Surah 24 An-Noor — Ayah 21
۞ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًۭا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ
O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan - indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū lā tattabiʿū khuṭuwāti l-shayṭāni waman yattabiʿ khuṭuwāti l-shayṭāni fa-innahu yamuru bil-faḥshāi wal-munkari walawlā faḍlu l-lahi ʿalaykum waraḥmatuhu mā zakā minkum min aḥadin abadan walākinna l-laha yuzakkī man yashāu wal-lahu samīʿun ʿalīmun
Word by word
- ۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا yāayyuhā O you who believe
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna O you who believe
- ءَامَنُوا۟ āmanū O you who believe
- لَا lā (Do) not
- تَتَّبِعُوا۟ tattabiʿū follow
- خُطُوَٰتِ khuṭuwāti (the) footsteps
- ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ l-shayṭāni (of) the Shaitaan
- وَمَن waman and whoever
- يَتَّبِعْ yattabiʿ follows
- خُطُوَٰتِ khuṭuwāti (the) footsteps
- ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ l-shayṭāni (of) the Shaitaan
- فَإِنَّهُۥ fa-innahu then indeed, he
- يَأْمُرُ yamuru commands
- بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ bil-faḥshāi the immorality
- وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ wal-munkari and the evil
- وَلَوْلَا walawlā And if not
- فَضْلُ faḍlu (for the) Grace of Allah
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi (for the) Grace of Allah
- عَلَيْكُمْ ʿalaykum upon you
- وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ waraḥmatuhu and His Mercy
- مَا mā not
- زَكَىٰ zakā (would) have been pure
- مِنكُم minkum among you
- مِّنْ min anyone
- أَحَدٍ aḥadin anyone
- أَبَدًۭا abadan ever
- وَلَـٰكِنَّ walākinna but
- ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
- يُزَكِّى yuzakkī purifies
- مَن man whom
- يَشَآءُ ۗ yashāu He wills
- وَٱللَّهُ wal-lahu And Allah
- سَمِيعٌ samīʿun (is) All-Hearer
- عَلِيمٌۭ ʿalīmun All-Knower
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
A Reminder of the Grace of Allah and a Warning against following the Footsteps of Shaytan
Allah says:
(And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, and that Allah is full of kindness, Most Merciful.) meaning, if it were not for this, it would have been another matter altogether, but He, may He be exalted, is full of kindness towards His servants and Merciful towards them. He accepts the repentance of those who repent to Him from this sin, and purifies those among them who are purified by the prescribed punishment carried out on them. Then Allah says:
(O you who believe! Follow not the Khutuwat of Shaytan.) hmeaning, his ways and paths and what he commands,
(And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaytan, then, verily, he commands immorality and the evil deeds.) This is a warning given in the most concise and eloquent manner. `Ali bin Abi Talhah recorded from Ibn `Abbas that
(the Khutuwat of Shaytan) means his deeds. `Ikrimah said that it means his evil whispers. Qatadah said: "Every sin is one of the footsteps of Shaytan." Abu Mijlaz said: "Vowing to commit sin is one of the footsteps of Shaytan." Then Allah says:
(And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins.) meaning, if He did not help whomever He wills to repent and come back to Him and be purified from Shirk, evil and sin, and whatever bad characteristics each person has according to his nature, no one would ever attain purity and goodness.
(But Allah purifies whom He wills) means, among His creation, and He sends astray whomever He wills, leaving him to be doomed in his misguidance and sin.
(and Allah is All-Hearer,) means, He hears what His servants say,
(All-Knower.) of who deserves to be guided and who deserves to be misguided.