Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 168

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O people, eat permissible good things out of what lies in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of ShaiTān (Satan); indeed, he is an open enemy for you.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O humanity! Eat from what is lawful and good on the earth and do not follow Satan’s footsteps. He is truly your sworn enemy.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O mankind, eat from what is lawful and good on earth and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, for he is your sworn enemy.

A. J. Arberry

O men, eat of what is in the earth lawful and good; and follow not the steps of Satan; he is a manifest foe to you.

Abdul Haleem

People, eat what is good and lawful from the earth, and do not follow Satan’s footsteps, for he is your sworn enemy.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Mankind! eat of whatsoever is, the earth, lawful, and clean and follow not the footsteps of Satan; verily he is an enemy unto you manifest.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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.

Abul Ala Maududi

O people, eat of what is lawful and clean in the earth and do not follow the ways of Satan, for he is your avowed enemy.

Ahmed Ali

O men, eat only the things of the earth that are lawful and good. Do not walk in the footsteps of Satan, your acknowledged enemy.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O mankind! Eat from what is lawful and clean in the earth; and do not follow the footsteps of the devil; undoubtedly he is your open enemy.

Ali Quli Qarai

O mankind! Eat of what is lawful and pure in the earth, and do not follow in Satan’s steps. Indeed, he is your manifest enemy.

Ali Ünal

O humankind! (Observe whatever God commands you. He has made you dwell on the earth, so) eat of what is on the earth provided it is lawful, pure and wholesome (in composition and religiously); and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan (who deceives both those who are followed and those who follow); indeed he is a manifest enemy to you.

Amatul Rahman Omar

O people! eat what is lawful and pure (of the produces) of the earth and follow not the footsteps of satan for he is your enemy severing you (from Allâh).

English Literal

You, you the people, eat from what (is) in the Earth/land permitted/allowed good/enjoyable , and do not follow the devil`s foot-steps, that he (is) for you an evident enemy.

Faridul Haque

O mankind! Eat from what is lawful and clean in the earth; and do not follow the footsteps of the devil; undoubtedly he is your open enemy.

Hamid S. Aziz

O you folk! Eat of what is in the earth, things lawful and things good, and follow not the footsteps of Satan, verily, to you he is an open foe.

Hilali & Khan

O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O men, eat the lawful and good things from that is in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Surely he is an open enemy to you.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O men! eat the lawful and good things out of what is in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of the Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.

Muhammad Sarwar

People, eat of the good and lawful things on earth. Do not follow the footsteps of Satan; he is clearly your enemy.

Qaribullah & Darwish

People, eat of what is lawful and good on the earth and do not walk in satan's footsteps, because he is for you a clear enemy,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy.

Wahiduddin Khan

O mankind, eat whatever is lawful and wholesome on the earth; and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan; for he is indeed your avowed enemy.

Talal Itani

O people! Eat of what is lawful and good on earth, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. He is to you an open enemy.

Tafsir jalalayn

The following was revealed when some said that it was unlawful to take a camel that has been let loose (saw'ib); O people, eat of what is in the earth, lawful (hallan 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;

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

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 كُلُواْ مِمَّا فِي الَارْضِ حَلَلاً طَيِّباً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ

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 مَنَحْتُهُ عِبَادِي فَهُوَ لَهُمْ حَلَلٌ وَفِيهِ وَإِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ فَجَاءَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ 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 لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ


he is to you an open enemy.

warning against Satan.

Allah said in another instance;

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَـنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوّاً إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُواْ مِنْ أَصْحَـبِ 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 أَوْلِيَأءَ مِن دُونِى وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِيْسَ 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 تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ
(...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 يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِالسُّوءِ وَالْفَحْشَاء وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