Quran Universe
2:208

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱدۡخُلُواْ فِي ٱلسِّلۡمِ كَآفَّةٗ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمۡ عَدُوّٞ مُّبِينٞ

Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo odkhuloo fee alssilmi kaffatan wala tattabiAAoo khutuwati alshshaytani innahu lakum AAaduwwun mubeenun

O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.

Word by word
  1. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO you
  2. ٱلَّذِينَwho
  3. ءَامَنُواْbelieve [d]
  4. ٱدۡخُلُواْEnter
  5. فِيin
  6. ٱلسِّلۡمِIslam
  7. كَآفَّةٗcompletely
  8. وَلَاand (do) not
  9. تَتَّبِعُواْfollow
  10. خُطُوَٰتِfootsteps
  11. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ(of) the Shaitaan
  12. إِنَّهُۥIndeed,he
  13. لَكُمۡ(is) for you
  14. عَدُوّٞan enemy
  15. مُّبِينٞopen
Al-Baqarah · 2:208Madinah

Enter Islam completely, not one foot at a time.

Wholehearted, not selective

Entering peace
Islamas-silm, peace
completelyas much as you can
and not
Satan's footstepsa clear enemy
How to enter
the parts I likepick and choose
all of itas far as I am able

Ibn 'Abbas and others said silm here means Islam, and kaffah means in its entirety. Ibn Kathir describes it as holding to all its commands and avoiding its prohibitions as much as they can, and once more, not following Satan's footsteps.

You pray but skip honesty in your taxes. You fast but your tongue runs loose in the group chat. Faith in the parts that fit, absent in the parts that cost. The verse calls you all the way in, as much as you are able.

I will keep the parts of faith that fit my life.

Allah calls me into Islam wholly, step by step, as much as I can.

Try this

Name one area of your life you have kept outside your faith. Take one step to bring it in.

Related2:16935:6
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

O you who believe! Enter Silm perfectly, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan). Verily, he is to you a plain enemy (208)Then if you slide back after the clear signs (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and this Qur'an and Islam) have come to you, then know that Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise (209)

Entering Islam in its Entirety is obligated

Allah commands His servants who believe in Him and have faith in His Messenger ﷺ to implement all of Islam's legislation and law, to adhere to all of its commandments, as much as they can, and to refrain from all of its prohibitions. 'Al-'Awfi said that Ibn 'Abbas said, and also Mujahid, Tawus, Ad-Dahhak, 'Ikrimah, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd said that Allah's statement:

ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ

(Enter Silm) means Islam. Allah's statement:

كَآفَّةً

(...perfectly) means, in its entirety. This is the Tafsir of Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Abu Al-'Aliyah, 'Ikrimah, Ar-Rabi' bin Anas, As-Suddi, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak. Mujahid said that the Ayah means, 'Perform all the good works and the various pious deeds, this is especially addressed to those from among the People of the Scripture who embraced the faith.'

Ibn Abu Hatim reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً

(O you who believe! Enter Silm perfectly) refers to the believers among the People of the Scripture. This is because they believed in Allah, some of them still followed some parts of the Tawrah and the previous revelations. So Allah said:

ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً

(Enter Islam perfectly.) Allah thus commanded them to embrace the legislation of the religion of Muhammad ﷺ in its entirety and to avoid abandoning any part of it. They should no longer adhere to the Tawrah.

Allah then said:

وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ

(...and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan) meaning, perform the acts of worship and avoid what Satan commands you to do. This is because:

إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِالسُّوءِ وَالْفَحْشَاءِ وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(He (Shaytan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha' (sinful), and that you should say about Allah what you know not.)(2:169) and:

إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

(He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.)(35:6) Hence, Allah said:

إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

(Verily, he is to you an open enemy.)

Allah said:

فَإِن زَلَلْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْكُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ 

(Then if you slide back after the clear signs have come to you) meaning, if you deviate from the Truth after clear proofs have been established against you,

فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ

(...then know that Allah is All-Mighty) in His punishment, and no one can escape His vengeance or defeat Him.

حَكِيمٌ

(All-Wise) in His decisions, actions and rulings. Hence Abu Al-'Aliyah, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi' bin Anas said, "He is Mighty in His vengeance, Wise in His decision."