THE STORY OF ADAM AND IBLIS | Tafseer Ibn Katheer

ALLĀH 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 ALLĀH.

 

So ALLĀH says: 

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَإيِكَةِ 

And (remember) when WE said to the angels,

 

meaning all the angels, as was mentioned in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah:

 

اسْجُدُوا لاِدَمَ 

Prostrate yourselves unto Adam,

 

a prostration of respect and honor, as ALLĀH says:

 

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـيِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـلِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَـلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ ۞ فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُواْ 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 إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ 

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 ALLĀH be pleased with her, said that the Messenger of ALLĀH ﷺ said:

 

خُلِقَتِ الْمَلَيِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ وَخُلِقَ إِبْلِيسُ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ 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 ALLĀH points out here that he was one of the Jinn, i.e., he was created from fire, as HE says elsewhere:

أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ 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."

{Tafsi‌r Ibn Kathīr}

#ibnkathir #Kahf (18:50)

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