38:76 Saad (The letter Saad)

{ قَالَ } إبليس معارضا لربه ومناقضا: { أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍ } وبزعمه أن عنصر النار خير من عنصر الطين، وهذا من القياس الفاسد، فإن عنصر النار مادة الشر والفساد، والعلو والطيش والخفة وعنصر الطين مادة الرزانة والتواضع وإخراج أنواع الأشجار والنباتات وهو يغلب النار ويطفئها، والنار تحتاج إلى مادة تقوم بها، والطين قائم بنفسه، فهذا قياس شيخ القوم، الذي عارض به الأمر الشفاهي من اللّه، قد تبين غاية بطلانه وفساده، فما بالك بأقيسة التلاميذ الذين عارضوا الحق بأقيستهم؟ فإنها كلها أعظم بطلانا وفسادا من هذا القياس.

هذه القصة ذكرها اللّه تبارك وتعالى في سورة البقرة وفي أول سورة الأعراف وفي سورة الحجر وسبحان والكهف وهنا وهي أن اللّه سبحانه وتعالى أعلم الملائكة قبل خلق آدم عليه الصلاة والسلام بأنه سيخلق بشرا من صلصال من حمأ مسنون وتقدم إليهم بالأمر: متى فرغ من خلقه وتسويته فليسجدوا له إكراما وإعظاما واحتراما وامتثالا لأمر الله عز وجل فامتثل الملائكة كلهم ذلك سوى إبليس ولم يكن منهم جنسا كان من الجن فخانه. طبعه وجبلته أحوج ما كان إليه فاستنكف عن السجود لآدم وخاصم ربه عز وجل فيه وادعى أنه خير من آدم فإنه مخلوق من نار وآدم خلق من طين والنار خير من الطين في زعمه وقد أخطأ في ذلك وخالف أمر اللّه تعالى وكفر بذلك فأبعده الله عز وجل وأرغم أنفه وطرده عن باب رحمته ومحل أنسه وحضرة قدسه وسماه إبليس إعلاما له بأنه قد أبلس من الرحمة وأنزله من السماء مذموما مدحورا إلى الأرض فسأل اللّه النظرة إلى يوم البعث فأنظره الحليم الذي لا يعجل على من عصاه فلما أمن الهلاك إلى القيامة تمرد وطغى وقال " فبعزتك لأغوينهم أجمعين إلا عبادك منهم المخلصين" كما قال عز وجل " أرأيتك هذا الذي كرمت علي لئن أخرتن إلى يوم القيامة لأحتنكن ذريته إلا قليلا" وهؤلاء هم المسنون في الآية الأخرى وهي قوله تعالى " إن عبادي ليس لك عليهم سلطان وكفى بربك وكيلا" وقوله تبارك وتعالى " قال فالحق والحق أقول لأملأن جهنم منك وممن تبعك منهم أجمعين " قرأ ذلك جماعة منهم مجاهد برفع الحق الأول وفسره مجاهد بأن معناه أنا الحق والحق أقول وفي رواية عنه: الحق مني وأقول الحق وقرأ آخرون بنصبهما قال السدي هو قسم أقسم اللّه به " قلت "وهذه الآية كقوله تعالى " ولكن حق القول مني لأملأن جهنم من الجنة والناس أجمعين" وكقوله عز وجل " قال اذهب فمن تبعك منهم فإن جهنم جزاؤكم جزاء موفورا ".

The Story of Adam and Iblis

Allah mentions this story in Surat Al-Baqarah, at the beginning of Surat Al-A`raf, in Surat Al-Hijr, Al-Isra', Al-Kahf and here. Before creating Adam, peace be upon him, Allah told the angels that He was going to create a human being from sounding clay of altered smooth black mud. He told them that when He finished creating and forming him, they were to prostrate to him as a sign of honor and respect, and out of obedience to the command of Allah, may He be exalted. All of the angels obeyed this command except for Iblis, who was not one of them. He was one of the Jinn, and his nature betrayed him at his time of greatest need. He refused to prostrate to Adam, and he disputed with his Lord about him, claiming that he was better than Adam, because he was created from fire while Adam was created from clay, and fire was better than clay, or so he said. He made a mistake by doing this, and he went against the command of Allah, thus committing the sin of disbelief. So Allah exiled him, humiliated him, and cast him out of His mercy and His sacred Presence, and called him "Iblis" symbolizing that he had Ablasa min Ar-Rahmah (despaired of mercy) -- that there was no hope for him of mercy. He cast him down from the heavens, disgraced and rejected, to the earth. Iblis asked Allah to give him a reprieve until the Day of Resurrection, so the Forbearing One, Who does not hasten to punish those who disobey Him, gave him a reprieve. When he knew that he was safe from destruction until the Day of Resurrection, he rebelled and transgressed.

فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لأغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَإِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

(Iblis said: "By Your might, then I will surely mislead them all, except Your true servants amongst them.") This is like the Ayat:

أَرَءَيْتَكَ هَـذَا الَّذِى كَرَّمْتَ عَلَىَّ لَئِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ لأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إَلاَّ قَلِيلاً

(Iblis said: "See this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring all but a few!") (17:62). These few are the ones who are excepted in another Ayah, which is:

إِنَّ عِبَادِى لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـنٌ وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلاً

(Verily, My servants -- you have no authority over them. And All-Sufficient is your Lord as a Guardian.) (17:65)

قَالَ فَالْحَقُّ وَالْحَقَّ أَقُولُ

لاّمْلاّنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكَ وَمِمَّن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

((Allah) said: "The truth is -- and the truth I say that I will fill Hell with you and those of them (mankind) that follow you, together.") Some of them, including Mujahid, read this as meaning, "I am the Truth and the truth I say." According to another report narrated from Mujahid, it means, "The truth is from Me and I speak the truth." Others, such as As-Suddi, interpreted it as being an oath sworn by Allah. This Ayah is like the Ayat:

وَلَـكِنْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ مِنْى لاّمْلأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

(but the Word from Me took effect, that I will fill Hell with Jinn and mankind together.) (32:13), and

قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ جَزَآؤُكُمْ جَزَاءً مَّوفُورًا

((Allah) said: "Go, and whosoever of them follows you, surely, Hell will be the recompense of you (all) - an ample recompense.) (17:63).

He said ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay’.

In verse 75, it was said: لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ (what I created with My hands...):

Here, it is about Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) that Allah Ta’ ala has said that it is He who had created him with His hands. There is a consensus among the majority of the Muslim Ummah that "hands" do not mean that Allah Ta’ ala has hands as human being do. The reason is that Allah Ta’ ala is absolutely pure and free from the need of body or its active limbs. Therefore, it means the power and control of Allah Ta’ ala and that the word: یَد (yad: hand) is commonly used in the Arabic language in the sense of power - for example, it was said: بِيَدِهِ عُقْدَةُ النِّكَاحِ (in whose hand lies the marriage tie - 2:237). Therefore, the verse means: 'I created 'Adam with My power.' For that matter, everything in this universe owes its creation to nothing but Divine power. But, when Allah Ta’ ala intends to manifest the particular sublimity of something, He would specially attribute it to Himself, for instance, by such attribution the Ka'bah becomes Baytullah, the House of Allah; the she-camel of Sayyidna Salih نَاقۃُ اللہ 'nagatullah', the She-Camel of Allah; and Sayyidna ` Isa ' (علیہ السلام) - 'kalimatullah,' 'the Word of Allah' or 'ruhullah,' 'the Spirit of Allah.' Here too, this attribution has been introduced there to enhance the grace of Sayyidna 'Adam (Qurtubi)l

1. This interpretation is based on the line adopted by some theologians. The others are of the view that the word 'yad' (hand) used for Allah does not refer to a limb like the hand of human beings. It is rather an attribute of Allah Ta ala, the exact nature of which is unknown. The third view is of some other elders who abstain from indulging in the interpretation of such expressions and prefer to keep silent about them, and leave their exact meaning to Allah Ta ala. Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

I am better than he: Thou hast created me of fire and Thou hast created him of clay. Iblis came forth with chieftainship and said that he was better than he. He reasoned but he went by the road of error in his reasoning. O accursed one! How do you say that fire is better than dust? Do you not know that fire is the cause of separation and dust the cause of union? Fire is the means of cutting off and dust the means of joining. Adam was of dust, so he joined, such that it was said about him, “Then his Lord chose him” [20:122]. Iblis was of fire, so he cut off, such that it was said to him, “Upon thee shall be My curse until the Day of Doom” [38:78]. When dust becomes wet, it accepts imprints. When fire shoots up, it burns all the imprints. Thus the imprint of Iblis's recognition was burnt away, and the imprint of recognition flamed up in the heart of Adam and the Adamites. Those-He wrote faith in their hearts [58:22]. A dervish, who was pain-stricken, disorderly, and having lost his head and feet, went to see Abū Yazīd BasṬāmī. He came like a traveler, and because of his ecstasy said, “O Bāyazīd, what would it matter if there was none of this impudent dust?” Abū Yazīd let go of himself and shouted at the dervish: “Were there no dust, the breast would have no burning! Were there no dust, the religion would have no sorrow and joy! Were there no dust, the fire of passion would not flame up! Were there no dust, who would smell the scent of beginningless love? Were there no dust, who would be the familiar of the Endless? “O dervish, Iblis's curse is a trace of the perfection of the majesty of dust. Seraphiel's trumpet was prepared for the sake of the yearning of dust. The questioning by Nakīr and Munkar is pas- sion's deputy in the breast of dust. Riẓwān with all the serving boys and servants is but dust under the feet of dust. Beginningless welcome is a gift and robe for dust. The request from the Unseen was prepared in the name of dust. The lordly attributes are the hairdresser of the beauty of dust. The divine love is the food of the secret cores of dust. The attributes of Eternity are the supplies and provisions for the road of dust. The pure, incomparable Essence is witnessed by the hearts of dust.” Before you asked I asked for you, all the world I adorned for you. Thousands in the city are in love with Me- live in joy, I rose up for you.