And He says in Surah al-Baqarah:

“Do not follow in Satan’s footsteps. Indeed, he is your sworn enemy.”

“He only commands you to evil and indecency, and to say about Allah what you do not know.”

Thus He forbids following Satan’s footsteps—that is, obeying his commands by imitating and following him—and states that he commands indecency, wrongdoing, evil, and speaking about Allah without knowledge. He also says in this surah:

“Satan threatens you with poverty and commands you to indecency, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty.”

Satan threatens poverty and commands indecency, wrongdoing, and evil, whereas Allah promises forgiveness and bounty, commands justice, kindness, and giving to relatives, and forbids indecency, wrongdoing, and transgression. He says of His Prophet:

“He commands them to do what is right and forbids them from wrongdoing, makes lawful for them good things and prohibits foul things, and relieves them of their burden and the shackles that bound them.”

And He says of his community:

“They command what is right and forbid wrongdoing.”

He mentions similar things in many places.

Sometimes He mentions wrongdoing alone as the object of prohibition; sometimes He pairs it with indecency; and sometimes He adds transgression to both. Likewise, He sometimes mentions what is right alone as the object of a command, and sometimes mentions other things alongside it, as in His words, Most High:

“There is no good in much of their private conversation, except in the words of those who urge charity, an act of kindness, or reconciliation between people.”

This is because the scope of terms may be general or specific depending on whether they occur alone or together. Consider the terms “poor” and “needy”: when either occurs alone, it encompasses what both denote when used together. When they occur together, however, the meaning of each