Ayah
Word by Word
وَإِذۡ
And when
قُلۡنَا
We said
لِلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ
to the Angels
ٱسۡجُدُواْ
Prostrate
لِأٓدَمَ
to Adam
فَسَجَدُوٓاْ
so they prostrated
إِلَّآ
except
إِبۡلِيسَ
Iblis
كَانَ
(He) was
مِنَ
of
ٱلۡجِنِّ
the jinn
فَفَسَقَ
and he rebelled
عَنۡ
against
أَمۡرِ
the Command
رَبِّهِۦٓۗ
(of) his Lord
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥ
Will you then take him
وَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓ
and his offspring
أَوۡلِيَآءَ
(as) protectors
مِن
other than Me
دُونِي
other than Me
وَهُمۡ
while they
لَكُمۡ
(are) to you
عَدُوُّۢۚ
enemies
بِئۡسَ
Wretched
لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
for the wrongdoers
بَدَلٗا
(is) the exchange
وَإِذۡ
And when
قُلۡنَا
We said
لِلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ
to the Angels
ٱسۡجُدُواْ
Prostrate
لِأٓدَمَ
to Adam
فَسَجَدُوٓاْ
so they prostrated
إِلَّآ
except
إِبۡلِيسَ
Iblis
كَانَ
(He) was
مِنَ
of
ٱلۡجِنِّ
the jinn
فَفَسَقَ
and he rebelled
عَنۡ
against
أَمۡرِ
the Command
رَبِّهِۦٓۗ
(of) his Lord
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥ
Will you then take him
وَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓ
and his offspring
أَوۡلِيَآءَ
(as) protectors
مِن
other than Me
دُونِي
other than Me
وَهُمۡ
while they
لَكُمۡ
(are) to you
عَدُوُّۢۚ
enemies
بِئۡسَ
Wretched
لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
for the wrongdoers
بَدَلٗا
(is) the exchange
Translation
Behold! We said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam": They bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! Evil would be the exchange for the wrong-doers!
Tafsir
And when (idh is dependent because it is governed by [an implicit] udhkur, 'mention [when]') We said to the angels, 'Prostrate before Adam', a prostration involving a bow, not placing one's forehead down [to the ground], as a greeting to him; and so they prostrated, [all] except Iblees. He was [one] of the jinn - some say that these [creatures] are a species of angels, in which case the exceptive clause [illaa Iblees, 'except Iblees'] is a continuous one; but it is also said to be discontinuous, since Iblees is [considered] the progenitor of [all] the jinn, having offspring who are mentioned alongside him further below; angels, on the other hand, do not have offspring; and he transgressed against his Lord's command, that is to say, he rebelled against obedience to Him by refraining from [performing] the prostration. Will you then take him and his offspring - this address is to Adam and his progeny (the [final pronominal suffix] haa' in both words refers to Iblees) for your patrons instead of Me, obeying them, when they are an enemy to you?, in other words, [when they are your] enemies (wa-hum lakum 'aduwwun is a circumstantial qualifier). How evil for the evildoers is that substitute!, of Iblees and his offspring, in obeying them instead of obeying God.
"
The Story of Adam and Iblis
Allah points out to the Children of Adam the enmity of Iblis towards them and their father before them, and rebukes those who follow him and go against their Creator and Master. It is He who created them from nothing and sustains and nourishes them by His kindness, yet they still took Iblis as their friend and declared their enmity towards Allah.
So Allah says:
وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلَإيِكَةِ
And (remember) when We said to the angels,
meaning all the angels, as was mentioned in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah.
