وَلَا يَصُدَّنَّكُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ 62
Translations
And never let Satan avert you. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
Transliteration
Wa lā yaṣiddannakumu ash-shayṭānu, innahu lakum ʿaduwwun mubīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is a direct command from Allah warning the believers not to let Satan turn them away from the path of truth and monotheism. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that Satan is presented as an open and manifest enemy whose enmity toward humanity is well-established and undeniable. The emphatic prohibition (lā yaṣiddannakum) reinforces the severity of heeding Satan's whispers, which seek to divert believers from obedience to Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Az-Zukhruf, a Meccan chapter that discusses the signs of Allah's oneness and warns against polytheism and materialism. The surah addresses the Meccan disbelievers' obsession with worldly ornaments and false gods, and this particular ayah serves as a warning that Satan exploits human desires for wealth and status to lead people astray from divine guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said: 'The shaytān flows through the son of Adam like blood' (Sahih Bukhari 3282). Additionally, 'Indeed, the shaytān has given up hope of being worshipped in your lands, but he is pleased with what is below that' (Sunan Ibn Majah 3973), emphasizing Satan's persistent enmity and alternative strategies.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must remain perpetually aware that Satan is an open enemy whose sole purpose is to lead humanity away from Allah's path through temptation and deception. By recognizing this manifest enmity and consciously rejecting satanic whispers, one can maintain steadfastness in faith and resist the allurments of worldly desires that seek to compromise one's spiritual integrity.