7:12 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

فوبخه اللّه على ذلك وقال: { مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ } لما خلقت بيديَّ، أي: شرفته وفضلته بهذه الفضيلة، التي لم تكن لغيره، فعصيت أمري وتهاونت بي؟ { قَالَ } إبليس معارضا لربه: { أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ } ثم برهن على هذه الدعوى الباطلة بقوله: { خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍ } وموجب هذا أن المخلوق من نار أفضل من المخلوق من طين لعلو النار على الطين وصعودها، وهذا القياس من أفسد الأقيسة، فإنه باطل من عدة أوجه: منها: أنه في مقابلة أمر اللّه له بالسجود، والقياس إذا عارض النص، فإنه قياس باطل، لأن المقصود بالقياس، أن يكون الحكم الذي لم يأت فيه نص، يقارب الأمور المنصوص عليها، ويكون تابعا لها. فأما قياس يعارضها، ويلزم من اعتباره إلغاءُ النصوص، فهذا القياس من أشنع الأقيسة. ومنها: أن قوله: { أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ } بمجردها كافية لنقص إبليس الخبيث. فإنه برهن على نقصه بإعجابه بنفسه وتكبره، والقول على اللّه بلا علم. وأي نقص أعظم من هذا؟\" ومنها: أنه كذب في تفضيل مادة النار على مادة الطين والتراب، فإن مادة الطين فيها الخشوع والسكون والرزانة، ومنها تظهر بركات الأرض من الأشجار وأنواع النبات، على اختلاف أجناسه وأنواعه، وأما النار ففيها الخفة والطيش والإحراق. ولهذا لما جرى من إبليس ما جرى، انحط من مرتبته العالية إلى أسفل السافلين.

قال بعض النحاة في توجيه قوله تعالى "ما منعك أن لا تسجد إذ أمرتك" لا هنا زائدة وقال بعضهم زيدت لتأكيد الجحد كقول الشاعر: ما إن رأيت ولا سمعت بمثله. فأدخل "إن" وهي للنفي على ما النافية لتأكيد النفي قالوا وكذا هنا "ما منعك أن لا تسجد" مع تقدم قوله "لم يكن من الساجدين" حكاهما ابن جرير وردهما واختار أن منعك مضمن معنى فعل آخر تقديره ما أحرجك وألزمك واضطرك أن لا تسجد إذ أمرتك ونحو هذا. وهذا القول قوي حسن والله أعلم وقول إبليس لعنه الله "أنا خير منه" من العذر الذي هو أكبر من الذنب كأنه امتنع من الطاعة لأنه لا يؤمر الفاضل بالسجود للمفضول يعني لعنه الله وأنا خير منه فكيف تأمرني بالسجود له؟ ثم بين أنه خير منه بأنه خلق من نار والنار أشرف مما خلقته منه وهو الطين فنظر اللعين إلى أصل العنصر ولم ينظر إلى التشريف العظيم وهو أن الله تعالى خلق آدم بيده ونفخ فيه من روحه وقاس قياسا فاسدا في مقابلة نص قوله تعالى "فقعوا له ساجدين" فشذ من بين الملائكة لترك السجود فلهذا أبلس من الرحمة أي أويس من الرحمة فأخطأ قبحه الله في قياسه ودعواه أن النار أشرف من الطين أيضا فإن الطين من شأنه الرزانة والحلم والأناة والتثبت والطين محل النبات والنمو والزيادة والإصلاح والنار من شأنها الإحراق والطيش والسرعة ولهذا خان إبليس عنصره ونفع آدم عنصره بالرجوع والإنابة والإستكانه والانقياد والاستسلام لأمر الله والاعتراف وطلب التوبة والمغفرة وفي صحيح مسلم عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "خلقت الملائكة من نور وخلق إبليس من مارج من نار وخلق آدم مما وصف لكم". هكذا رواه مسلم وقال ابن مردويه حدثنا عبد الله بن جعفر حدثنا إسماعيل بن عبد الله بن مسعود حدثنا نعيم بن حماد حدثنا عبد الرزاق عن معمر عن الزهري عن عروة عن عائشة قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "خلق الله الملائكة من نور العرش وخلق الجان من مارج من نار وخلق آدم مما وصف لكم". قلت لنعيم بن حماد أين سمعت هذا من عبد الرزاق؟ قال باليمن وفي بعض ألفاظ هذا الحديث في غير الصحيح "وخلقت الحور العين من الزعفران" وقال ابن جرير حدثنا القاسم حدثنا الحسين حدثنا محمد بن كثير عن ابن شوذب عن مطر الوراق عن الحسن في قوله "خلقتني من نار وخلقته من طين". قال قاس إبليس وهو أول من قاس إسناده صحيح وقال حدثني عمر بن مالك حدثنا يحيي بن سليم الطائفي عن هشام عن ابن سيرين قال أول من قاس إبليس وما عبدت الشمس والقمر إلا بالمقايس إسناد صحيح أيضا.

مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلاَّ تَسْجُدَ

(What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate) 7: 12 meaning, what stopped and hindered you from prostrating after I ordered you to do so, according to Ibn Jarir. This meaning is sound, and Allah knows best. Iblis, may Allah curse him, said,

أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ

(I am better than him (Adam)), and this excuse is worse than the crime itself! Shaytan said that he did not obey Allah because he who is better cannot prostrate to he who is less. Shaytan, may Allah curse him, meant that he is better than Adam, "So how can You order me to prostrate before him" Shaytan said that he is better than Adam because he was created from fire while, "You created him from clay, and fire is better." The cursed one looked at the origin of creation not at the honor bestowed, that is, Allah creating Adam with His Hand and blowing life into him. Shaytan made a false comparison when confronted by Allah's command,

فَقَعُواْ لَهُ سَـجِدِينَ

("Then you fall down prostrate to him")38:72. Therefore, Shaytan alone contradicted the angels, because he refused to prostrate. He, thus, became `Ablasa' from the mercy, meaning, lost hope in acquiring Allah's mercy. He committed this error, may Allah curse him, due to his false comparison. His claim that the fire is more honored than mud was also false, because mud has the qualities of wisdom, for - bearance, patience and assurance, mud is where plants grow, flourish, increase, and provide good. To the contrary, fire has the qualities of burning, recklessness and hastiness. Therefore, the origin of creation directed Shaytan to failure, while the origin of Adam led him to return to Allah with repentance, humbleness, obedience and submission to His command, admitting his error and seeking Allah's forgiveness and pardon for it. Muslim recorded that `Aishah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«خُلِقَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ وَخُلِقَ إِبْلِيسُ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ وَخُلِقَ آدَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُم»

(The angels were created from light, Shaytan from a smokeless flame of fire, while Adam was created from what was described to you).

Iblis was the First to use Qiyas (Analogical Comparison)

Ibn Jarir recorded that Al-Hasan commented on Shaytan's statement,

خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

("You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.") "Iblis used Qiyas analogy, and he was the first one to do so." This statement has an authentic chain of narration. Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Sirin said, "The first to use Qiyas was Iblis, and would the sun and moon be worshipped if it was not for Qiyas" This statement also has an authentic chain of narration.

He exalted be He said ‘What prevented you from falling prostrate allā is made up of an-lā the lā being extra when I commanded you?’ He Iblīs said ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire while him You created from clay’.

Commentary

The event relating to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) and the Shaytan has appeared earlier in Section four of Surah Al-Baqarah (Ma` ariful-Qur'an, English Translation, under verse 34). Some aspects of the subject have been covered in comments given there. Answers to some others are being given here.

How Long was the Respite given to Iblis?

It was exactly at the time Iblis was under the wrath of Allah, he made a prayer, a strange prayer indeed. He asked for a lease of life until the day of Resurrection. The words in which Allah Ta` ala answered the prayer, as they appear in this verse, are no more than: إِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِ‌ينَ (Respite is given to you). From these words, given the nature of the question and the answer, it can be understood that this respite was given until the Resurrection as asked by him. But, what is not stated in this verse clearly is whether the giving of respite mentioned here is until the Resurrection as asked by Iblis, or is for some other duration. But, in another verse, the words: إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ ﴿38﴾ (Till the day of the appointed time - 15:38) appear at this place which, on the surface, seem to suggest that the respite till the day of Qiyamah as asked by Iblis was not given. Instead, given to him was a respite till a particular time which is preserved in Divine knowledge. The outcome is that the prayer of Iblis was answered - though not completely. He was given respite till a particular time and not till the day of Resurrection or Qiyamah.

Reported in Tafsir Ibn Jarir is a narration from Suddiy which supports this view. The exact words of the report are:

فلم ینظرہ الی یوم البعث و لکن انظرہ الی یوم الوقت المعلوم و ھو یوم ینفخ فی الصور النفخۃ الاولی فصعق من فی السموات و من فی الارض فمات،

Allah Ta` ala did not give respite to Iblis till the day of Resurrection, instead, He has given him respite till a day the time of which is appointed and that is the day when the Horn will be blown the first time and whoever there is in the heavens or the earth shall be stunned, and dead.

