( مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ) (from before them): Satan will pursue human beings from between their hands in an attempt to prevent them from seeing the truth that lies right before their eyes so that causes them to doubt about the Hereafter.

( ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ) (Then I will come to them from before them): Satan wants people to doubt that they will be resurrected and that Allah (swt): (will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?”). He wants them to doubt that there will be accountability, Paradise, and Hell.

( وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ ) (and from behind them): What is behind people are their progeny, Allah (swt) says:

 وَلْيَخْشَ الَّذِينَ لَوْ تَرَكُوا مِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّةً ضِعَافًا خَافُوا عَلَيْهِمْ فَلْيَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْيَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا

(And let those [executors and guardians] fear [injustice] as if they [themselves] had left weak offspring behind and feared for them. So let them fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.) (An-Nisaa: 9)

A person might steal and accept bribery out of fear for his children and to leave money behind for them. So, Satan comes to people from the front and whispers to them that there is no Heaven or Hell, nor accountability, and he comes to them from behind and tempts them with what concerns their children.

The third side is: ( وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ ) (and on their right): The right side is usually associated with asceticism. Satan will attempt to abstrain human beings away from striving for success in the worldly life. This way of life does not please Allah (swt), for He (swt) expects Muslims to be the epitome of hard work, knowledge and generosity.

( وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ) (and on their left): He will tempt them with sins. These are four directions. Two sides are left out which are from above and below. It is because the above is the direction where deeds and prayers rise up to, and below is the direction of prostration. This means that Satan never comes from the side of prostration nor from above where deeds rise up to.

( وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ ) (and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].”): People who are guided by their lusts to fulfil their desires will not be thankful to Allah (swt), for a sinner is someone who is ungrateful. Whereas those who obey Allah (swt) are the grateful ones. Most people follow the path of temptation and only a few follow the path of obedience to Allah (swt). Indeed, it is as Allah (swt) describes:

 وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ 

(And few of My servants are grateful.) (Saba: 13)