Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:208
O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of the Exalted: O you who believe, enter into peace (al-silm) all together
Abū Jaʿfar said: The people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) differed concerning the meaning of "al-silm" in this place.
Some of them said: its meaning is: Islam.
* Mention of those who said that:
4008 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted: "Enter into peace (al-silm)" — he said: enter into Islam.
4009 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, his word: "Enter into peace" — he said: enter into Islam.
4010 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "Enter all together into peace" — he said: al-silm is Islam.
4011 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, saying: ʿAmr informed us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "Enter into peace" — he says: into Islam.
4012 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of al-Naḍr ibn ʿArabī, on the authority of Mujāhid: enter into Islam.
4013 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning his word: "Enter into peace." He said: al-silm is Islam.
4014 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn Faraj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh al-Faḍl ibn Khālid say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say: "Enter into peace": into Islam.
* * *
And others said: no, its meaning is: enter into obedience.
* Mention of those who said that:
4015 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "Enter into peace" — he says: enter into obedience.
* * *
The Qurʾān reciters differed concerning the recitation of this. Most of the reciters of the people of the Ḥijāz recited it as "al-salm" with a fatḥa on the sīn, and most of the reciters of the Kūfans recited it with a kasra on the sīn.
As for those who recited the "sīn" of "al-salm" with a fatḥa: they directed its interpretation toward making peace (al-musālama), in the meaning: enter into the treaty (al-ṣulḥ), the negotiation, the cessation of war, and the payment of the poll-tax for non-Muslims (jizyah).
And as for those who recited it with the kasra of the "sīn": they differed concerning its interpretation.
Some of them direct it toward Islam, in the meaning: enter all together into Islam; and some of them direct it toward the treaty (al-ṣulḥ), in the meaning: enter into the treaty. As evidence that the "sīn" is recited with a kasra and has the meaning "treaty," they cite the word of Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā:
"You two have said: if we attain peace (al-silm) amply with wealth and good deed in the matter, we shall make peace."
The most fitting interpretation of His word "Enter into peace" is the statement of him who said: its meaning is: enter all together into Islam.
And as for the recitation that is most correct in the recitation of this, it is the recitation of him who recites the "sīn" with a kasra. For when it is recited thus — even though it may bear the meaning of "treaty" — then the meaning of "Islam" and the continuance of the virtuous matter among the Arabs is more predominant for it than "treaty" and "peacemaking." And one recites the verse of the brother of Kinda:
"I called my tribe to peace (al-silm) when I saw them turn their backs and turn away,"
with a kasra on the sīn, in the meaning: I called them to Islam when they apostatized. And that was when Kinda apostatized with al-Ashʿath, after the passing of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlāʾ used to recite all places in the Qurʾān where "al-salm" is mentioned with a fatḥa, except this one which is in Sūrah al-Baqarah; for he singled it out with a kasra on the sīn, thereby directing its meaning toward Islam and not toward anything else.
We chose only the interpretation that we chose concerning His word "Enter into peace" and directed its meaning toward Islam, because the verse is addressed to the believers. The address — since it is an address to the believers — cannot be other than one of two things:
Either it is an address to those who believed in Muḥammad, who believed in him and in what he brought. If that is so, then there is no sense in it being said to them, while they are the people of faith: "Enter into the treaty of the believers and their peacemaking," for peacemaking and treaty-making is commanded only to whoever was at war, with the cessation of war. As for the allies: it is not permissible to say to them: "Make peace with so-and-so," while between them there is neither war nor enmity.
= Or it is an address to the people of faith in the prophets before Muḥammad ﷺ, who believed in them and in what they brought from Allah, but who denied Muḥammad and his prophethood. To them it was said: "Enter into peace," by which Islam is meant, not the treaty. For Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, commanded His servants only with faith in Him and in His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and in what he brought, and toward that to which He called them, not toward peacemaking and treaty-making. Rather, He forbade His prophet ﷺ in some circumstances to call the people of disbelief to a treaty, and said: So do not weaken and call for peace (al-salm) while you are the superior, and Allah is with you [Muḥammad: 35]. He permitted him ﷺ only in some circumstances, when they called him to a treaty, to undertake making peace, and the Exalted said to him: And if they incline to peace (al-salm), then incline to it [al-Anfāl: 61]. As for calling them to a treaty on his own initiative, that is not to be found in the Qurʾān, so that one could direct His word "Enter into peace" upon it.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: If someone were to say to us: which of these two groups was called to enter all together into Islam?
