(If you do not aid the Prophet – Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquility upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah – that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.) (At-Tawba: 40)

He is safeguarded by Allah (swt). Similar to what Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, did when he was also surrounded and was in front of the sea, the companions of Moses, peace be upon him, said:

 فَلَمَّا تَرَاءَى الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَابُ مُوسَىٰ إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ (61) قَالَ كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ (62)

(And when the two companies saw one another, the companions of Moses said, “Indeed, we are to be overtaken!”

(62) [Moses] said, “No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me.”) (Ash-Shu’araa: 61-62)

Similar to what happened with the Prophet Mohammad (saws); he relied on the protection of Allah (saw) after taking all precautions. The Holy Quran says:

  وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ ۚ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

(And [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [from Makkah]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.) (Al-Anfal: 30)

Allah (swt) stopped their conspiracy; He (swt) is the Best of planners.

[1] Shu’ab Al-Iman, Hadith No. 7445.

[2] Sahih al-Bukhari, Prophetic Commentary on the Quran, Hadith No. 4386.