Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:208

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:208)

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ}

There are different readings for the word as-silm (سِلْم):

• Ibn Kathir, Nafi', and Al-Kisā'ī read it with an open sīn (سَلْم - as-salm), as they also do in the verse: {And if they incline to peace [li-s-sulm]} (Al-Anfāl: 61) and {and call to peace [li-s-sulam]} (Muhammad: 35).
• 'Āṣim, in the narration of Abū Bakr ibn 'Ayyāsh, read it with a closed sīn (سِلْم - as-silm) in this instance.
• Ḥamzah and Al-Kisā'ī read it with a closed sīn (سِلْم - as-silm) in this verse, the one in Al-Baqarah, and the one in Sūrat Muhammad: {and call to peace [li-s-silm]}.
• Ibn 'Āmir reads it with a closed sīn (سِلْم - as-silm) only in this verse (Al-Baqarah), but with an open sīn (سَلْم - as-salm) in Al-Anfāl and Sūrat Muhammad.
• Some scholars suggest that the open and closed readings are two linguistic variations, like riṭl and ruṭl, or jisr and jusūr.
• Al-A'mash read it with an open sīn and lām (سَلَم - as-salam).

The root of this word is submission/compliance (inqiyād). Allah says: {When his Lord said to him, "Submit [aslim]," he said, "I have submitted [aslamtu]"} (Al-Baqarah: 131). Islam is named Islam because of this meaning.

The term as-silm has become predominantly used for peace/reconciliation (ṣulḥ) and ceasing warfare. This also relates back to the core meaning, because during reconciliation, each party submits to the other and does not dispute. Abū 'Ubaydah mentioned three linguistic forms: as-silm, as-salam, and as-sulm.

There is a difficulty here: many exegetes interpret as-silm as Islam itself. This would make the verse mean: "O you who have believed, enter into Islam." Since belief (īmān) is Islam, this command seems redundant or illogical. Because of this perceived issue, commentators have offered several interpretations:

First Interpretation: The Command is Directed at the Hypocrites The intended audience is the hypocrites. The meaning is: "O you who claim to believe with your tongues, enter into Islam completely with your hearts, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan," meaning his deceptive suggestions that encourage remaining in hypocrisy.

• Evidence: This verse immediately follows the description of the hypocrites (who cause corruption). Therefore, after describing their hypocrisy, Allah commands them to embrace true belief (with the heart) and abandon hypocrisy.

Second Interpretation: The Command is Directed at Believing People of the Book This verse was revealed concerning a group of believing People of the Book, such as 'Abdullāh ibn Salām and his companions. When they embraced the Prophet (PBUH), they continued to revere the ordinances of Moses, such as observing the Sabbath and avoiding camel meat and milk. They argued that abandoning these things was permissible in Islam but obligatory in the Torah, so they refrained out of precaution.

• Allah disliked this and commanded them to enter into as-silm completely, meaning, enter into all the ordinances of Islam completely, and not cling to any ruling from the Torah based on belief or practice, as the Torah rulings have been abrogated.
• {And do not follow the footsteps of Satan} means do not cling to the rulings of the Torah after knowing they are abrogated.
• Those holding this view consider the word {kāffatan} (completely) to describe as-silm (the ordinances), meaning: Enter into all the ordinances of Islam, in belief and practice.

Third Interpretation: The Command is Directed at the People of the Book Who Did Not Believe in the Prophet (PBUH) The address is to the disbelieving People of the Book.

• {That is because those who disbelieved} refers to those who disbelieved in the previous scriptures. {enter into as-silm completely} means: Complete your obedience by believing in all the Prophets and Books. Enter into complete submission (as-silm) through your belief in Muhammad (PBUH) and his Book, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, who beautifies for them the idea of remaining restricted to the religion of the Torah, claiming it is true because it was revealed in the Torah (e.g., "Hold fast to the Sabbath as long as the heavens and the earth remain").
• In summary, the "footsteps of Satan" here refers to the specious arguments they use to maintain the validity of that previous law.

Fourth Interpretation: The Command is Directed at the Muslims The address is to the Muslims. {That is because those who disbelieved} (with their tongues, i.e., the hypocrites) {enter into as-silm completely} means: Remain steadfast in Islam for the rest of your lives; do not exit it or any of its ordinances. {And do not follow the footsteps of Satan} means: Do not heed the doubts cast by the people of misguidance.

• Support: This view is strengthened by what precedes and follows the verse.
  • Preceding: Allah described the hypocrite who {strives in the land to cause corruption}, which we explained as casting doubts upon Muslims. Thus, Allah commands: Remain firm in your Islam and do not follow those doubts.
  • Following: The next verse states: {Do they await anything other than that Allah should come to them in shades of clouds...} (Al-Baqarah: 210). This refers to the stubborn disbelievers whose excuses have been removed, and they will not accept the truth except by seeing impossible things, like Allah coming in clouds with the angels.

