Tafsir of Ya seen 36:60

"Did I not enjoin upon you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan?" This is among what is said to them by way of reproach, binding [of the argument], and silencing, occurring between the command to separate [from the disbelievers] and the command to endure the heat of Hell.

A ‘ahd (covenant/enjoining) is a charge or a recommendation, and the advancing of a matter containing goodness and benefit. What is intended by it here is what was conveyed by Him, the Exalted, upon the tongues of the Messengers (peace be upon them) regarding commands and prohibitions. Among these are His saying, the Exalted, "O Children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he brought your parents out of the Garden," and His saying, "And do not follow the footsteps of Satan; indeed, he is to you a clear enemy," along with other verses appearing in this same meaning.

It is also said: It is the covenant taken from them in the world of the Dharr (atoms/progeny), when He, the Glorified, said to them, "Am I not your Lord?"

It is also said: It is the rational and scriptural proofs established for them that command the worship of Allah, the Exalted, and restrain from the worship of other than Him, the Mighty and Majestic. Thus, it is as if it is a metaphor for the establishing of proofs.

The meaning of "worshipping Satan" is obeying him in what he whispers to them and beautifies for them. It is expressed as "worship" to increase the warning and repulsion against it, and because it occurs in opposition to the worship of Him, the Exalted. It is also permissible that it intends the worship of other than Allah, the Exalted—from among the false deities—and that it is attributed to Satan because he is the one who commands it and beautifies it; thus, it is a figurative attribution.

Talha and al-Hudhayl ibn Shurahbil al-Kufi recited "i‘had" with a kasrah on the alif. The author of al-Lawamih mentioned this and stated that it is a dialect of Tamim; this kasrah in the nun and ta is more common among the letters of the present tense (mudara‘ah). Ibn ‘Atiyyah said that al-Hudhayl and Ibn Waththab recited "alam i‘had" with a kasrah on the mim and the alif, and a fathah on the ha’; this is from the breaking of the letter of the present tense, excluding the ya’. It is reported from Ibn Waththab: "alam a‘hid" with a kasrah on the ha’. It is said "‘ahada" and "‘ahida". Perhaps he meant that the kasrah of the mim indicates the kasrah of the alif, because the vowel of the mim is the vowel that was transferred to it from the alif, and the alif was deleted after its vowel was transferred, not that the mim is broken and the alif after it is also broken such that one would pronounce it [as such].

Al-Zamakhshari said: "i‘had" was recited with a kasrah on the alif, and the entire category of the verb (fi‘l) permits a kasrah in its letters of the present tense except for the ya’. And "a‘hid" with a kasrah on the ha’. Al-Zajjaj permitted it to be from the category of na‘ima yan‘amu and daraba yadribu. And "ahhad" by changing the ‘ayn alone to a plain ha’ (ha’ muhmalah), and "ahhad" by changing it with the changing of the ha’ and assimilating it; this is the dialect of Tamim. From this is their saying daha maha, meaning da‘ha ma‘aha (leave it with her). What was mentioned regarding his statement "except in the ya’" is based on certain dialects; it is reported from some of Kalb that they break the ya’ as well, so they would say yi‘lam, for example. His statement regarding "ahhad" and "ahhad" is the dialect of the Banu Tamim, and it is the famous one. It is said: "ahhad" is the dialect of Hudhayl and "ahhad" is the dialect of the Banu Tamim. Their saying daha maha—either they intend "leave this waterskin with this woman" or "leave this woman with this waterskin."

"Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy" (60)—meaning: manifest in enmity. This is an explanation for the necessity of desisting. It is also said: it is an explanation for the prohibition. The enmity of the Accursed one came about from before his enmity toward Adam (peace be upon him). The calling [to them] with the description of the progeny of Adam is like a preface to this explanation and an emphasis that they did not follow the requirements of knowledge; thus, they and the deniers are equal.