Quran Universe
2:168

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُواْ مِمَّا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ حَلَٰلٗا طَيِّبٗا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمۡ عَدُوّٞ مُّبِينٌ

Ya ayyuha alnnasu kuloo mimma fee alardi halalan tayyiban wala tattabiAAoo khutuwati alshshaytani innahu lakum AAaduwwun mubeenun

O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.

Word by word
  1. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO
  2. ٱلنَّاسُmankind
  3. كُلُواْEat
  4. مِمَّاof what
  5. فِي(is) in
  6. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  7. حَلَٰلٗاlawful
  8. طَيِّبٗا(and) good
  9. وَلَاAnd (do) not
  10. تَتَّبِعُواْfollow
  11. خُطُوَٰتِ(the) footsteps (of)
  12. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚthe Shaitaan
  13. إِنَّهُۥIndeed,he
  14. لَكُمۡ(is) to you
  15. عَدُوّٞan enemy
  16. مُّبِينٌclear
Al-Baqarah · 2:168Madinah

The earth is spread out for you. Watch the footsteps.

Wide permission, and an enemy who walks in steps

What is offered
lawful and goodfrom all over the earth
but
Satan's footstepsone small step at a time
a clear enemyto you
How he leads
one big jumpeasy to spot
footstepseach one small

After stating that He alone created everything, Allah reminds people He is also their Provider: eat from what is lawful and good on the earth. Ibn Kathir explains Satan's footsteps as his ways and methods, like the Jahiliyyah custom of forbidding certain camels to honor idols. Qatadah said every act of disobedience is one of his steps.

Nobody wakes up and decides to wreck their life. It starts with one late night, one "just this once," one oath sworn in anger. Footsteps, not leaps. Meanwhile so much good is open to you that you barely notice it.

Small slips do not really lead anywhere.

Satan works in small steps, and Allah has opened far more good than I need.

Try this

Notice one small step you keep taking toward a habit you dislike. Skip it once today.

Related35:618:50
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

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 (168)He (Satan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha' (sinful), and that you should say about Allah what you know not (169)

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 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 ﷺ said that Allah the Exalted says,

يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى:إِنَّ كُلَّ مَالٍ مَنَحْتُهُ عِبَادِي فَهُوَ لَهُمْ حَلَالٌ، - 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 الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ 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 أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِي وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِئْسَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بَدَلًا

(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 تَتَّبِعُوا 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 يَأْمُرُكُم بِالسُّوءِ وَالْفَحْشَاءِ وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(He (Satan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha (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.