Surah Al-Baqarah >> Currently viewing Surah Baqarah Ayat 169 (2:169)

Surah Baqarah Ayat 169 in Arabic Text

إِنَّمَا يَأۡمُرُكُم بِٱلسُّوٓءِ وَٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
Innamaa yaamurukum bissooo’i walfahshaaa’i wa an taqooloo alal laahi maa laa ta’lamoon

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 169

Sahih International
He only orders you to evil and immorality and to say about Allah what you do not know.

Yusuf Ali
“For he commands you what is evil and shameful, and that ye should say of Allah that of which ye have no knowledge.

Abul Ala Maududi
He enjoins you to commit vice and indecency and induces you to attribute to Allah’s name things you do not know to be from Him.

Muhsin Khan
[Shaitan (Satan)] commands you only what is evil and Fahsha (sinful), and that you should say against Allah what you know not.

Pickthall
He enjoineth upon you only the evil and the foul, and that ye should tell concerning Allah that which ye know not.

Dr. Ghali
Surely he only commands you to odious (deeds) and obscenity, and that you should say against Allah that which you do not know.

Abdel Haleem
He always commands you to do what is evil and indecent, and to say things about God that you do not really know.

Muhammad Junagarhi
وه تمہیں صرف برائی اور بےحیائی کا اور اللہ تعالیٰ پر ان باتوں کے کہنے کا حکم دیتا ہے جن کا تمہیں علم نہیں

Quran 2 Verse 169 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Baqarah ayat 169, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(2:169) he only commands you to do evil and commit acts of indecency and to ascribe to Allah the things concerning which you have no knowledge (that He really is their source).[167]


167. The notion that all superstitious customs and taboos are God-given religious teachings is an example of satanic deception, pure and simple, since there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that they are from God.

Ibn-Kathir

168. O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy. 169. He (Satan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha’ (sinful), and that you should say about Allah what you know not.


The Order to eat the Lawful Things, and the Prohibition of following the Footsteps of Shaytan

After Allah stated that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him and that He Alone created the creation, He stated that He is the Sustainer for all His creation, and He mentioned a favor that He granted them; He has allowed them to eat any of the pure lawful things on the earth that do not cause harm to the body or the mind. He also forbade them from following the footsteps of Shaytan, meaning his ways and methods with which he misguides his followers, like prohibiting the Bahirah (a she-camel whose milk was spared for the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it), or Sa’ibah (a she-camel let loose for free pasture for the idols and nothing was allowed to be carried on it), or a Wasilah (a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a she-camel at its second delivery), and all of the other things that Shaytan made attractive to them during the time of Jahiliyyah. Muslim recorded `Iyad bin Himar saying that Allah’s Messenger said that Allah the Exalted says,

يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى:إِنَّ كُلَّ مَالٍ مَنَحْتُهُ عِبَادِي فَهُوَ لَهُمْ حَلَالٌ، وَفِيهِ وَإِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ، فَجَاءَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ، وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُم»

(`Every type of wealth I have endowed My servants is allowed for them…’ (until), `I have created My servants Hunafa’ (pure or upright), but the devils came to them and led them astray from their (true) religion and prohibited them from what I allowed for them. ‘)

Allah said:

﴿إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ﴾

(…he is to you an open enemy.)

warning against Satan. Allah said in another instance:

﴿إِنَّ الشَّيْطَـنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوّاً إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُواْ مِنْ أَصْحَـبِ السَّعِيرِ ﴾

(Surely, Shaytan is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.) (35:6), and:

﴿أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِى وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِئْسَ لِلظَّـلِمِينَ بَدَلاً﴾

(Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you What an evil is the exchange for the Zalimin (polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc).) (18:50)

Qatadah and As-Suddi commented on what Allah said:

﴿وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ﴾

(…and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan)):

Every act of disobedience to Allah is among the footsteps of Satan.

`Abd bin Humayd reported that Ibn `Abbas said: “Any vow or oath that one makes while angry, is among the footsteps of Shaytan and its expiation is that of the vow. ” Allah’s statement:

﴿إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِالسُّوءِ وَالْفَحْشَآءِ وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

(He (Satan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha (sinful), and that you should say about Allah what you know not.)

The verse means: `Your enemy, Satan, commands you to commit evil acts and what is worse than that, such as adultery and so forth. He commands you to commit what is even worse, that is, saying about Allah without knowledge.’ So this includes every innovator and disbeliever.

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surah baqarah ayat 169
surah baqarah ayat 170
surah baqarah ayat 171
surah baqarah ayat 172
surah baqarah ayat 173

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