• Objection: One might ask: We say "remain upon" something you are already in, but we do not say "enter into" it. The verse uses the command {enter} (udkhulū).
• Response: If a person knows they might exit a dwelling in the future, it is not impossible for them to be commanded now to enter it in the future, even if they are currently inside it. This is because the state of being inside now is different from the state they will enter later. If they might leave at the second time point, it is valid to command them to enter at that future time. Since believers can lapse from aspects of faith due to sleep, forgetfulness, or other states, it is valid for Allah to command them to re-enter Islam in the future.

Fifth Interpretation: As-Silm Means Peace and Cessation of Strife As-silm means reconciliation and abandoning warfare/dispute. The meaning is: "O you who have believed, enter into peace completely," meaning: Be united and agree in supporting the religion and enduring trials therein. {And do not follow the footsteps of Satan} means: Do not let him lead you to seek worldly gain and dispute with people. This aligns with verses like: {And do not dispute, lest you lose courage and your strength depart} (Āl 'Imrān: 103), {O you who have believed, be patient and persevere and remain stationed} (Āl 'Imrān: 200), and {And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided} (Āl 'Imrān: 103). This is also supported by the Prophet's saying: (The believer desires for his brother what he desires for himself).

• My Own Interpretations (Al-Rāzī):
  1. {That is because those who disbelieved} refers to inner knowledge and affirmation (belief in the heart). {Enter into as-silm completely} refers to abandoning sins and disobedience. Since sin opposes Allah and His Messenger, abandoning it can be termed as-silm (submission). Alternatively, it means: Be submissive to Allah in performing obedience and abandoning prohibitions. This aligns with our doctrine that īmān remains even while committing sins. This is an apparent interpretation.
  2. As-silm means the servant being content (rāḍin), his heart not being disturbed. This is based on the narration: (Contentment with destiny is the greatest gate of Allah).
  3. As-silm means abandoning vengeance, as seen in verses like: {And when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity} (Al-Furqān: 72), and {Take what is given freely, enjoin what is right, and turn away from the ignorant} (Al-A'rāf: 199).

Al-Qaffāl stated that kāffatan can refer back to those commanded to enter, meaning: Enter all together; do not separate or disagree. Arabs say: "I saw the people kāffatan (all of them) and kāffīn," and "I saw the women kāffāt."

Quṭrub suggested it can refer back to as-silm (Islam), meaning: Enter into all of Islam; that is, all its ordinances.

• Al-Wāḥidī preferred this latter view as being more consistent with the apparent meaning of the exegesis, as they were commanded to uphold all of it.

Linguistic Meaning of Kāffah: In language, kāffah means preventing/restraining. One says: "I restrained (kafftu) so-and-so from evil." The edge of a shirt is called kaff because it prevents the garment from spreading. The palm of the hand is called kaff because it restrains the rest of the body. A blind man is makfūf because his sight is prevented from seeing.

• Therefore, kāffah means prevention. It then became a name for the entire group because unity prevents dispersion and deviation.
• Thus, {Enter into as-silm kāffatan} means: Enter into the ordinances of Islam to the extent that the ordinances reach, so that you are prevented from leaving any of its laws. Or, it means: Enter all of you, such that you prevent anyone from failing to enter.

This means: Do not obey him. It is common in speech to say someone "followed the track" (iqtafā atharahu) of a person if they followed his way. There is no difference between that and saying, "I followed his footsteps (khuṭūṭihi)." Khuṭūṭ is the plural of khuṭwah (footstep), which we have discussed previously.

Abū Muslim Al-Iṣfahānī said that mubīn (evident/clear) is an attribute of an eloquent speaker who expresses what is in his heart.

• My Support: The validity of this meaning is supported by verses like {Ḥā, Mīm. By the clear Book} (Az-Zukhruf: 1, Ad-Dukhān: 1), where mubīn clearly means that which explains itself.

• Objection: How can Satan be described as mubīn (evident) when we neither see his form nor hear his speech?
• Response: Since Allah has made clear his enmity toward Adam and his offspring, it is correct to describe him as an evident enemy even if he is not physically witnessed at the moment. An example: If someone openly declares his enmity toward a man in a distant land, it is correct to say, "So-and-so is an evident enemy to you," even if you do not see him now.
• My Other View: The root of ibānah (making evident) is cutting off/decisiveness. Clarity (bayān) is named so because it cuts off certain possibilities from others. Describing Satan as mubīn means he cuts off the accountable person, through his whispers, from obedience to Allah, His reward, and His pleasure.

• Further Objection: Satan's enmity toward us must be either because (1) he intends to inflict immediate pain and hardship upon us, or (2) he prevents us from religion and reward through his whispers.
  • (1) is false, because if that were the case, he would cause us diseases, pain, and distress, which is clearly not always the case.
  • (2) is also false, because whoever accepts his whisper does so by his own choice, as he said: {I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me} (Ibrāhīm: 22). If this is true, how can he be called an enemy with evident enmity?

• The Answer: He is an enemy in both aspects.
  • Regarding his attempt to inflict harm: He is an enemy in this regard, but Allah prevents him from succeeding. It is not necessary that one who intends harm must be capable of inflicting it.
  • Regarding his whispering: It is known that beautifying sins and casting doubts are causes for a person to fall into falsehood and thus be deprived of reward. This constitutes one of the greatest forms of enmity.

{But if you slip after the clear proofs have come to you, then know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.}