(168–170). “O humanity, eat of what is lawful and wholesome on the earth, and do not follow Satan’s footsteps. He is indeed a manifest enemy to you. He only commands you to evil and shameful deeds, and to say about Allah what you do not know.”
This address is directed to all people, believers and disbelievers alike. Allah bestowed His favor upon them by commanding them to eat from everything on earth—grains, produce, fruits, and animals—provided that it is “lawful”: permitted for them to consume, neither taken through usurpation or theft, nor acquired through a prohibited transaction or by prohibited means, nor used to assist in anything forbidden.
“And wholesome” means that it is not impure or repugnant, such as carrion, blood, pork, and all other foul things. This verse proves that the basic ruling concerning material things is permissibility, whether for consumption or other use. Forbidden things are of two kinds: something forbidden in itself, namely what is foul—the opposite of what is wholesome; and something forbidden because of an external consideration, namely because a right belonging to Allah or to His servants is connected to it. This is the opposite of what is lawful.
It also proves that eating enough to sustain the body is obligatory and that one who neglects this is sinful, as indicated by the apparent sense of the command. After commanding them to follow what He had enjoined, which is the very essence of their well-being, He forbade them to follow “Satan’s footsteps”—that is, the paths to which Satan calls. These include every act of disobedience, such as disbelief, wickedness, and injustice. They also include declaring sāʾiba and hām livestock forbidden and similar practices, as well as consuming forbidden foods.
“He is indeed a manifest enemy to you”—that is, his enmity is plain. By commanding you, he intends only to deceive you ⦗81⦘ and make you inhabitants of the Blaze. Our Lord did not merely forbid us to follow Satan’s footsteps; He also informed us—and He is the most truthful of speakers—of Satan’s enmity, which calls for us to beware of him. Nor did He stop there: He explained in detail what Satan commands, showing that it is the vilest and most corrupting of all things. He said, “He only commands you to evil.”
That is, to the evil that harms the one who commits it. This includes every act of disobedience. His words “and shameful deeds” therefore mention the specific after the general, for shameful deeds are those sins whose vileness has reached the utmost degree, such as fornication, drinking wine, murder, slanderous accusation, miserliness, and similar acts that every rational person finds abhorrent.
“And to say about Allah what you do not know.” This includes speaking about Allah without knowledge concerning His law or His decree. Whoever describes Allah in a way in which He did not describe Himself and His Messenger did not describe Him, denies something that Allah affirmed of Himself, or affirms something that Allah denied of Himself has spoken about Allah without knowledge. Whoever claims that Allah has rivals or that idols bring their worshippers nearer to Allah has spoken about Allah without knowledge. Whoever says without clear knowledge that Allah has made such-and-such lawful or forbidden, commanded such-and-such, or prohibited such-and-such has spoken about Allah without knowledge. Whoever says without proof that Allah created a particular kind of creature for some particular reason has spoken about Allah without knowledge.
Among the gravest forms of speaking about Allah without knowledge is for an interpreter to construe His words or the words of His Messenger according to meanings adopted by one of the deviant sects, and then claim that Allah intended those meanings. Speaking about Allah without knowledge is among the gravest and most far-reaching prohibitions, and one of the broadest avenues of Satan to which he calls. These, then, are the paths to which Satan and his troops call. They exert all their cunning and deception to lead creation astray by every means within their power.
As for Allah the Exalted, He commands justice, excellence, and generosity toward relatives, and He forbids shameful deeds, wrongdoing, and transgression. Let every servant therefore examine himself: which of these two callers is he with, and to which of the two parties does he belong? Do you follow the caller to Allah, who desires goodness for you and happiness in this world and the Hereafter; in obedience to whom lies every success, in serving whom lies every triumph, and in dealing with whom—the Bestower of all outward and inward blessings—lies every gain; who commands nothing but good and forbids nothing but evil? Or do you follow Satan’s caller, who is humanity’s enemy, desires evil for you, and strives with all his might to destroy you in this world and the Hereafter; in obedience to whom lies every evil and in taking whom as an ally lies every loss; who commands nothing but evil and forbids nothing but good?