Al-Qur'an Surah Al-A'raf Verse 200

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Should a stroke from the Satan strike you, seek refuge with Allah. Surely, He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

If you are tempted by Satan, then seek refuge with Allah. Surely He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Ruwwad Translation Center

If you are tempted by Satan, seek refuge with Allah, for He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

A. J. Arberry

If a provocation from Satan should provoke thee, seek refuge in God; He is All-hearing, All-seeing.

Abdul Haleem

If Satan should prompt you to do something, seek refuge with God- He is all hearing, all knowing-

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And if there prompt thee a prompting from the Satan, see refugee with Allah; verily He is Hearing, Knowing.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If a suggestion from Satan assail thy (mind), seek refuge with Allah; for He heareth and knoweth (all things).

Abul Ala Maududi

And if it happens that a prompting from Satan should stir you up, seek refuge with Allah. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Ahmed Ali

If you are instigated by the Devil to evil seek refuge in God, for God hears all and knows everything.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And O listener! If the devil provokes you, seek the refuge of Allah; indeed He is All Hearing, All Knowing.

Ali Quli Qarai

Should a temptation from Satan disturb you, invoke the protection of Allah; indeed He is all-hearing, all-knowing.

Ali Ünal

And if a prompting from Satan should cause you hurt (as you carry out your mission or during worship or in your everyday life), seek refuge in God. He is All- Hearing, All-Knowing.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Should any imputation from satan (who spreads reports for sowing dissension) afflict you then seek refuge in Allâh. He is indeed All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

English Literal

And if an urge to spoil evil from the devil spoils/urges you to evil (E), so seek protection by God, that He (is) hearing/listening, knowledgeable.

Faridul Haque

And O listener! If the devil provokes you, seek the refuge of Allah; indeed He is All Hearing, All Knowing.

Hamid S. Aziz

And if an incitement from the devil wound you, then seek refuge in Allah: verily, He is Hearer and Knower.

Hilali & Khan

And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitan (Satan) then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Take to forgiveness and enjoin good and turn away from the ignorant.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And if a false imputation from the Shaitan afflict you, seek refuge in Allah; surely He is Hearing, Knowing.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And if a slander from the devil wound thee, then seek refuge in Allah. Lo! He is Hearer, Knower.

Muhammad Sarwar

If Satan will try to seduce you, seek refuge from God. God is All-hearing and All-knowing.

Qaribullah & Darwish

When satan provokes you seek refuge in Allah; He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytan, then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

Wahiduddin Khan

If an evil impulse from Satan provokes you, seek refuge with God; He is all hearing, and all knowing.

Talal Itani

And when a suggestion from Satan assails you, take refuge with God. He is Hearing and Knowing.

Tafsir jalalayn

And if (imm; the letter nn of the conditional particle in, `if', has been assimilated with the extra m, `any') any insinuation from Satan should provoke you, that is, if anything should turn you away from that which you have been commanded to do, then, seek refuge in God (fa'sta`idh bi'Llh is the response to the conditional clause, with the response to the command being omitted), and He will ward it off from you, He is Hearing, of what is said, Seeing, of what is done.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللّهِ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytan, then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

These three instances in the Qur'an, in Surahs Al-A`raf, Al-Mu'minun and As-Sajdah, are unique in the Qur'an. Allah encourages lenient treatment of evil doers, for this might deter them from persistence in their evil, Allah willing,
فَإِذَا الَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ
(then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend). (41;34)

Allah also encourages seeking refuge with Him from the devils of the Jinns. The devil will not be deterred if one is lenient with him, because he seeks your destruction and total demise. The devil to you, O mankind, is an open enemy, just as he was for your father before you.

Ibn Jarir said, while explaining Allah's statement,
وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ
(And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytan),

"If the devil lures you to get angry, thus directing you away from forgiving the ignorant and towards punishing him
فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللّهِ
(then seek refuge with Allah.) Allah commands here to seek refuge with Him from the devil's whispers,
إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
(Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.) Allah hears the ignorance that the fools subject you to, your seeking refuge with Him from the devil's whispers, and the rest of the speech of His creation; none of it escapes His knowledge. He knows what drives the lures of the devil away from you, as well as, the rest of what His creatures do."

We mentioned the Hadiths concerning Isti`adhah (seeking refuge with Allah) in the beginning of this Tafsir, so we do not need to repeat them here