سُوْرَةُ النُّوْرِ
Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 21
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿21﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaitân (Satan). And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaitân (Satan), then, verily he commands Al-Fahshâ’ [i.e. to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse)], and Al-Munkar [disbelief and polytheism (i.e. to do evil and wicked deeds; and to speak or to do what is forbidden in Islâm)]. And had it not been for the Grace of Allâh and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins. But Allâh purifies (guides to Islâm) whom He wills, and Allâh is All-Hearer, All-Knower.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O you who believe
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
O you who believe
ءَامَنُوا۟
āmanū
O you who believe
لَا
lā
(Do) not
تَتَّبِعُوا۟
tattabiʿū
follow
خُطُوَٰتِ
khuṭuwāti
(the) footsteps
ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ
l-shayṭāni
(of) the Shaitaan
وَمَن
waman
and whoever
يَتَّبِعْ
yattabiʿ
follows
خُطُوَٰتِ
khuṭuwāti
(the) footsteps
ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ
l-shayṭāni
(of) the Shaitaan
فَإِنَّهُۥ
fa-innahu
then indeed, he
يَأْمُرُ
yamuru
commands
بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ
bil-faḥshāi
the immorality
وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ
wal-munkari
and the evil
وَلَوْلَا
walawlā
And if not
فَضْلُ
faḍlu
(for the) Grace of Allah
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(for the) Grace of Allah
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
upon you
وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ
waraḥmatuhu
and His Mercy
مَا
mā
not
زَكَىٰ
zakā
(would) have been pure
مِنكُم
minkum
among you
مِّنْ
min
anyone
أَحَدٍ
aḥadin
anyone
أَبَدًۭا
abadan
ever
وَلَـٰكِنَّ
walākinna
but
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
يُزَكِّى
yuzakkī
purifies
مَن
man
whom
يَشَآءُ ۗ
yashāu
He wills
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
سَمِيعٌ
samīʿun
(is) All-Hearer
عَلِيمٌۭ
ʿalīmun
All-Knower
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.
21. O you who believe! Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan, then surely he commands only indecency [24] and evil deeds. And if it were not for Allah’s grace and His mercy upon you, none of you would ever have been purified [25]. But Allah purifies whom He wills [26], and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
[24]
After Shirk, the Second Attack of Satan is to Spread Immorality:
That is, it is the very task of Satan to involve you in evil and indecent deeds, thereby destroying your faith and leading you astray. The very first attack of Satan on a person is that he suggests new ways of shirk and presents them in a very attractive manner, from which very few people are saved. In this way, by leading one away from tawheed, he involves them in shirk. His second attack is to involve people in indecent acts, and he also presents these acts in a very attractive way. This is exactly what Satan did in Paradise. First, by showing beautiful promises and green gardens, he persuaded Adam ؑ and Hawwa to disobey Allah. As a result, their clothing was removed. Even today, Satan and his followers are engaged in the same work, saying that the four walls of the house are a prison for a woman and that restricting her freedom is akin to robbery; they also argue that hijab is an outdated thing. No nation can progress until women come out of the four walls of the house, work side by side with men without hijab; they also argue that keeping women confined at home negatively affects the national economy. All such statements are indecent, which are presented in an attractive way. Their real purpose is the free and open mixing of men and women, and the paths to immorality become very easy to open. Moreover, most of the indecent acts mentioned above are considered an inseparable part of modern civilization. By involving people in such acts, Satan entangles humans in even greater tribulations, and this is his real objective.
[25] That is, it was Allah’s special mercy that He saved you from being swept away in the current of this trial. Otherwise, Satan’s attack was so forceful that if Allah’s grace had not been with you, perhaps none of you could have been saved from being swept away in this current.
[26] That is, even to become or remain pure in character, Allah has a system. It is that whoever tries to remain pure in character, Allah grants him the Tawfiq (divine enablement) to remain pure. And He knows well who is worthy of this purity and who is not.
[24]
After Shirk, the Second Attack of Satan is to Spread Immorality:
That is, it is the very task of Satan to involve you in evil and indecent deeds, thereby destroying your faith and leading you astray. The very first attack of Satan on a person is that he suggests new ways of shirk and presents them in a very attractive manner, from which very few people are saved. In this way, by leading one away from tawheed, he involves them in shirk. His second attack is to involve people in indecent acts, and he also presents these acts in a very attractive way. This is exactly what Satan did in Paradise. First, by showing beautiful promises and green gardens, he persuaded Adam ؑ and Hawwa to disobey Allah. As a result, their clothing was removed. Even today, Satan and his followers are engaged in the same work, saying that the four walls of the house are a prison for a woman and that restricting her freedom is akin to robbery; they also argue that hijab is an outdated thing. No nation can progress until women come out of the four walls of the house, work side by side with men without hijab; they also argue that keeping women confined at home negatively affects the national economy. All such statements are indecent, which are presented in an attractive way. Their real purpose is the free and open mixing of men and women, and the paths to immorality become very easy to open. Moreover, most of the indecent acts mentioned above are considered an inseparable part of modern civilization. By involving people in such acts, Satan entangles humans in even greater tribulations, and this is his real objective.
[25] That is, it was Allah’s special mercy that He saved you from being swept away in the current of this trial. Otherwise, Satan’s attack was so forceful that if Allah’s grace had not been with you, perhaps none of you could have been saved from being swept away in this current.
[26] That is, even to become or remain pure in character, Allah has a system. It is that whoever tries to remain pure in character, Allah grants him the Tawfiq (divine enablement) to remain pure. And He knows well who is worthy of this purity and who is not.
