Al-Najm • 53:53

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَىٰ

“And the overturned towns He hurled down”.

turn upon its head flip over make fall down deviate (from a direction) flip of truth (Al-Ifk)

Language points

أَهْوَى

Ahwaa — from هَوَى (Hawaa)

Means “to make something fall down”.

الْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ

Al-Mu’tafikah — from أَفِكَ (Afika)

Means “to turn something upon its head or flip over”.

أَفِكَ (Afika) can also mean “to deviate” i.e., from a direction.

Summary of scholarly explanations

Refers to the towns of the nation of Lut (as), called that because they turned their inhabitants upside down (they were raised up and flipped upside down).

The word الإِفْك (Al‑Ifk, “The lie”) comes from this because it is the flipping or turning upside of the truth.

It may refer to any place where homes were turned upside down and their locations made obsolete or completely effaced—where the town was made to fall to the earth after being raised up.

It can also refer to those peoples or towns that deviated and were brought down and destroyed.

According to the meaning of “deviated”, it can imply that every nation that deviated was raised up and destroyed (on top of itself).

Visualized concepts

Deviation أَفِكَ → deviation

“Deviate” here indicates turning away from a straight path, aligning with one shade of meaning of أَفِكَ (Afika).

Truth vs. Al‑Ifk الإِفْك → flipping the truth

Al‑Ifk (“the lie”) is linked to the idea of inversion—turning the truth upside down.

Raised up → Overturned الْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ • أَهْوَى

“Ahwaa” carries the sense of making something fall down, aligning with the culmination of being hurled down after being raised.

Key takeaways

Overturning and downfall: Al‑Mu’tafikah denotes places turned upon their heads, made to fall to the earth after being raised up, even to the point of being effaced.

Deviation and consequence: When understood as “those who deviated”, it encompasses peoples or towns brought down and destroyed; this can imply that every nation that deviated was raised up and destroyed (on top of itself).

Flipping truth (Al‑Ifk): The linkage to الإِفْك highlights the inversion of truth—another facet of “turning upside down.”

Specific reference among interpretations: The term includes the towns of the nation of Lut (as), described as raising and overturning their inhabitants.