Surah An Nur ayat 21 Tafsir Quran 24:21

﴿۞ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾
[ النور: 21]

24:21 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.

O you who believe do not follow in the steps of Satan that is his ways of making things seem attractive. For whoever follows in the steps of Satan assuredly he the one being followed enjoins indecency that is he enjoins vile acts and what is reprehensible if followed according to the Law. And were it not for God’s bounty to you and His mercy not one of you O band of accusers would ever have grown pure after the calumny of which you spoke that is to say not one of you would have ever been reformed or purified from this sin by repenting of it. But God purifies whom He will from sin by accepting his repentance from him and God is Hearer of what you have said Knower of your intentions.

O you who conformed to Allahs system of faith and worship: Do not follow the footsteps of AL-Shaytan (Satan) nor walk in the footsteps of those with characteristics befitting him. And he who follows the footsteps of AL-Shaytan must realize that he incites people and commands their sympathy to commit themselves to immorality and to all that is wrongful and obscene. And had it not been for Allahs efficacious grace and mercy abounding in you, He would never have vindicated any of you, but He does vindicate whom He will and Allah is Samiun (Omnipresent with unlimited audition) and Alimun

A Reminder of the Grace of Allah and a Warning against following the Footsteps of Shaytan Allah says: وَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( 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: يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ ( O you who believe! Follow not the Khutuwat of Shaytan. ) hmeaning, his ways and paths and what he commands, وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَآءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ ( 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 خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ ( 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: وَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَى مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَداً ( 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. وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ ( 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. وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ ( and Allah is All-Hearer, ) means, He hears what His servants say, عَلِيمٌ ( All-Knower. ) of who deserves to be guided and who deserves to be misguided.

(24:21) O Believers, do not follow in Satan's footsteps, for he will incite to indecency and wickedness any who will follow him. If Allah had not shown His Brace and mercy to you, none of you would have been able to cleanse yourself, *18 for it is Allah alone Who cleanses whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. *19

O you who have believed, do not meaning

*18) `Satan' is bent upon involving you in all kinds of pollutions and indecencies: had it not been for the mercy and kindness of Allah Who enables you to differentiate between good and evil and helps you to educate and reform yourselves, you would not have been able to lead a pure and virtuous life on the strength of your own faculties and initiative alone.

*19) It is Allah's Will alone which decides whom to make pious and virtuous.
His decisions are not arbitrary but based on knowledge.
He alone knows who is anxious to live a life of virtue and who is attracted towards a life of sin.
Allah hears a person's most secret talk, and is aware of everything that passes in his mind.
It is on the basis of this direct knowledge that Allah decides whom to bless with piety and virtue and whom to ignore,
 

A Reminder of the Grace of Allah and a Warning against following the Footsteps of Shaytan Allah says: وَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( 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: يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ ( O you who believe! Follow not the Khutuwat of Shaytan. ) hmeaning, his ways and paths and what he commands, وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَآءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ ( 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 خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ ( 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: وَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَى مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَداً ( 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. وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ ( 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. وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ ( and Allah is All-Hearer, ) means, He hears what His servants say, عَلِيمٌ ( All-Knower. ) of who deserves to be guided and who deserves to be misguided.

Allah then warned the believers from following Satan, saying: ( O ye who believe ) in Muhammad ( pbuh ) and in the Qur’an! ( Follow not the footsteps of the devil ) do not follow Satan’s embellishment and whisperings. ( Unto whomsoever followeth the footsteps of the devil ) whoever follows Satan’s embellishment and whisperings, ( lo! he commandeth filthiness ) evil words and deeds ( and wrong ) that which is not in the Shari’ah or the Sunnah. ( Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you ) through preserving you from sins and giving you success, ( not one of you would ever have grown pure ) no one of you would profess Allah’s divine Oneness or become righteous. ( But Allah causeth whom He will to grow ) but Allah gives success and makes righteous whoever deserves it. ( And Allah is Hearer ) He hears what you say, ( Knower ) He knows you and your works.

O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan), then, verily he commands Al-Fahsha' [i.e. to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse, etc.)], and Al-Munkar [disbelief and polytheism (i.e. to do evil and wicked deeds; to speak or to do what is forbidden in Islam, etc.)]. 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. But Allah purifies (guides to Islam) whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

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