In summation, we can say that the Shaytan had actually asked for a respite in his prayer till the time when the second Horn will be blown and all the dead will be resurrected. This is what is called: یوم البعث (Yowm al-Ba’ th). If this prayer was answered as asked, it would have meant that Iblis was to be alive as based on his prayer while the facts on the ground would have been different: That would be a time when nothing will be alive except the One Being of the Eternally-Alive and the Self-Sustaining Hayy and Qaiyyum and that would be the time when the great promise of: كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿26﴾ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَ‌بِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَ‌امِ ﴿27﴾ (All that is on it will perish and to remain there shall be the Face of your Lord, full of majesty, bounty and honour - 55:26-27) will stand immensely manifested. On that basis, Iblis was not to live to see that time. Therefore, his one prayer for respite till the Yowm al-Ba’ th was not granted, instead of which, the time of the respite was changed to Yowma yunfakhu fi as-sur, till the day blown is the Horn, and granted at that. The effect would be that death shall be the order of the day for the whole creation. Iblis will have his death as well. When all others are resurrected, he too shall stand resurrected.

These details remove the possible doubt that could arise from the verse: كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿26﴾ (All that is on it will perish -55:26) referred immediately above specially in relation with this prayer. The apparent contra-diction between the two thus stands resolved.

The substance of this investigation is that Yowm al-Ba'th and Yowm al-Waqt al-Ma'lum are two separate days. Iblis had asked for respite till the Yowm al-Ba’ th. This was not granted wholly. Instead of that, a change was made and respite was given till the Yowm al-Waqt al-Ma'lum. Hadrat Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) ، in Bayan al-Qur'an, has preferred the view that these two are really two separate days. In fact, from the time of the blowing of the first Horn upto the entry into Paradise or Hell, it will be a long day with different things happening at different times in it. Based on these different happenings, that day could be attributed to every event which takes place therein. For instance, it could be called the day of the blowing of the Horn (صُور) and the day of perishing (فَنَا), as well as, the day of Resurrection (بعث) and the day of .Recompense (جزَا). This helps resolves all doubts and difficulties فَللہِ الحَمد .

Can the Prayer of a Disbeliever be Acceptable?

The question comes from the verse: وَمَا دُعَاءُ الْكَافِرِ‌ينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ (And the prayer of disbelievers is but in vain - 13:14), it is usually taken that the prayer made by a disbeliever is not answered. But, from this event concerning Iblis and the statement in the verse, this difficulty becomes obvious. The answer is that, in this mortal world, even the prayer of a disbeliever can be answered - so much so, that even the prayer of the foremost disbeliever, Iblis, was answered. But, in the Hereafter, the prayer of a disbeliever will not be answered. The verse quoted above relates to the Hereafter ('Akhirah). It has nothing to do with this mortal world.

The Event of 'Adam and Iblis: The Rationale of Different Words

This story appears in the Holy Qur'an at several places. The words used in relevant questions and answers differ everywhere, though the event is the same. The reason is that the subject remains the same when the main event is described. That the words remain exactly the same everywhere is not necessary. A narration could be based on meaning too. If the unity of subject and sense exists, variations in words do not deserve consideration.

What made Iblis speak the way he did before Allah?

The place where Iblis dared to speak was in the Most August conceivable Presence of the Master of all Honour where the awe and majesty of the occasion would not allow even angels and prophets and messengers to breathe. How did he do that? ` Ulama say that this was a somber and highly cutting manifestation of the Divine wrath that, because of the rejection of Iblis, his view was so obstructed (hijab) that he became blind to the grandeur and awe of Allah Ta` ala and irreverence came down to settle on him all over. (Abridged from Bayern al-Qur'an)

The Assault of Shaytan is Multi-Dimensional, not simply Four-Sided

In the present verse (17), Iblis is said to have identified four sides from which he planned to mislead the children of 'Adam, that is, the front, the rear and the right and the left. But, the purpose here is not to set up any limits. Instead, the sense is that this will be from all sides and directions. Therefore, the probability of his leading people astray from above and beneath the feet does not contradict it. Similarly, the saying of the Hadith that - Shaytan can enter the human body and move through the arteries and veins of blood and take command of the whole body - is also not contradictory to this.

In the cited verses (13 18), the Shaytan has been commanded to leave the heavens twice. First, when it was said: فَاخْرُ‌جْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِ‌ينَ (So, go. You are of the low.) and then, when it was said: فَاخْرُ‌جْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِ‌ينَ (Get out of here, condemned ...). Here, the first saying is perhaps a proposal while the other is its implementation. (Abridged from Bayan a1-Qur'an)