The Steps of Satan: Does a Human Being Fall Into Major Deviation All at Once?

Author: Berk KÖKSAL
Date: September 11, 2026
Place: Mersin

The central purpose of this article is to contemplate the verses together with other related verses, and to consider sincerely and deeply what bearing witness to the oneness of GOD means in human life in terms of knowledge, justice, truthfulness, and submission.

Peace. Peace be upon you.

We often imagine evil as one large and obvious decision. Yet 2:168 uses the language of “steps.” It does not describe one dramatic leap by Satan, but warns people not to follow his steps. That language makes me think about moral direction through small permissions, repeated habits, accepted claims, and justifications.

The next verse, 2:169, names evil, vice, and speaking about GOD without knowledge. Then 2:170 criticizes inherited practice, and 2:171 describes repetition without understanding. The idea of “steps” therefore extends beyond behavior into knowledge, speech, and religious authority.

The question of this article is: Does a human being fall into major deviation all at once, or can distance from truth grow through small, justified steps?

Summary:

1. Why Are Satan's “Steps” Plural?

2:168

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

Ey insanlar, yeryüzünün helal ve iyi olan ürünlerinin hepsini yiyin ve Şeytan’ın adımlarını takip etmeyin; o sizin en azılı düşmanınızdır.

2. Speaking About GOD Without Knowledge

2:169 — He only commands you to commit evil and vice, and to say about GOD what you do not know.

3. Can Inherited Habit Become One of the Steps?

2:170 — When they are told, “Follow what GOD has revealed herein,” they say, “We follow only what we found our parents doing.” What if their parents did not understand, and were not guided?

4. Repeating Without Understanding

2:171 — The example of such disbelievers is that of parrots who repeat what they hear of sounds and calls, without understanding. Deaf, dumb, and blind; they cannot understand.

5. The Contrast Between Complete Submission and the Steps

2:208 — O you who believe, you shall embrace total submission; do not follow the steps of Satan, for he is your most ardent enemy.

6. Is Purification Our Own Achievement?

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

7. The Steps Even in the Field of Lawful Provision

6:142 — Some livestock supply you with transportation, as well as bedding materials. Eat from GOD’s provisions to you, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

8. The Responsibility of Saying “This Is Lawful, This Is Forbidden”

16:116 — You shall not utter lies with your own tongues stating: “This is lawful, and this is unlawful,” to fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD. Surely, those who fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD will never succeed.

9. Ancestors, Sin, and False Attribution to GOD

7:28 — They commit a gross sin, then say, “We found our parents doing this, and GOD has commanded us to do it.’’ Say, “GOD never advocates sin. Are you saying about GOD what you do not know?”

10. Treating the Enemy as an Enemy

35:6 — The devil is your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be the dwellers of Hell.

11. The Fork Between Worshiping Satan and Worshiping GOD

36:60 — Did I not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not worship the devil? That he is your most ardent enemy?

36:61 — And that you shall worship Me alone? This is the right path.

36:62 — He has misled multitudes of you. Did you not possess any understanding?

12. Producing Hatred and Distracting from Remembrance

5:90 — O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and the games of chance are abominations of the devil; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed.

5:91 — The devil wants to provoke animosity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to distract you from remembering GOD, and from observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Will you then refrain?

13. Can Speech Become a Step That Divides People?

17:53 — Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man’s most ardent enemy.

14. Breaking the Chain When the Whisper Comes

7:200 — When the devil whispers to you any whisper, seek refuge in GOD; He is Hearer, Omniscient.

7:201 — Those who are righteous, whenever the devil approaches them with an idea, they remember, whereupon they become seers.

41:36 — When the devil whispers an idea to you, you shall seek refuge in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.

15. Does Satan Compel, or Only Invite?

14:22 — And the devil will say, after the judgment had been issued, “GOD has promised you the truthful promise, and I promised you, but I broke my promise. I had no power over you; I simply invited you, and you accepted my invitation. Therefore, do not blame me, and blame only yourselves. My complaining cannot help you, nor can your complaining help me. I have disbelieved in your idolizing me. The transgressors have incurred a painful retribution.”

