In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا

Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse false desires in them; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah.” And whoever takes Shaitan (Satan) as a Wali (protector or helper) instead of Allah, has surely suffered a manifest loss. [An-Nisaa 119]

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُ

“Verily, I will mislead them”– Meaning, from the truth.

وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُم

“And surely, I will arouse false desires in them”. 

Ibn Abbas said, “Iblees desires to hinder them from repentance and that they delay it”. [1]

وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ

“I will order them to slit the ears of cattle”.

Meaning, cut off the ears of the cattle.

وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ

“And indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah”.

Ibn Abbas said: “Iblees intends by this the religion of Allah. And the meaning is that Allah created His slaves upon an upright fitrah (i.e. an upright natural disposition that enables them to recognise Him, accept the call of the messengers when it reaches them and worship Him alone), as He, The Most High, said:

فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

So set you (O Muhammad) your face towards the religion of true Monotheism- Hanifa (worship none but Allah Alone)- Allah’s Islamic Monotheism with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in the Religion of Allah’s Islamic Monotheism, that is the straight religion, but most men know not.

مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوهُ

(Always) Turning in repentance to Him (only), and be afraid and dutiful to Him]. [Ar-Rum. 30-31]

And this is why the Prophet said: “Every child is born on a Fitrah [a natural disposition to recognise Allah, accept the call of the messengers when it reaches them and worship Allaah alone], but their parents convert them to (abrogated) Judaism, (abrogated) Christianity or (the polytheism of) Magianism, as an animal gives birth to a perfect baby animal, do you find it mutilated?!” Abu Hurairah- after narrating this hadith- recited the verse:

فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا

“Allah’s Islamic Monotheism, with which He has created mankind”.

Thus, the Prophet mentioned two matters: alteration of the sound natural disposition through (abrogated) Judaism and Christianity, and alteration of the natural physical appearance of the creation through mutilation.

They are two things that iblees said he must change- alteration of the natural disposition (through) incitement towards disbelief and alteration of the natural physical appearance through mutilation. He changes the sound innate natural disposition through incitement to Shirk and alteration of the natural appearance through cutting and mutilation. One is alteration of the sound innate natural disposition of the soul and the other is alteration of the natural appearance of the creation. [2]

Allah, The Most High, said:

قَالَ فَبِمَآ أَغۡوَيۡتَنِى لَأَقۡعُدَنَّ لَهُمۡ صِرَٲطَكَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ
ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَنْ شَمَائِلِهِمْ وَلاَ تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ

(Iblis) said: “Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).” 7-16-17]

ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ

“Then I will come to them from before them and behind them”.

Meaning, “I will bring doubts to them about the Hereafter”.

وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ

“And behind them”.

Meaning, “I will make them covetous for the worldly things”.

وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ

“And from their right”.

Meaning: “I will make their religion obscure (by making them hold onto doubtful matters which they would consider to be the truth)”.

وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ

“And from their left”.

Meaning, “I will command them to commit evil deeds, urge them toward it and beautify it in their eyes”.

It has also been reported from Ibn Abbas who said that Iblees did not say, “And from above them” because he knows that Allah is above them. Qatadah said, “O son of Adam! Shaytan comes to you from every direction but not from above because he is not able to come between you and the Mercy of Allah”. [3]

[1] An Excerpt from I’lam Al-Muwaqqi’in 1-67-69

[2 & 3] An Excerpt from Ighatha Al-Lahfan 1/105-107