This is what happens when you let disbelievers translate the Qur'an for you, while also ignoring half of the actual definitions in your own posted link and pretty much every other translation available. You should not let them do that.
Let's look at how this verse is actually translated elsewhere:
54 ومكروا ومكر الله والله خير الماكرين
— 'Ali `Imran 54Sahih International
- And the disbelievers planned, but Allah planned. And Allah is the best of planners.
Muhsin Khan
- And they (disbelievers) plotted [to kill 'Iesa (Jesus) ], and Allah planned too. And Allah is the Best of the planners.
Pickthall
- And they (the disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers.
Yusuf Ali
- And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah.
Shakir
- And they planned and Allah (also) planned, and Allah is the best of planners.
Dr. Ghali
- And they schemed, and Allah schemed, and Allah is The Most Charitable of schemers.
Notice a pattern here? In particular, notice how none of these translations willfully chose the least charitable possible translation of ماكرين to make Allah look bad, which is a tactic often used by the unbelievers to discredit Islam.
Even your own link includes many possible interpretations, including "artful", "crafty", "cunning", "designing", "clever" and so forth.
But getting back to the core question: "Is Allah the best deceiver?" Obviously, Allah is the best at everything, and to say that He is not "the best deceiver" would be to imply that someone is better than Him, or that He Himself could be deceived by His own creation. If it were actually His will to deceive someone, there would be nothing anyone could do about it. But even then, to think that being "the best deceiver" means that He somehow just goes around… deceiving people… for some reason… would completely miss the fact that Allah is also the Most Just, the Most Wise, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, etc. Insofar as Allah is perfect, anything He does would only be done for the most perfect of reasons.
And in context, the verse is very obviously just referring to how He is so far above the machinations of his enemies — those who think they are so clever that they can deceive the All-Creator of the Universe — and that their plans are nothing compared to His Majesty.
Answer from goldPseudo on Stack ExchangeWikiIslam
Allah, the Best Deceiver (Qur'an 3:54) - WikiIslam
November 27, 2023 - Therefore Allah admits to deceiving the people. For the next 600 years, Allah sat back and watched all these people converting to, and following Christianity; a religion that was started by his deception, but he did not bother to lift a finger to correct anything until 600 years later, when ...
Quora
Why does Allah refer to himself as the 'best deciever' or 'best of schemers' in Quran 3:54 and 7:99? - Quora
Answer (1 of 9): The literal meaning of “Makr” is plan, plot or scheme [1]. It can be good or evil depending on the context in which it is used as evident from Edward William Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon. [2] > MAKR Has two meanings [3] : 1. Plotting or planning evil intent.
Reddit
r/islam on Reddit: Quran 3:54 Allah is the best of deceivers?
July 24, 2022 - "Do those who have planned evil actions feel safe, that Allah may cause the earth to swallow them, or that the punishment may come to them from where they did not expect?" [Qur'an 16:45] Here, the phrase for "planned evil actions" is "مَكَرُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ" (makaroo ...
Answering-islam
Allah: Truthful or Deceiver?
Please meditate on the statements presented in this paper. They are not intended as personal attacks but are simply points to consider. The Quran itself testifies that Allah is the greatest of all makereen (deceivers). If this verse is true, what hope do we have that the rest of the Quran can ...
Discover The Truth
Response To Critics Claim ‘Allah Is A Deceiver’ – Quran 3:54 – Discover The Truth
October 1, 2020 - The aim of this article is to answer ... Transliteration: Wamakaroo wamakara Allahu waAllahu khayru almakireena Translation: “And the disbelievers planned, but Allah planned. And Allah is the best of planners.” – Quran 3:54...
Reddit
Allah, the Best Deceiver (Qur'an 3:54) - is this correct translation ? : r/AcademicQuran
September 25, 2024 - This is not how translation works. Yes, makr is a verb thst translates pretty obviously as "to deceive", but people clearly find that word inappropriate to attribute to God in English. And the Quran clearly doesn't think it's inappropriate to attribute makr to God.