It is said: people differed concerning the interpretation of that.
Some of them said: those called to it were the believers in Muḥammad ﷺ and in what he brought.
* * *
And others said: it is said: those called to it were the believers in the prophets before Muḥammad ﷺ who denied Muḥammad.
* * *
If he says: what then is the sense of calling the believer in Muḥammad and in what he brought to Islam?
It is said: the sense of his being called to it is the command to him to act according to all its legal ordinances and to observe all its rulings and prescribed punishments (ḥudūd), without neglecting a part of it and performing only a part of it. And when that is its meaning, then His word "all together" (kāffa) is an attribute of "al-silm," and its interpretation is: enter into the performance of all the meanings of al-silm and neglect nothing of it, O people of faith in Muḥammad and in what he brought.
In approximately this meaning ʿIkrima spoke concerning the interpretation of that.
4016 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿIkrima, his word: "Enter all together into peace" — he said: it was revealed concerning Thaʿlaba, ʿAbdallāh ibn Salām, Ibn Yāmīn, Asad and Usayd, the two sons of Kaʿb, Saʿya ibn ʿAmr, and Qays ibn Zayd — all of them from the Jews — who said: O Messenger of Allah, Saturday is a day that we used to venerate, so permit us to keep the Sabbath on it! And the Torah is the Book of Allah, so permit us to stand in prayer with it at night! Then was revealed: "O you who believe, enter all together into peace and do not follow the footsteps of Satan."
* * *
ʿIkrima thus explicitly declared what we have said concerning that, namely that the interpretation of it is a call to the believers to reject all meanings that do not belong to the ruling of Islam, to act according to all the legal ordinances of Islam, and the prohibition of neglecting anything of its prescribed punishments (ḥudūd).
* * *
And others said: no, the group that was called to peace, to whom it was said: "Enter into it" by this verse, are the People of the Book; they were commanded to enter into Islam.
* Mention of those who said that:
4017 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Ibn ʿAbbās said concerning his word: "Enter all together into peace" — he means the People of the Book.
4018 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh al-Faḍl ibn Khālid say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning the word of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted: "Enter all together into peace" — he said: he means the People of the Book.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: The correct word concerning that, in my view, is that one says: Allah, exalted is His praise, commanded those who believed to enter into acting according to all the legal ordinances of Islam. Under "those who believed" may fall: those who believed in Muḥammad ﷺ and in what he brought, and those who believed in the prophets and messengers before him and in what they brought. Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, called both groups to act according to the legal ordinances and prescribed punishments (ḥudūd) of Islam and to observe His prescribed obligations that He imposed, and He forbade them to neglect anything of that. The verse is thus general for everyone whom the name "faith" encompasses, and there is no ground to restrict it to some and not others.
In accordance with the interpretation that we have given concerning that, Mujāhid spoke.
4019 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted: "Enter all together into peace" — he said: enter all together into Islam, enter all together into the works.
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The explanation of the words of the Exalted: all together (kāffa)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, exalted is His praise, means by His word "kāffa": collectively, all together, as:—
4020 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, his word: "into peace all together" — he said: collectively.
4021 — Mūsā related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "into peace all together" — he said: collectively.
4022 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "into peace all together" — he said: collectively. = And on the authority of his father, on the authority of Qatāda, the same.
4023 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāḥ related to us, on the authority of al-Naḍr, on the authority of Mujāhid: enter all together collectively into Islam.
4024 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: "kāffa": collectively.
4025 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: "kāffa": collectively, and he recited: And fight the polytheists all together, just as they fight you all together [al-Tawba: 36], collectively.
4026 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh al-Faḍl ibn Khālid, saying: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning his word: "Enter all together into peace" — he said: collectively.
* * *
The explanation of the words of the Exalted: And do not follow the footsteps of Satan; verily, he is for you a clear enemy (208)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, exalted is His praise, means by that: act, O believers, according to all the legal ordinances of Islam, and enter into believing in it with word and deed, and leave the ways of Satan and his traces, lest you follow them; verily, he is for you an enemy whose enmity toward you is clear. The way of Satan which He forbade them to follow is whatever contradicts the ruling and the legal ordinances of Islam, and to that belongs the keeping of the Sabbath and all other customs of the adherents of the religions that contradict the religion of Islam.
* * *
I have already previously expounded the meaning of "the footsteps (al-khuṭuwāt)" with the proofs that testify to its correctness, and therefore I preferred to refrain from repeating it in this place.