16. Unverified Information Can Also Become a Step

17:36 — You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.

17. Not Dismissing Small Wrongs as Small

2:168 — O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

17:53 — Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man’s most ardent enemy.

7:201 — Those who are righteous, whenever the devil approaches them with an idea, they remember, whereupon they become seers.

18. Can Silence Where I Do Not Know Be Protection?

2:169 — He only commands you to commit evil and vice, and to say about GOD what you do not know.

16:116 — You shall not utter lies with your own tongues stating: “This is lawful, and this is unlawful,” to fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD. Surely, those who fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD will never succeed.

19. Arabic Word Roots: Step, Following, and Enmity

2:168 — O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

Other Claims

2:168 — O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

Conclusion

2:168 — O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

2:169 — He only commands you to commit evil and vice, and to say about GOD what you do not know.

2:170 — When they are told, “Follow what GOD has revealed herein,” they say, “We follow only what we found our parents doing.” What if their parents did not understand, and were not guided?

2:171 — The example of such disbelievers is that of parrots who repeat what they hear of sounds and calls, without understanding. Deaf, dumb, and blind; they cannot understand.

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

14:22 — And the devil will say, after the judgment had been issued, “GOD has promised you the truthful promise, and I promised you, but I broke my promise. I had no power over you; I simply invited you, and you accepted my invitation. Therefore, do not blame me, and blame only yourselves. My complaining cannot help you, nor can your complaining help me. I have disbelieved in your idolizing me. The transgressors have incurred a painful retribution.”

17:53 — Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man’s most ardent enemy.

7:200 — When the devil whispers to you any whisper, seek refuge in GOD; He is Hearer, Omniscient.

41:36 — When the devil whispers an idea to you, you shall seek refuge in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.

5:91 — The devil wants to provoke animosity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to distract you from remembering GOD, and from observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Will you then refrain?

1. Why Are Satan’s “Steps” Plural?

Verse

2:168

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

Ey insanlar, yeryüzünün helal ve iyi olan ürünlerinin hepsini yiyin ve Şeytan’ın adımlarını takip etmeyin; o sizin en azılı düşmanınızdır.

Source: kuranteyit.com

Reflection on the Verse

The word that most arrests me in 2:168 is “steps.” The plural form does not authorize a complete psychological theory, but it clearly conveys direction and repeated movement.

It may therefore be inadequate to look for moral danger only in the final dramatic result. Direction is already visible in smaller choices.

My first question becomes: what small thing I permit today could make a larger wrong look normal tomorrow?

Verse references: 2:168.

2. Speaking About GOD Without Knowledge

Verse

2:169 — He only commands you to commit evil and vice, and to say about GOD what you do not know.

Reflection on the Verse

2:169 names three commands associated with Satan: evil, vice, and saying about GOD what one does not know.

The third is especially serious for religious thought. A person can go astray not only through behavior, but through claims of knowledge. Saying “GOD commanded this” or “GOD prohibited this” is not an ordinary opinion.

Resistance to Satan’s steps therefore begins in speech as well. Remaining silent where I do not know may be an act of truthfulness, not weakness.

Verse references: 2:169.

3. Can Inherited Habit Become One of the Steps?

Verse

2:170 — When they are told, “Follow what GOD has revealed herein,” they say, “We follow only what we found our parents doing.” What if their parents did not understand, and were not guided?

Reflection on the Verse

2:170 records the response to the command to follow revelation: “We follow only what we found our parents doing.” This directly meets the question explored in We Found Our Parents Doing This.

Inheritance is not automatically evil. The problem begins when inheritance becomes evidence in place of revelation. A practice seen for years can begin to feel like a command from GOD.

I do not need to hate inherited religion; I need to verify it before revelation.

Verse references: 2:170.