STEALTH TEAM MEGIDDO
Surah 3:54 – Allah Deceives the Muslims and the Christians | STEALTH TEAM MEGIDDO
September 10, 2019 - Literal Translation: And they cheated/deceived and Allah cheated/deceived, and Allah is the best of the cheaters/deceivers. Transliteration (Arabic original): Wa-makaroo wa-makara Allahu wa-Allahu khayru al-makireena.
Quora
Quran 3 v 54 says Allah is best of all deceivers that means the god Muslim worship is Satan because only him deceive. Why then do Muslim want to convert people to worship Satan? - Muslims on Quora. - Quora
Answer: 3 : 54. وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ They plotted, and Allah planned, but Allah is the Best of planners. Translation of Makir The Arbic word “Makr/ Makir” in general talking is a negative word ...
My Islam
Surah Al-Imran Ayat 54 (3:54 Quran) With Tafsir - My Islam
January 28, 2023 - Read Surah Imran Ayat 54 (3:54) with translation. Included verse by verse commentary with tafsir for those looking to learn about this ayah in detail.
Ask Ghamidi
Quran 3:54 - Is Allah The Best Of Planners Or The Best Of The Deceiver? - Ask Ghamidi
March 6, 2024 - In Surah Ali 'Imran 3:54, Allah says, "And the disbelievers made a plan (against Isa (AS), but Allah also planned—and Allah is the best of
Shiachat
Deception in Islam - Christianity/Judaism Dialogue - ShiaChat.com
August 10, 2004 - I found this on a website - for discussion only (I want to know what people think):http://www.muslimhope.com/deceptioninislam.htmDeception in IslamHere are some of the interesting things Islam and Sharia Law says about deception. Many people might not be aware of these. Sura 3:54The Iraqi Informa...
Islamweb
Refuting the malicious allegation that Allaah deceives people
Explore the truth behind the misunderstood Quranic verses often cited by critics alleging that Allah deceives individuals. This page addresses the accusations derived from Quran 3:54, 4:157, and 8:30, clarifying that the Arabic terms for scheming or plotting (makr) hold different implications ...
Muslimseekers
Quran teaches that Allah is the best of deceivers – muslimseekers.com
But again, Allah is the greatest ... When I just said that Allah is the best deceiver, the greatest of all deceivers, that’s actually stated in the Quran and it stated in respect to the final moments of Jesus’s life on earth. Chapter 3 verse 54....
Quran
Verse (3:54) - English Translation
Welcome to the Quranic Arabic Corpus, an annotated linguistic resource for the Holy Quran. This page shows seven parallel translations in English for the 54th verse of chapter 3 (sūrat āl ʿim'rān). Click on the Arabic text to below to see word by word details of the verse's morphology · ...
Answeringmuslims
Answering Muslims: Is Allah the Best of Deceivers?
According to the Qur'an , Allah is the "best of deceivers" (3:54; 8:30). The phrase is often translated into English as "best of planners,"...
Quranx
QuranX.com The most complete Quran / Hadith / Tafsir collection available!
It has come in the traditions that someone tormented Abū Dardā. Abū Dardā said, “Lord God, bestow upon him a healthy body, long life, and great wealth!” An intelligent man who ponders these words will know that this is the worst of supplications. When anyone is given this, recklessness ...
Quran
Surah Ali 'Imran - 54 - Quran.com
And the disbelievers made a plan ˹against Jesus˺, but Allah also planned—and Allah is the best of planners.
Quora
Why does the Quran call Allah the greatest of deceivers? - Quora
Answer (1 of 7): Qur’an doesn’t say that. A word in arabic has multiple meanings depending on the context and story. Allah Almighty says in Holy Qur’an Surah 8, Verse 30 “And ˹remember, O Prophet,˺ when the disbelievers conspired to capture, kill, or exile you.
Medium
The Qur’an Calls Allah the Greatest Deceiver and Affirms the Bible — Is Islam Self-Refuting? 1-Minute Case | by Street Theologian | Medium
February 22, 2025 - PLUS Exploring Tanzih- Nothing in This World Is Remotely Like Allah in ANY Sense