Quran Universe
24:21

۞يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعۡ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَأۡمُرُ بِٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَٱلۡمُنكَرِۚ وَلَوۡلَا فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَرَحۡمَتُهُۥ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنۡ أَحَدٍ أَبَدٗا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَآءُۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٞ

Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo la tattabiAAoo khutuwati alshshaytani waman yattabiAA khutuwati alshshaytani fainnahu yamuru bialfahshai waalmunkari walawla fadlu Allahi AAalaykum warahmatuhu ma zaka minkum min ahadin abadan walakinna Allaha yuzakkee man yashao waAllahu sameeAAun AAaleemun

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.

Word by word
  1. ۞يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO you who believe
  2. ٱلَّذِينَO you who believe
  3. ءَامَنُواْO you who believe
  4. لَا(Do) not
  5. تَتَّبِعُواْfollow
  6. خُطُوَٰتِ(the) footsteps
  7. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ(of) the Shaitaan
  8. وَمَنand whoever
  9. يَتَّبِعۡfollows
  10. خُطُوَٰتِ(the) footsteps
  11. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ(of) the Shaitaan
  12. فَإِنَّهُۥthen indeed,he
  13. يَأۡمُرُcommands
  14. بِٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِthe immorality
  15. وَٱلۡمُنكَرِۚand the evil
  16. وَلَوۡلَاAnd if not
  17. فَضۡلُ(for the) Grace of Allah
  18. ٱللَّهِ(for the) Grace of Allah
  19. عَلَيۡكُمۡupon you
  20. وَرَحۡمَتُهُۥand His Mercy
  21. مَاnot
  22. زَكَىٰ(would) have been pure
  23. مِنكُمamong you
  24. مِّنۡanyone
  25. أَحَدٍanyone
  26. أَبَدٗاever
  27. وَلَٰكِنَّbut
  28. ٱللَّهَAllah
  29. يُزَكِّيpurifies
  30. مَنwhom
  31. يَشَآءُۗHe wills
  32. وَٱللَّهُAnd Allah
  33. سَمِيعٌ(is) All-Hearer
  34. عَلِيمٞAll-Knower
An-Nur · 24:21Madinah

Shaytan never asks for the whole thing. Only a step.

Footsteps, and the grace that purifies

How a fall happens
a whisperIkrimah: his whispers
then
a stepQatadah: every sin is one
leads to
indecencywhat he commands
Who makes anyone pure
my own willpowerI am a good person
Allah purifieswithout Him, not one of us

Coming right after the slander, this verse names how it spread: step by step. Qatadah said every sin is one of Shaytan's footsteps. Ibn Kathir explains that without Allah's grace no one would ever be purified, since He is the one who helps people turn back.

It never starts with the scandal. It starts with opening the app "just to check." Then one comment. Then one reply you would not say to their face. Each step feels small. The verse asks you to notice the first one, and to ask Allah for the purity you cannot make alone.

I would never do something that bad.

Big wrongs are small steps added up, and only Allah's grace keeps me pure.

Try this

Name one small first step that usually leads you somewhere you regret. Skip it once today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 24:20)

And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, and that Allah is full of kindness, Most Merciful (20)O you who believe! Follow not the Khutuwat of Shaytan. And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaytan, then, verily, he commands Al-Fahsha' and the evil deeds. 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 whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower (21)

A Reminder of the Grace of Allah and a Warning Against Following the Footsteps of Shaytan

Allah says:

وَلَوْلَا 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:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ

(O you who believe! Follow not the Khutuwat of Shaytan.) meaning, his ways and paths and what he commands,

وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ

(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

خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ

(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:

وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا

(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.

وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ

(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.