4. Repeating Without Understanding

Verse

2:171 — The example of such disbelievers is that of parrots who repeat what they hear of sounds and calls, without understanding. Deaf, dumb, and blind; they cannot understand.

Reflection on the Verse

2:171 uses the image of parrots repeating sounds without understanding. Saying correct words is not the same as understanding what one says.

A sentence repeated often enough can become untouchable. The words remain while the connection to meaning weakens. Religious language can stay active while the mind becomes passive.

Resisting Satan’s steps therefore means more than rejecting false statements. It also means refusing to repeat even true statements without understanding.

Verse references: 2:171.

5. The Contrast Between Complete Submission and the Steps

Verse

2:208 — O you who believe, you shall embrace total submission; do not follow the steps of Satan, for he is your most ardent enemy.

Reflection on the Verse

2:208 commands complete submission and immediately warns against following Satan’s steps. On one side stands comprehensive submission; on the other, a sequence of followed steps.

A person can divide life into zones, surrendering some to GOD while reserving others for the self. The verse calls beyond that divided allegiance.

This is not a claim of perfection. It means returning direction to GOD’s measure instead of defending the failure.

Verse references: 2:208.

6. Is Purification Our Own Achievement?

Verse

24:21 — O you who believe, do not follow the steps of Satan. Anyone who follows the steps of Satan, should know that he advocates evil and vice. If it were not for GOD’s grace towards you, and His mercy, none of you would have been purified. But GOD purifies whomever He wills. GOD is Hearer, Knower.

Reflection on the Verse

24:21 warns that following Satan’s path leads toward evil and vice, then says that without GOD’s grace and mercy none of us would be purified.

This prevents the struggle from becoming a hero story about the self. “I am aware; nothing can happen to me” can itself produce arrogance.

Responsibility is mine, but I cannot claim purification as an achievement independent of GOD.

Verse references: 24:21.

7. The Steps Even in the Field of Lawful Provision

Verse

6:142 — Some livestock supply you with transportation, as well as bedding materials. Eat from GOD’s provisions to you, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

Reflection on the Verse

6:142 repeats the warning in the context of provision and livestock: eat from what GOD has provided and do not follow Satan’s steps.

This makes the field of lawful and forbidden especially sensitive. A person can forbid what GOD made lawful through self-created religious authority, or turn personal preference into a rule attributed to GOD.

Piety is not the invention of more prohibitions. Knowing the limit of one’s authority is also part of submission.

Verse references: 6:142.

8. The Responsibility of Saying “This Is Lawful, This Is Forbidden”

Verse

16:116 — You shall not utter lies with your own tongues stating: “This is lawful, and this is unlawful,” to fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD. Surely, those who fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD will never succeed.

Reflection on the Verse

16:116 establishes a concrete boundary: do not invent lies by saying “This is lawful, this is forbidden” and attribute them to GOD.

This becomes a basic criterion for evaluating religious leaders and scholars. Knowledge, fame, or followers do not authorize a human being to legislate in GOD’s name beyond revelation.

The same boundary applies to me. Personal judgment should not be presented as divine law.

Verse references: 16:116.

9. Ancestors, Sin, and False Attribution to GOD

Verse

7:28 — They commit a gross sin, then say, “We found our parents doing this, and GOD has commanded us to do it.’’ Say, “GOD never advocates sin. Are you saying about GOD what you do not know?”

Reflection on the Verse

7:28 joins two movements: people appeal to their parents and then claim that GOD commanded what they are doing. The answer is direct: GOD never advocates sin; are you saying about GOD what you do not know?

Inherited behavior and divine legitimization can reinforce each other. A person preserves a tradition and then creates a claim about GOD to protect it.

I need to ask: am I truly deriving a practice from revelation, or making revelation defend a practice I already prefer?

Verse references: 7:28.

10. Treating the Enemy as an Enemy

Verse

35:6 — The devil is your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be the dwellers of Hell.

Reflection on the Verse

35:6 is simple: Satan is your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. Satan is therefore not merely a theoretical idea.

