Topic: Devil

7:12, 13; 15:29-33; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:72-77.

Important Words:

اسجدوا (submit) is derived from سجد which means (1) he humbled or submitted himself; (2) he bowed; (3) he prostrated himself. They say سجدت السفینة للریاح which means, the boat bowed before the wind, i.e. it followed the direction of the wind (Aqrab); (4) the word also means, he obeyed and worshipped (Mufradat).

الا (but) is used to signify the sense of exception. In Arabic استثناء (exception) is of two kinds: (1) استثناء متصل i.e. an exception in which the thing excepted belongs to the same class or species to which the things from which an exception is sought to be made, belong, as we say جاء القوم الازیدا i.e. all the people came except Zaid. Here Zaid belongs to the same class to which the people belong. (2) استثناء منقطع i.e. an exception in which the excepted thing belongs to a different class or species, as they say جاء القوم الاحمارا i.e. all the people came except the donkey. Here the donkey does not belong to the class or species from which exception is sought to be made. In the verse under comment the word الا denotes the latter kind of exception, Iblis not being one of the angels.

ابلیس (Iblis) is derived from ابلس which means: (1) his good or virtue became less or decreased; (2) he gave up hope or he despaired of the mercy of God; (3) he became broken in spirit and mournful; (4) he was perplexed and was unable to see his way; (5) he was or became silent on account of grief or despair; (6) he was cut short or silenced in argument; (7) he became unable to prosecute his journey; (8) he was prevented from attaining his wish. ابلیس (Iblis) is generally considered to be a name of Satan (Lane). Based on the root meaning of the word, ابلیس is a being who contains little of good and much of evil and who, on account of his having despaired of God’s mercy, owing to His disobedience, is left perplexed and confounded and unable to see his way. Iblis is often considered identical with Satan, but is in some cases different from him, as will appear from the following commentary.

کان (was) is a very common word of the Arabic language giving a vast variety of meanings some of which are: (1) he or it was; (2) he or it is; (3) he or it shall be; (4) he or it came into being; (5) he or it became; etc. The word is also used to express a permanent attribute or quality, as the Quran says: کان الله علیما حکیما i.e. Allah is All-Knowing, Wise. The expression ماکان لنبی ان یکون له اسری means, it does not behove a Prophet, or it does not become a Prophet, or it is not right or proper for a Prophet that captives be taken for him (8:68). The clause ماکان لنبی ان یغل means, it is impossible for a Prophet to act dishonestly, or a Prophet cannot act dishonestly (3:162) (Aqrab, Mufradat, Taj & Kashshaf).

Commentary:

When Adam became an image of the attributes of God, and attained the rank of a Prophet, God ordered the angels to serve him. The words اسجدوالآدم do not mean, "Fall prostrate before Adam." The Quran definitely says: Prostrate not yourselves before the sun, nor before the moon, but prostrate yourselves before Allah, Who created them (41:38). Thus prostration before Adam by way of worship is opposed to the teachings of the Quran, and a command to that effect could never proceed from God. The word سجدة has been used here in the sense of "obedience", and "submission". Thus the verse means that God bade the angels to serve Adam, that is, assist him in his mission. In this way, the angels are ordered to serve all the Prophets of God, their chief duty being to help the cause of a Prophet and to draw the hearts of men towards him.

ابلیس (Iblis), it must be clearly understood, was not one of the angels, because, whereas Iblis has been here described as disobeying God, the angels have been described as ever 'submissive' and 'obedient'. Says the Quran: They disobey not Allah in what He commands them, and do what they are commanded (66:7). Hence ابلیس could not be an angel. The objection, why was God angry with Iblis whereas the commandment stated in this verse was meant for the angels and not for him, is baseless, for elsewhere the Quran makes it clear that Iblis was also commanded to serve Adam. God says: What prevented thee (O Iblis,) from submitting (to Adam) when I commanded thee? (7:13). This shows that Iblis, though not an angel, was also ordered to make submission to Adam. Moreover, even if there were no separate commandment for Iblis, the one for angels must be taken to extend to all others, because angels being the custodians or guardians of different parts of the universe, the commandment given to them automatically extends to all.

As to the identity of Iblis it may be briefly stated that, as described under Important Words, Iblis is really an attributive name given, on the basis of the root meaning of the word, to the Evil Spirit opposed to the angels. Iblis has been so named because he possesses the attributes enumerated under Important Words above, particularly the quality of being deprived of good and of being left bewildered in the way, and of despairing of God’s mercy.

That Iblis was not the satan spoken of in 2:37 below is apparent from the fact that the Quran mentions the two names side by side, wherever the story of Adam is given, but everywhere a careful distinction is observed between the two, i.e. wherever the Quran speaks of the being who, unlike the angels, refused to serve Adam, it invariably mentions the name Iblis, and wherever it speaks of the being who beguiled Adam and became the means of his being turned out of جنة(garden), it invariably mentions the name 'satan'. This distinction, which is most significant and has been maintained throughout the Quran, i.e. in at least ten places (see 2:35, 37; 7:12, 21; 15:32; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117, 121; 38:75), clearly proves that Iblis, who is mentioned side by side with the angels, is different from the 'satan' who beguiled Adam and was one of Adam’s own people to whom Adam was sent as a Reformer.

