Ayah
Word by Word
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا
O
ٱلنَّاسُ
mankind
كُلُواْ
Eat
مِمَّا
of what
فِي
(is) in
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
the earth
حَلَٰلٗا
lawful
طَيِّبٗا
(and) good
وَلَا
And (do) not
تَتَّبِعُواْ
follow
خُطُوَٰتِ
(the) footsteps (of)
ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ
the Shaitaan
إِنَّهُۥ
Indeed, he
لَكُمۡ
(is) to you
عَدُوّٞ
an enemy
مُّبِينٌ
clear
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا
O
ٱلنَّاسُ
mankind
كُلُواْ
Eat
مِمَّا
of what
فِي
(is) in
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
the earth
حَلَٰلٗا
lawful
طَيِّبٗا
(and) good
وَلَا
And (do) not
تَتَّبِعُواْ
follow
خُطُوَٰتِ
(the) footsteps (of)
ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ
the Shaitaan
إِنَّهُۥ
Indeed, he
لَكُمۡ
(is) to you
عَدُوّٞ
an enemy
مُّبِينٌ
clear
Translation
O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, Lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the evil one, for he is to you an avowed enemy.
Tafsir
The following was revealed when some said that it was unlawful to take a camel that has been let loose (sawaa'ib): O people, eat of what is in the earth, lawful (halaalan is a circumstantial qualifier) and wholesome (tayyiban is an adjective for emphasis), that is to say, what is delicious; and follow not the steps, the ways, of Satan, meaning, what he embellishes [of temptations]; he is a manifest foe to you, whose enmity is clear;
"The Order to eat the Lawful Things, and the Prohibition of following the Footsteps of Shaytan
After Allah stated that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him and that He Alone created the creation, He stated that;
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُواۡ مِمَّا فِي الَارۡضِ حَلَلاً طَيِّباً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواۡ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيۡطَانِ
O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan).
Allah stated that He is the Sustainer for all His creation, and He mentioned a favor that He granted them;
He has allowed them to eat any of the pure lawful things on the earth that do not cause harm to the body or the mind.
He also forbade them from following the footsteps of Shaytan, meaning his ways and methods with which he misguides his followers,
like prohibiting the Bahirah (a she-camel whose milk was spared for the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it), or
Sa'ibah (a she-camel let loose for free pasture for the idols and nothing was allowed to be carried on it), or
a Wasilah (a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a she-camel at its second delivery),
and all of the other things that Shaytan made attractive to them during the time of Jahiliyyah.
Muslim recorded Iyad bin Himar saying that Allah's Messenger said that Allah the Exalted says,
إِنَّ كُلَّ مَالٍ مَنَحۡتُهُ عِبَادِي فَهُوَ لَهُمۡ حَلَلٌ وَفِيهِ وَإِنِّي خَلَقۡتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ فَجَاءَتۡهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجۡتَالَتۡهُمۡ عَنۡ دِينِهِمۡ وَحَرَّمَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ مَا أَحۡلَلۡتُ لَهُم
`Every type of wealth I have endowed My servants is allowed for them...' (until), `I have created My servants Hunafa' (pure or upright), but the devils came to them and led them astray from their (true) religion and prohibited them from what I allowed for them.'
Allah said:
إِنَّهُ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
he is to you an open enemy.
warning against Satan.
Allah said in another instance:
إِنَّ الشَّيۡطَـنَ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوّاً إِنَّمَا يَدۡعُو حِزۡبَهُ لِيَكُونُواۡ مِنۡ أَصۡحَـبِ السَّعِيرِ
Surely, Shaytan is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire. (35:6)
and,
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوۡلِيَأءَ مِن دُونِى وَهُمۡ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ بِيۡسَ لِلظَّـلِمِينَ بَدَلاً
Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you! What an evil is the exchange for the Zalimin (polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc). (18:50)
Qatadah and As-Suddi commented on what Allah said:
وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواۡ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيۡطَانِ
(...and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan),
Every act of disobedience to Allah is among the footsteps of Satan.
Abd bin Humayd reported that Ibn Abbas said:
""Any vow or oath that one makes while angry, is among the footsteps of Shaytan and its expiation is that of the vow. ""
Allah's statement:
إِنَّمَا يَأۡمُرُكُمۡ بِالسُّوءِ وَالۡفَحۡشَاء وَأَن تَقُولُواۡ عَلَى اللّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
He (Satan) commands you only what is evil and Fahishah (sinful), and that you should say about Allah what you know not.
The verse means:
`Your enemy, Satan, commands you to commit evil acts and what is worse than that, such as adultery and so forth.
He commands you to commit what is even worse, that is, saying about Allah without knowledge.'
So this includes every innovator and disbeliever."
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.