سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 168
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَـٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿168﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O
ٱلنَّاسُ
l-nāsu
mankind
كُلُوا۟
kulū
Eat
مِمَّا
mimmā
of what
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
حَلَـٰلًۭا
ḥalālan
lawful
طَيِّبًۭا
ṭayyiban
(and) good
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
تَتَّبِعُوا۟
tattabiʿū
follow
خُطُوَٰتِ
khuṭuwāti
(the) footsteps (of)
ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ
l-shayṭāni
the Shaitaan
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed, he
لَكُمْ
lakum
(is) to you
عَدُوٌّۭ
ʿaduwwun
an enemy
مُّبِينٌ
mubīnun
clear
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
168. O people! Eat from what is lawful and pure [208] on the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan [209]. Surely, he is an open enemy to you.
[208] By halal is meant, firstly, all those things which the Shariah has not declared haram. Secondly, those which a person does not make haram by his own actions, such as a stolen chicken, or wealth earned through usury and unlawful means. And by pure is meant those clean things which are not dirty, rotten, stale, or putrid. There is great emphasis in the hadiths on avoiding haram things. In this regard, consider the following hadiths.
1.
Lawful Earning and Its Importance:
Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Noble Prophet ﷺ said: O people! Allah is pure and accepts only that which is pure. Allah has commanded the believers with the same command He gave to the messengers: thus He said ﴿يٰايُّهَا الرُّسُلُ..﴾ (O Messengers! Eat of the pure things and do righteous deeds, and He said: O you who believe! Eat of the pure things We have provided for you). Then the Prophet ﷺ mentioned a man who, after a long journey, is disheveled and dusty, and he raises his hands towards the sky and says: O my Lord! O my Lord! While his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can his supplication be accepted? [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير مسلم، كتاب الزكوٰة باب قبول الصدقة من كسب الطيب]
2.
The Supplication of the One Who Consumes Haram Is Not Accepted:
Hazrat Jabir ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The flesh that has been nourished by haram wealth will not enter Paradise, and any flesh that has been nourished by haram, the Fire is more deserving of it." [احمد، دارمي، بحواله مشكوٰة، كتاب البيوع باب الكسب و طلب الحلال فصل ثاني]
3. Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever earns haram wealth and then gives charity from it, that charity is not accepted, and if he spends from it, there is no blessing in it. [احمد، بحواله مشكوٰاة، كتاب البيوع باب الكسب و طلب الحلال، فصل ثاني]
4.
Charity from Haram Wealth Is Not Accepted:
Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah accepts charity only from pure earnings. [مسلم، كتاب الزكوٰة، باب بيان ان اسم الصدقه يقع على كل نوع من المعروف]
5.
The Command to Leave Haram and Doubtful Things:
Hazrat Nu'man bin Bashir ؓ says: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Halal is clear and haram is clear, and between them are some doubtful matters which most people do not know. So whoever avoids the doubtful matters has protected his religion and honor, and whoever falls into doubtful matters is like a shepherd who grazes his animals near a sanctuary, and it is likely that they will enter it. Know that every king has a sanctuary. Know that Allah's sanctuary in His land is the things He has made haram. [بخاري، كتاب الايمان، باب فضل من استبراء لدينه مسلم، كتاب المساقاة باب اخذ الحلال و ترك الشبهات]
6. Atiyyah Sa'di ؓ says that the Noble Prophet ﷺ said: "No servant can become truly pious until he leaves those things in which there is no harm, for fear of those things in which there is harm." [ترمذي، ابن ماجه، بحواله مشكوٰة، كتاب البيوع، باب الكسب و طلب الحلال]
7. Hazrat Hasan bin Ali ؓ says: I remember this from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Leave what puts you in doubt for what does not put you in doubt." [احمد بحواله مشكوٰة، كتاب البيوع، باب الكسب و طلب الحلال]
8. The Prophet ﷺ said: "A time will come upon people when a man will not care whether the wealth he acquires is halal or haram." [بخاري، كتاب البيوع، باب مالم يبال من حيث كسب المال]
[209] Declaring haram as halal and halal as haram, and following Satan: Here, following Satan means not to consider as haram those things which Allah has not made haram, as the polytheists of Arabia would dedicate bulls in the names of idols, and then consider eating their meat or deriving any benefit from them as haram, or they would impose restrictions on certain foods by themselves and declare them haram. The same applies to declaring a haram thing as halal, as the Jews declared usury to be halal, and considered it permissible to consume the wealth of the unlettered. This is shirk, because all authority to declare halal and haram belongs to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ also said that near the Day of Judgment, some people from my ummah will appear who will make wine lawful by giving it another name. [بخاري، كتاب الاشربه، باب فيمن يستحل الخمر ويسميه بغيراسمه] And Abu Malik says: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say that some people from my ummah will appear who will make adultery, silk, wine, and musical instruments lawful by giving them other names. [حواله ايضاً] And all such things are tantamount to shirk in the attributes of Allah, because all authority to declare things halal or haram belongs to Allah alone.
