Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:268

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:268

ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ

Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

Tafsir

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

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الشيطان يعدكم الفقر ويٲمركم بالفحشاء والله يعدكم مغفرة منه وفضﻼ

Shaytan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahishah'; whereas Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and bounty, and Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said,

إن للشيطان لمة بابن آدم وللملك لمة فٲما لمة الشيطان فٳيعاد بالشر وتكذيب بالحق و أما لمة الملك فٳيعاد بالخير وتصديق بالحق فمن وجد ذلك فليعلم أنه من الله فليحمد الله ومن وجد اﻻخرى فليتعوذ من الشيطان

Shaytan has an effect on the son of Adam, and the angel also has an effect. As for the effect of Shaytan, it is by his threatening with evil repercussions and rejecting the truth. As for the effect of the angel, it is by his promise of a good end and believing in the truth. Whoever finds the latter, let him know that it is coming from Allah and let him thank Allah for it. Whoever finds the former, let him seek refuge - with Allah - from Shaytan. The Prophet then recited,

الشيطان يعدكم الفقر ويٲمركم بالفحشاء والله يعدكم مغفرة منه وفضﻼ

Shaytan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahishah'; whereas Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and bounty. This is the narration that At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i collected in the book of Tafsir in their Sunan collections. Allah said,

الشيطان يعدكم الفقر

Shaytan threatens you with poverty, so that you hold on to whatever you have and refrain from spending it in Allah's pleasure.

ويٲمركم بالفحشاء

And orders you to commit Fahishah', meaning, "Shaytan forbids you from spending in charity because of the false fear of becoming poor, and he encourages evil deeds, sins, indulging in what is prohibited, and immoral conduct.'' Allah said,

والله يعدكم مغفرة منه

Whereas Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself, instead of the evil that Shaytan enjoins on you.

وفضﻼ

And Bounty, as opposed to the poverty that Shaytan frightens you with.

والله واسع عليم

And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower. The Meaning of Al-Hikmah Allah said,