اسۡجُدُوا لاِدَمَ
Prostrate yourselves unto Adam,
a prostration of respect and honor, as Allah says:
وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـيِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـلِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلۡصَـلٍ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ مَّسۡنُونٍ
فَإِذَا سَوَّيۡتُهُ وَنَفَخۡتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُواۡ لَهُ سَـجِدِينَ
And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels, ""I am going to create a human (Adam) from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud. So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him the soul which I created for him, then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him. (15:28-29)
فَسَجَدُوا إِلاَّ إِبۡلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الۡجِنِّ
So they prostrated themselves except Iblis. He was one of the Jinn;
meaning, his original nature betrayed him. He had been created from smokeless fire, whereas the angels had been created from light, as is stated in Sahih Muslim where it is reported that A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said that the Messenger of Allah said:
خُلِقَتِ الۡمَلَيِكَةُ مِنۡ نُورٍ
وَخُلِقَ إِبۡلِيسُ مِنۡ مَارِجٍ مِنۡ نَارٍ
وَخُلِقَ ادَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُم
The angels were created from light,
Iblis was created from smokeless fire, and
Adam was created from that which has been described to you.
When matters are crucial, every vessel leaks that which it contains and is betrayed by its true nature. Iblis used to do what the angels did and resembled them in their devotion and worship, so he was included when they were addressed, but he disobeyed and went against what he was told to do. So Allah points out here that he was one of the Jinn, i.e., he was created from fire, as He says elsewhere:
أَنَاۡ خَيۡرٌ مِّنۡهُ خَلَقۡتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقۡتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
I am better than he. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay. (38:76)
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said,
""Iblis was not one of the angels, not even for a second. He was the origin of the Jinn just as Adam, upon him be peace, was the origin of mankind.""
This was narrated by Ibn Jarir with a Sahih chain.
فَفَسَقَ عَنۡ أَمۡرِ رَبِّهِ
he disobeyed the command of his Lord.
meaning by stepping beyond the bounds of obedience to Allah.
Fisq (disobeying) implies going out or stepping beyond. When the date emerges from its flower, the verb used in Arabic is Fasaqat; the same verb is used to describe a mouse coming out of its hole when it comes out to do damage.
Then Allah says, rebuking those who follow and obey Iblis:
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوۡلِيَاء مِن دُونِي
Will you then take him and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me!
meaning, instead of Me.
وَهُمۡ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ
while they are enemies to you,
This is why Allah says:
بِيۡسَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بَدَلاً
What an evil is the exchange for the wrongdoers.
This is like the Ayah in Surah Ya Sin where, after mentioning the Resurrection and its terrors, and the ultimate end of the blessed and the doomed, Allah then says:
وَامۡتَازُوا الۡيَوۡمَ أَيُّهَا الۡمُجۡرِمُونَ
(It will be said):""And O you the criminals! Get you apart this Day (from the believers). until;
أَفَلَمۡ تَكُونُوا تَعۡقِلُونَ
(Did you not then understand). (36:59-62)
The gods of the Idolators did not witness the Creation of anything, not even Themselves
Allah says:
مَا أَشۡهَدتُّهُمۡ خَلۡقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاۡاَرۡضِ وَلَاا خَلۡقَ أَنفُسِهِمۡ
They did not witness the creation of the heavens and the earth nor their own creation,
Allah says that these whom you take as helpers instead of Me are creatures just like you. They do not possess anything and did not witness the creation of heaven and earth, because they did not exist at that time.'
Allah says, `I am the One Who independently and exclusively creates and controls all things, and I have no partner, associate or advisor in that.'
As Allah says:
قُلِ ادۡعُواۡ الَّذِينَ زَعَمۡتُمۡ مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَمۡلِكُونَ مِثُقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَلَا فِى الاٌّرۡضِ وَمَا لَهُمۡ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرۡكٍ وَمَا لَهُ مِنۡهُمۡ مِّن ظَهِيرٍ
وَلَا تَنفَعُ الشَّفَـعَةُ عِندَهُ إِلاَّ لِمَنۡ أَذِنَ لَهُ
Say:""Call upon those you claim besides Allah, they possess not even a speck of dust in the heavens or on the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor is there for Him any assistant among them.
Intercession with Him profits not except for him whom He permits. (34:22-23)
Similarly Allah says here:
وَمَا كُنتُ مُتَّخِذَ الۡمُضِلِّينَ عَضُدًا
nor did I take those who mislead as `Adudan.
Malik said:
""Assistants.”"
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