Thus, Iblis was not one of the angels. This is apparent from the fact that, whereas the angels have been described as being always obedient to God and incapable of disobedience (16:51; 66:7), Iblis has been spoken of as having arrogantly disobeyed a clear commandment of God (7:12, 13). Elsewhere, the Quran speaks of Iblis, saying: He (Iblis) was one of the jinn (a secret creation); then he chose to disobey God’s order (18:51). From the above it is clear that, though not one of the angels, Iblis belonged to a secret creation of God who, unlike the angels, was capable of obeying or disobeying the Lord, as he liked. The Quran further makes it clear that when Iblis insolently disobeyed God, He turned him away and cursed him for his rebellious attitude, whereupon Iblis took the vow that he would thenceforward take to misleading men and hindering them from following the right way (7:17, 18; 15:35, 36, 40; 17:63). Elsewhere the Quran says: "Then said We to the angels, 'Submit to Adam;' and they all submitted. But Iblis did not; he would not be of those who submit. God said, 'What prevented thee from submitting when I commanded thee'? He said, 'I am better than he. Thou hast created me of fire while him hast Thou created of clay.' God said, 'Then go down hence; it is not for thee to be arrogant here. Get out; thou art certainly of those who are abased.' He said, 'Grant me respite till the day when they will be raised up.' God said, 'Thou shalt be of those who are given respite.' He said. 'Now since Thou hast adjudged me as lost, I will assuredly lie in wait for them on Thy straight path. Then will I surely come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left, and Thou wilt not find most of them to be grateful.' God said, 'Get out hence, despised and banished. Whosoever of them shall follow thee, I will surely fill Hell with you all." (7:12-19). Elsewhere God says to Iblis: Surely, thou shalt have no power over My servants except such of the erring ones as choose to follow thee (15:43). At yet another place, God says that Iblis was one of the jinn, i.e. a secret creation (18:51). And about the jinn God says: I have created the jinn and men only that they may serve Me. (51:57)

As to the presence of good and evil in the world, it may be said that out of His infinite wisdom God has made man a free agent, giving him the power either to take the right path or be led into the wrong one as he likes. This system in which angels and Iblis both take part is quite in the fitness of things and is for man’s own good; for without being a free agent man cannot deserve praise or be entitled to reward for his good actions; and if man is to become entitled to reward for good actions, he needs must also be responsible for his sins and shortcomings, because his being a free agent must function both ways.

God has done more. He gives every man a good start in life by giving him a good and virtuous nature, and it is man himself who afterwards spoils the goodness of his nature and takes an evil course. Says the Holy Prophet: "Every child is born with a good nature (i.e. the nature of Islam); it is his parents who later make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian" (Bukhari). God further raises Prophets and sends down His revelation for the reformation of mankind so that, if through their own free choice or under the influence of some evil spirits or bad associates, men should go astray, they may thereby be called back to truth. See also note on 'Satan' under 2:37.

23:15; 39:7; 40:65.

2:35; 15:30-31; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:73-75.

Commentary:

The story of Adam has already been partly related in 2:3-40. Another part of the same story with some additional details is given here with a different purpose. In the former Surah, the narration was meant to show that God had been sending down revelation from the beginning of the world and so the revelation sent to the Holy Prophet of Islam was not an innovation. Here it is given to show that there have always been enemies of the Prophets of God and so the hostility of the people towards the Holy Prophet was, in fact, a sign of his truth. The story of Adam is incapable of being fully understood without our first being acquainted with the scene of its occurrence. Was Adam first placed in Paradise and was it in Paradise that the scene described in this and the following few verses was enacted? All doubts on this score are set at rest by the plain words of the Quran, I am about to place a vicegerent in the earth (2:31). It was indeed in this very earth that the creation of Adam and all that followed it took place. The Bible as well as Zoroastrian and Hindu religious writings also lend support to this view. The Holy Prophet is reported to have described the Nile and the Euphrates as the two rivers of جنة (the garden); referring to the place where Adam lived (Muslim, ch. on Jannat); and the Hadith, too, places Adam in Mesopotamia which is watered by the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates. It was, therefore, here that the garden of Adam was situated and all the different incidents mentioned about him in the Quran also took place here; and if there be any incident which cannot be proved to have literally occurred on this earth, then that incident will have to be taken in a figurative sense.