Yet the verse does not authorize us to label other human beings as “Satan.” The named enemy is Satan; human beings remain responsible for their choices.

In religious conflict I should resist demonizing another person and become more alert to pride, falsehood, rage, and unsupported claims within myself.

Verse references: 35:6.

11. The Fork Between Worshiping Satan and Worshiping GOD

Verse

36:60 — Did I not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not worship the devil? That he is your most ardent enemy?

36:61 — And that you shall worship Me alone? This is the right path.

36:62 — He has misled multitudes of you. Did you not possess any understanding?

Reflection on the Verse

36:60-62 takes the issue to its root: do not worship Satan; worship GOD alone. The “steps” ultimately connect to authority and servitude.

A person may never think of himself as consciously worshiping Satan, yet repeated obedience to invitations that lead away from GOD forms another pattern of allegiance.

Tawhid is more than refusing visible idols. It requires attention to which call actually directs one’s life.

Verse references: 36:60; 36:61; 36:62.

12. Producing Hatred and Distracting from Remembrance

Verse

5:90 — O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and the games of chance are abominations of the devil; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed.

5:91 — The devil wants to provoke animosity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to distract you from remembering GOD, and from observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Will you then refrain?

Reflection on the Verse

5:90-91 does not leave Satan’s influence abstract. Through intoxicants and gambling, hostility and hatred are produced and people are distracted from remembering GOD and observing prayer.

The result appears on two levels: human relationships are damaged and the relationship with GOD is weakened.

If a habit steadily makes me angrier, more distracted, more forgetful, and less responsible, calling it merely a “personal preference” may not be enough.

Verse references: 5:90; 5:91.

13. Can Speech Become a Step That Divides People?

Verse

17:53 — Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man’s most ardent enemy.

Reflection on the Verse

17:53 tells GOD’s servants to deal with one another in the best possible manner because Satan tries to create division between them.

Large conflicts can begin in speech. A correct criticism delivered as humiliation, or true information spoken with pride, can damage relationships even when some content is correct.

Interrupting Satan’s steps can begin with forming one sentence better.

Verse references: 17:53.

14. Breaking the Chain When the Whisper Comes

Verse

7:200 — When the devil whispers to you any whisper, seek refuge in GOD; He is Hearer, Omniscient.

7:201 — Those who are righteous, whenever the devil approaches them with an idea, they remember, whereupon they become seers.

41:36 — When the devil whispers an idea to you, you shall seek refuge in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.

Reflection on the Verse

7:200-201 and 41:36 show a way out: when a satanic idea or whisper appears, seek refuge in GOD, remember, and become able to see again.

The arrival of a step does not force me to follow it. Remembrance can interrupt the sequence. Seeking refuge in GOD can create distance between the thought and the self.

Spiritual vigilance may begin by refusing to treat the first impulse as my identity and choosing direction again.

Verse references: 7:200; 7:201; 41:36.

15. Does Satan Compel, or Only Invite?

Verse

14:22 — And the devil will say, after the judgment had been issued, “GOD has promised you the truthful promise, and I promised you, but I broke my promise. I had no power over you; I simply invited you, and you accepted my invitation. Therefore, do not blame me, and blame only yourselves. My complaining cannot help you, nor can your complaining help me. I have disbelieved in your idolizing me. The transgressors have incurred a painful retribution.”

Reflection on the Verse

14:22 establishes a clear boundary of responsibility. Satan will say that he had no power over people; he only invited them and they accepted the invitation.

The verse prevents us from blaming Satan in order to escape personal responsibility. There is an enemy and an invitation, but there is also a response.

Speaking about Satan’s steps should not create fatalistic excuses. It should remind us that choice reappears before every step.

Verse references: 14:22.

16. Unverified Information Can Also Become a Step

Verse

17:36 — You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.

Reflection on the Verse

17:36 commands us not to accept information we have not verified for ourselves and makes hearing, sight, and the mind matters of responsibility.

