7:27 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

يقول تعالى، محذرا لبني آدم أن يفعل بهم الشيطان كما فعل بأبيهم: { يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ } بأن يزين لكم العصيان، ويدعوكم إليه، ويرغبكم فيه، فتنقادون له { كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُمْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ } وأنزلهما من المحل العالي إلى أنزل منه، فأنتم يريد أن يفعل بكم كذلك، ولا يألو جهده عنكم، حتى يفتنكم، إن استطاع، فعليكم أن تجعلوا الحذر منه في بالكم، وأن تلبسوا لَأْمَةَ الحرب بينكم وبيْنه، وأن لا تغفُلوا عن المواضع التي يدخل منها إليكم. فـ { إِنَّهُ } يراقبكم على الدوام، و { يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ } من شياطين الجن { مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ } فعدم الإيمان هو الموجب لعقد الولاية بين الإنسان والشيطان. { إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ * إِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِهِ مُشْرِكُونَ }

يحذر تعالى بني آدم من إبليس وقبيله مبينا لهم عداوته القديمة لأبي البشر آدم عليه السلام في سعيه في إخراجه من الجنة التي هي دار النعيم إلى دار التعب والعناء والتسبب في هتك عورته بعد ما كانت مستورة عنه وما هذا إلا عن عداوة أكيدة وهذا كقوله تعالى "أفتتخذونه وذريته أولياء من دوني وهم لكم عدو بئس للظالمين بدلا".

Warning against the Lures of Shaytan

Allah warns the Children of Adam against Iblis and his followers, by explaining about his ancient enmity for the father of mankind, Adam peace be upon him. Iblis plotted to have Adam expelled from Paradise, which is the dwelling of comfort, to the dwelling of hardship and fatigue (this life) and caused him to have his private part uncovered, after it had been hidden from him. This, indeed, is indicative of deep hatred (from Shaytan towards Adam and mankind). Allah said in a similar Ayah,

أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِى وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِئْسَ لِلظَّـلِمِينَ بَدَلاً

(Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me, while they are enemies to you What an evil is the exchange for the wrongdoers.) 18:50.

O Children of Adam! Let not Satan tempt you lead you astray that is do not follow him lest you fall into temptation as he caused your parents to go forth from the Garden by tempting them stripping yanzi‘u is a circumstantial qualifier them of their garments to manifest to them their shameful parts. Surely he Satan sees you he and his tribe his army from where you do not see them — because of their ethereal bodies or their being colourless. We have made the devils friends helpers and companions of those who do not believe.

In the second verse (27), the address reverts to all children of Adam (علیہ السلام) and the admonition given is that they should keep guarding against the deception of Shaytan in everything they do under whatever circumstance they are - lest, Shaytan puts them on another trial as he did with their parents, 'Adam and Eve. He made them leave Paradise, caused them to shed their dress and render their essential cover to be uncovered. He was their eternal enemy. His enmity was something, they were never to lose sight of.

At the end of the verse, it was said:

إِنَّهُ يَرَ‌اكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَ‌وْنَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Indeed, he sees you - he and his company - from where you do not see them. Surely, We have made the satans friends forthose who do not believe - (27).

Here, the word: قَبِیل (qabil) means company or group. A joined family group is called: Qabilah or tribe. Common groups are known as qabil. The sense of the verse is: For you the Satan is a kind of enemy that he and his accomplices do see you but you do not see them. Therefore, the chances that you would fall a victim to their deception are fairly strong.

But, in other verses, it has also been clarified that people who keep turning to Allah Ta` ala and maintain their guard against the deception of Shaytan, for them, the wily web of Shaytan is much too weak.

Then, what has been said at the end of this verse - that ` We have made the satans friends and guardians of those who do not believe' - also indicates that those who believe should not find staying away from their web of deception at all difficult.

Some righteous elders have said that the defence against the enemy who sees us but we cannot see him is simple. Let us come under the protection of Allah Ta` ala. He sees these satans, watches how they move and act - but they cannot see Him.

And the statement, that human beings cannot see Shaytan, is in terms of general conditions and habit. If a human being were to see them contra-habitually, that would not be considered contrary to it - as is the case of Jinns coming to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who asked questions and embraced Islam, which appears in authentic narrations of Hadith. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)