{O you who have believed, enter into the peace (As-Silm) entirely}

More than one authority has related on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas—may Allah the Exalted be pleased with both of them—that this was revealed regarding ‘Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions. This is because, when they believed in the Prophet (may Allah the Exalted bless him and grant him peace) and believed in his laws while still holding to the laws of Moses (peace be upon him), they continued to venerate the Sabbath and disliked the meat and milk of camels even after they had embraced Islam. The Muslims reproached them for this, saying: "We are able to observe both this and that." They said to the Prophet (may Allah the Exalted bless him and grant him peace): "Indeed, the Torah is the Book of Allah the Exalted, so let us work by it." Consequently, Allah the Exalted revealed this verse. Thus, the address is to the believers from the People of the Book.

As-Silm (peace) here means al-Islam. Kaffah (entirely/wholly) is originally an adjective derived from kaffa, meaning to prevent or restrain. It is used in the sense of the "totality," based on the implication that it restrains the parts from scattering. The ta (at the end) is for the feminine gender, or for the transition from the quality of an adjective to a noun—like ‘ammah (general), khassah (private), and qatibah (altogether)—or for intensification. Al-Tayyibi chose the first, arguing that claiming the latter two is a departure from the original root without necessity. The comprehensiveness derived from it is the comprehensiveness of the whole over its parts, not of a universal over its particulars, nor is it broader than both. It is not restricted to those who possess reason, nor is it restricted to being a circumstantial qualifier (hal) or an indefinite noun, contrary to Ibn Hisham, who has no evidence for his stance.

Here, it is a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for the pronoun in udkhulu (enter). The meaning is: "Enter into Islam with your entire being, and do not leave any part of your outward or inward self without Islam encompassing it, such that no room remains for anything else from the law of Moses (peace be upon him)."

It has also been said: The address is to the hypocrites, and As-Silm means submission and obedience, as is its primary root. Kaffah is also a circumstantial qualifier for the pronoun, meaning: "Submit to Allah the Exalted and obey Him entirely, abandon hypocrisy, and believe both outwardly and inwardly."

It has also been said: The address is to the disbelievers among the People of the Book who claimed faith in their own law. The intent of As-Silm is "all the laws," using the specific to intend the general, based on the view that Islam is the law of our Prophet (may Allah the Exalted bless him and grant him peace), and taking the lam (the prefix al-) to denote encompassing (istighraq). Here, Kaffah is a circumstantial qualifier for As-Silm. The meaning is: "Enter, O you who believe in one law, into all the laws, and do not divide yourselves between them."

It has also been said: The address is to the sincere Muslims, and the intent of As-Silm is the branches of Islam. Kaffah is a circumstantial qualifier for it. The meaning is: "Enter, O Muslims who believe in Muhammad (may Allah the Exalted bless him and grant him peace), into all the branches of faith, and do not fail in any of its rulings."

Al-Zajjaj said regarding this interpretation: "The intent of As-Silm is Islam, and the objective is to command the believers to remain steadfast upon it." However, expressing steadfastness upon Islam by "entering into it" is extremely far-fetched. This is what some researchers have chosen out of sixteen possibilities in the verse—resulting from multiplying the two possibilities of As-Silm by the two possibilities of Kaffah, and multiplying the total by the possibilities of the address. This is based on two premises: first, that Kaffah is for the encompassing of parts; second, that the locus of the benefit in the speech is the constraint, as is established among the rhetoricians, and as the Sheikh affirmed in Dala'il al-I'jaz. If one considers the possibility of it being a circumstantial qualifier for both the pronoun and the explicit noun simultaneously—as in the saying [of the poet]: "We went out, walking while a patterned cloak trailed behind us"—the possibilities reach twenty-four. It is not hidden which of these is most consistent with the occasion of revelation.

Ibn Kathir, Nafi', and Al-Kisa'i read As-Silm with a fat-ha on the seen; the others read it with a kasra. These are two well-known dialects regarding the word. Al-A'mash read it with a fat-ha on both the seen and the lam.

#{And do not follow the footsteps of Satan} By opposing what you have been commanded, or by scattering in your totality, or by causing division through laws or branches.

#{Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy} Manifest in his enmity, or one who displays it. This is a justification for the prohibition and the command to desist.