إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُوا۟ حِزْبَهُۥ لِيَكُونُوا۟ مِنْ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ 6
Translations
Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.
Transliteration
Inna al-shaytana lakum aduwwun fa-ittakhidhuhu aduwwan. Innama yad'u hizbahu liyakunu min ashabi al-sa'ir.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah explicitly declares Satan as an enemy to mankind and commands believers to treat him as such, rather than following his whispers and deceptions. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that Satan's sole objective is to lead his followers into Hell (al-sa'ir), making him an adversary whose enmity is absolute and irreconcilable. The ayah emphasizes that Satan's invitation is not toward worldly pleasures but ultimately toward punishment in the Fire, exposing the futility of heeding his calls.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Mecca during the early period of Islamic preaching, this ayah is part of Surah Fatir's broader theme of monotheism and warning against shirk and deviation. It appears in a context discussing Allah's creation and the contrast between the righteous and the misguided, reinforcing the spiritual struggle (jihad) against Satan as fundamental to faith.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Satan flows through the son of Adam like blood flows through veins' (Sahih Bukhari 3175, Sahih Muslim 2175). Also relevant: 'The strongest among you in strength is the one who controls his anger when provoked' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2013), emphasizing resistance to Satanic whispers.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must recognize Satan as an implacable enemy whose ultimate goal is their destruction, not their benefit, and therefore consciously reject his whisperings through God-consciousness and adherence to Islamic guidance. This ayah calls for active spiritual vigilance rather than passive assumption of safety.
Related Ayahs
جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ
[For them are] gardens of perpetual residence which they will enter. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein will be silk.
ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ
Those who disbelieve will have a severe punishment, and those who believe and do righteous deeds will have forgiveness and great reward.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ هَلْ مِنْ خَـٰلِقٍ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ
O mankind, remember the favor of Allāh upon you. Is there any creator other than Allāh who provides for you from the heaven and earth? There is no deity except Him, so how are you deluded?
وَأَقْسَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ لَئِن جَآءَهُمْ نَذِيرٌ لَّيَكُونُنَّ أَهْدَىٰ مِنْ إِحْدَى ٱلْأُمَمِ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ نَذِيرٌ مَّا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا نُفُورًا
And they swore by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a warner came to them, they would be more guided than [any] one of the [previous] nations. But when a warner came to them, it did not increase them except in aversion