Surah An Nur Tafseer

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا 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 بِالْفَحْشَاء 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 زَكَا 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.

وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاء

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