It does not use the phrase “Satan’s steps,” but it forms a strong ethical connection with 2:169’s warning against speaking about GOD without knowledge.

Small permissions such as “everyone says so” or “our scholar said it” can harden into religious conviction. Verification interrupts that chain.

Verse references: 17:36.

17. Not Dismissing Small Wrongs as Small

Verse

2:168 — O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

17:53 — Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man’s most ardent enemy.

7:201 — Those who are righteous, whenever the devil approaches them with an idea, they remember, whereupon they become seers.

Reflection on the Verse

Read together, these verses make me stop looking for Satan’s steps only in extraordinary forms of evil.

Passing on an unverified claim, justifying a cruel sentence in anger, preferring tradition to a verse, or speaking with certainty about GOD where I do not know may all affect direction.

None may look like major deviation by itself. That is precisely what a step is: a small movement that changes where I am walking.

Verse references: 2:168; 17:53; 7:201.

18. Can Silence Where I Do Not Know Be Protection?

Verse

2:169 — He only commands you to commit evil and vice, and to say about GOD what you do not know.

16:116 — You shall not utter lies with your own tongues stating: “This is lawful, and this is unlawful,” to fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD. Surely, those who fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD will never succeed.

Reflection on the Verse

Read together, 2:169 and 16:116 show that religious speech carries serious responsibility. Attributing to GOD what I do not know is not merely an intellectual mistake; it crosses a moral boundary.

Sometimes the most truthful religious answer may therefore be “I do not know.” A person can refuse to fill the gap with personal authority.

Protection from Satan’s steps may lie not in speaking more, but in knowing which claims I have no right to make.

Verse references: 2:169; 16:116.

19. Arabic Word Roots: Step, Following, and Enmity

Verse

2:168 — O people, eat from the earth’s products all that is lawful and good, and do not follow the steps of Satan; he is your most ardent enemy.

Reflection on the Verse

The word خُطُوَات (khutuwat) in 2:168 is connected with خ-ط-و (kh-ṭ-w) and carries the idea of stepping or walking. Its plural form clearly speaks of multiple “steps.”

تَتَّبِعُوا (tattabi’u) comes from ت-ب-ع (t-b-’), the field of following and going after.

حَلَالًا (halalan) is connected with ح-ل-ل (h-l-l), while طَيِّبًا (tayyiban) comes from ط-ي-ب (ṭ-y-b). The warning appears in the context of lawful and good provision.

عَدُوّ (aduww) is connected with ع-د-و (’-d-w) and carries the sense of enmity. The direction is clear: the path not to be followed belongs to an evident enemy.

Verse references: 2:168.

Other Claims

Traditional interpretations sometimes explain “Satan’s steps” through gradual involvement in particular sins, religious innovations, or human additions in the field of lawful and forbidden.

Some examples may fit the verses, but it would be unwarranted to make one later historical practice the exclusive meaning. The main line comes directly from the verses: evil, vice, speaking about GOD without knowledge, placing inheritance above revelation, repetition without understanding, producing hostility, and human responsibility in responding to invitation.

Conclusion

When I return to 2:168, the word “steps” feels much more serious. Major wrongs may become visible only at the end, while direction has already been changing.

2:169 warns against speaking about GOD without knowledge; 2:170 against placing inheritance before revelation; 2:171 against repetition without understanding; 24:21 connects the path with evil and vice; 17:53 shows the divisive power of speech; and 5:91 gives concrete mechanisms of hostility and distraction from remembrance. 7:200-201 and 41:36 show that the sequence can be interrupted. Finally, 14:22 returns responsibility to the human being: Satan invites but does not compel.

The struggle therefore begins for me not with “Where is Satan?” but with “Which invitation am I accepting?”

One way to avoid great deviation may be refusing to dismiss small wrongs as small.

GOD knows best.

Note

2:32 — They said, “Be You glorified, we have no knowledge, except that which You have taught us. You are the Omniscient, Most Wise.”

GOD knows best.

Source: kuranteyit.com