[208] By halal is meant, firstly, all those things which the Shariah has not declared haram. Secondly, those which a person does not make haram by his own actions, such as a stolen chicken, or wealth earned through usury and unlawful means. And by pure is meant those clean things which are not dirty, rotten, stale, or putrid. There is great emphasis in the hadiths on avoiding haram things. In this regard, consider the following hadiths.
1.
Lawful Earning and Its Importance:
Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Noble Prophet ﷺ said: O people! Allah is pure and accepts only that which is pure. Allah has commanded the believers with the same command He gave to the messengers: thus He said ﴿يٰايُّهَا الرُّسُلُ..﴾ (O Messengers! Eat of the pure things and do righteous deeds, and He said: O you who believe! Eat of the pure things We have provided for you). Then the Prophet ﷺ mentioned a man who, after a long journey, is disheveled and dusty, and he raises his hands towards the sky and says: O my Lord! O my Lord! While his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can his supplication be accepted? [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير مسلم، كتاب الزكوٰة باب قبول الصدقة من كسب الطيب]
2.
The Supplication of the One Who Consumes Haram Is Not Accepted:
Hazrat Jabir ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The flesh that has been nourished by haram wealth will not enter Paradise, and any flesh that has been nourished by haram, the Fire is more deserving of it." [احمد، دارمي، بحواله مشكوٰة، كتاب البيوع باب الكسب و طلب الحلال فصل ثاني]
3. Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever earns haram wealth and then gives charity from it, that charity is not accepted, and if he spends from it, there is no blessing in it. [احمد، بحواله مشكوٰاة، كتاب البيوع باب الكسب و طلب الحلال، فصل ثاني]
4.
Charity from Haram Wealth Is Not Accepted:
Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah accepts charity only from pure earnings. [مسلم، كتاب الزكوٰة، باب بيان ان اسم الصدقه يقع على كل نوع من المعروف]
5.
The Command to Leave Haram and Doubtful Things:
Hazrat Nu'man bin Bashir ؓ says: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Halal is clear and haram is clear, and between them are some doubtful matters which most people do not know. So whoever avoids the doubtful matters has protected his religion and honor, and whoever falls into doubtful matters is like a shepherd who grazes his animals near a sanctuary, and it is likely that they will enter it. Know that every king has a sanctuary. Know that Allah's sanctuary in His land is the things He has made haram. [بخاري، كتاب الايمان، باب فضل من استبراء لدينه مسلم، كتاب المساقاة باب اخذ الحلال و ترك الشبهات]
6. Atiyyah Sa'di ؓ says that the Noble Prophet ﷺ said: "No servant can become truly pious until he leaves those things in which there is no harm, for fear of those things in which there is harm." [ترمذي، ابن ماجه، بحواله مشكوٰة، كتاب البيوع، باب الكسب و طلب الحلال]
7. Hazrat Hasan bin Ali ؓ says: I remember this from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Leave what puts you in doubt for what does not put you in doubt." [احمد بحواله مشكوٰة، كتاب البيوع، باب الكسب و طلب الحلال]
8. The Prophet ﷺ said: "A time will come upon people when a man will not care whether the wealth he acquires is halal or haram." [بخاري، كتاب البيوع، باب مالم يبال من حيث كسب المال]
[209] Declaring haram as halal and halal as haram, and following Satan: Here, following Satan means not to consider as haram those things which Allah has not made haram, as the polytheists of Arabia would dedicate bulls in the names of idols, and then consider eating their meat or deriving any benefit from them as haram, or they would impose restrictions on certain foods by themselves and declare them haram. The same applies to declaring a haram thing as halal, as the Jews declared usury to be halal, and considered it permissible to consume the wealth of the unlettered. This is shirk, because all authority to declare halal and haram belongs to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ also said that near the Day of Judgment, some people from my ummah will appear who will make wine lawful by giving it another name. [بخاري، كتاب الاشربه، باب فيمن يستحل الخمر ويسميه بغيراسمه] And Abu Malik says: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say that some people from my ummah will appear who will make adultery, silk, wine, and musical instruments lawful by giving them other names. [حواله ايضاً] And all such things are tantamount to shirk in the attributes of Allah, because all authority to declare things halal or haram belongs to Allah alone.
