Praise be to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Actions that are only perfection in a particular context, such as plotting, scheming, mocking, and deceiving, may not be attributed to Allah تعالى in an unrestricted manner. Rather, they are mentioned in the restricted context in which the texts mention them, in a manner that entails justice and perfection. Nor are names of Allah تعالى derived from them.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿And they plotted, and Allah plotted. And Allah is the best of plotters.﴾ [Aal ‘Imran: 54].
And He سبحانه says:
﴿Indeed, they are plotting a scheme, and I am plotting a scheme.﴾ [At-Tariq: 15–16].
And Allah تعالى says concerning the hypocrites:
﴿And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe,” but when they are alone with their devils, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we were only mocking.” Allah mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression, wandering blindly.﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 14–15].
And He سبحانه says:
﴿Indeed, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them.﴾ [An-Nisa’: 142].
These actions are not mentioned in the texts in an unrestricted manner. Rather, they occur in the context of confronting the people of falsehood and requiting them for their actions.
Plotting, deceiving, scheming, and mocking are not descriptions that constitute praise in every circumstance. They may be wrongful and blameworthy deception when used unjustly, while they may constitute justice and retribution when they are in response to someone who has acted unjustly and aggressively.
For this reason, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله stated that plotting, mocking, and similar actions, when directed against someone who does not deserve punishment, are injustice. But when they are punishment for someone who committed such an act against the wronged party, and the retribution is just, then it is justice.
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله stated that these meanings include what is praiseworthy and what is blameworthy. What is blameworthy among them goes back to injustice, lying, and evil intent, whereas what is done rightfully, justly, and as retribution for something evil is good and praiseworthy.
Accordingly, attributing these actions to Allah تعالى in the texts does not imply any deficiency, because they occur in contexts where they constitute perfection and justice, and they indicate the perfection of Allah’s knowledge, power, might, and justice.
Since these actions are not perfection in every circumstance, it is not correct to attribute them to Allah تعالى without qualification.
For example, one should not say:
Rather, one should use the wording found in the revealed texts and within their context, such as:
The point is that the description must be restricted to the aspect indicated by the texts, rather than making one of these actions an unrestricted description of Allah تعالى.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin رحمه الله said:
“An attribute of perfection with a qualification: Allah is not described with it absolutely; rather, it is qualified, such as plotting, deception, and mocking.”
Likewise, it is not permissible to derive names for Allah تعالى from these actions. Thus, one should not say that among the names of Allah are:
The Plotter, The Deceiver, The Mocking One, or The Schemer.
This is because all the names of Allah تعالى are beautiful, and a name must indicate absolute perfection. These actions, however, may be praiseworthy in one context and blameworthy in another.
Therefore, it is not correct to consider “The Plotter,” “The Deceiver,” or “The Mocking One” among the Beautiful Names of Allah merely because the corresponding action is mentioned in the Qur’an.
The principle here is that the scope of actions is broader than the scope of names. An action may be attributed to Allah تعالى in a specific manner established by the texts, without this requiring that an unrestricted name be derived from it.
Plotting, scheming, deceiving, and mocking are actions affirmed for Allah تعالى in the texts, but they are not mentioned in an unrestricted manner. Rather, they are mentioned with the qualification found in the context of the texts, where they constitute justice and perfection in dealing with the people of falsehood and requiting them for their actions.
It is not permissible to derive names for Allah تعالى from them, so one should not say that The Plotter, The Deceiver, The Mocking One, or The Schemer are among the Beautiful Names of Allah.
It is preferable to adhere to the wording found in the Qur’an and Sunnah, affirming what Allah has affirmed for Himself in a manner befitting His Majesty, without likening Him to His creation or making comparisons.
And Allah knows best.