Another fact worth remembering is that 2:31, according to which Adam was created on this earth, also tells us that he was not the first man to live on this planet, and that other men lived even before he was brought into existence. In 2:31 Adam has been called Khalifah which word, meaning a successor, shows that he had predecessors whom he succeeded. The verse under comment also clearly points to the same conclusion. Addressing the people, it says, And We did create you and then We gave you shape; then said We to the angles, Submit to Adam. The plural pronoun "you" in the clause, We did create you, having preceded the words containing the command to angels to submit to Adam, which is preceded by the conjunction "then" shows that it was after the creation of men, and not only Adam, that God ordered angels to submit to Adam and that, therefore, human beings were already living on this earth when angels received this command. It is, thus, wrong to conclude that the human race began with Adam, that its whole life is only a little more than 6,000 years and that the different races now living on this earth are all necessarily descended from Adam.

The aborigines of Australia or the Red Indians of America or the Negroes of Africa may not be the descendants of the Adam about whom the Quran speaks in the verse under comment. See also 2:31.

As already pointed out, events which cannot be literally shown to have occurred on this earth must be regarded as having taken place in a figurative sense. That figurative language has actually been used in this narrative is clear from the following facts:

1. The angels were bidden to perform سجدة (falling prostrate before Adam) which is not permissible for any being other than God. So God could not command the angels to fall prostrate before Adam in the literal sense of the words. These words must, therefore, be taken only in the figurative sense, i.e. that of submitting and rendering every kind of help. This is why the Arabic expression اسجدوا has here been translated as "submit to", which is a perfectly correct rendering according to the figurative idiom of the Arabic language.

2. The command to fall prostrate before Adam was given to the angels only; but Iblis who is not an angel, is also apparently included in it; which proves this inclusion also to be a figurative one.

3. Iblis is represented in the Quran as having been created from fire (7:13), and he is also described as being one of the جن (jinn), which signifies an invisible creation (18:51). So he must have been invisible to Adam who was in all respects like other human beings. But he is here represented as having appeared to Adam in a visible form and having talked to him face to face. This shows that the word شیطان (Satan) has been used in the following verses in a figurative sense, and that it does not refer to the Evil One which tempts men.

4. It is said that when Adam and his wife tasted of the forbidden tree, their nakedness became manifest to them. But we know of no tree on this earth the tasting of which has the property of making a person realize his nakedness. So we will have to take 'the tree' and 'the nakedness' also in a figurative sense.

5. We are told in 20:119 that when God placed Adam in the garden, He told him that he would not become naked therein. But in 7:23 we are told that he did, in fact, become naked. So one of the two statements will have to be taken figuratively.

The straight and simple meaning of the verse is only this: the angels are bidden to submit to Adam and to help him in his work. This commandment was given to the angels when Adam was made a Prophet. As one of the functions of the angels is to exhort men to do virtuous deeds, they were commanded to help Adam by instilling good ideas into the minds of men and exhorting them to accept Adam as a Messenger of God. The chief angel is Gabriel. Similarly, there are evil spirits whose chief is Iblis. The evil spirits make evil suggestions to men and incite them to disobey God. So, while the angels in obedience to God’s command submitted to Adam, Iblis, chief of the evil spirits, refused to submit to him and to help him in his work.

It should be remembered that the incident mentioned here is in no way connected with the first progenitor of the human race, who may be called the first Adam. It is only with the later Adam (who lived on this earth about 6,000 years ago and from whom Noah and Abraham and their posterity were directly descended) that the present story is connected. See also notes on 2:31 & 2:35.

15:33-34; 38:76-77.

Commentary:

What is represented in the present verse as a dialogue between God and Iblis does not necessarily show that an exchange of words actually took place between the two. The words may only depict a state of things, a picture of the conditions that came into existence as a result of the refusal of Iblis to submit to Adam. The verb قال (said) as shown under 2:31 and 2:34 does not always signify the actual uttering of words, being sometimes used to represent only a state of affairs.

For an explanation of the words "fire" and "clay" see 2:81 and 3:50.

15:35; 38:78.

Commentary:

There being no noun mentioned in the verse to which the pronoun ھا (it) implied in the expression منھا (hence) refers, it may be taken to denote the condition or state or position in which Iblis was before he refused to submit to Adam. Thus the expression, go down hence, signifies, "be thou degraded from thy present position".

11:120; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.

Commentary:

The verse makes it clear that Iblis will not be allowed to waylay those chosen servants of God who would have attained to the exalted stage of spiritual rebirth. He will not also be able to force men to disobey God; for, as the verse clearly points out, only those will come under his influence who themselves choose to 'follow' him.

7:13; 38:77; 55:16.

Important Words:

الجان (the jinn) is derived from جن (janna). They say جنه i.e. it veiled, concealed or covered him. جان or الجان generally considered synonymous with جن (jinn) means, the father of the جن or جان is the quasi-plural noun of جن. The word جان also means, that which conceals or darkens; or that which becomes or remains concealed or hidden. It also means, a white serpent or a small white serpent, a species which is harmless and abounds in houses (Aqrab & Lane). See also 6:101, 129.

سموم (hot wind) is derived from سم . They say سمه i.e. he poisoned it or infected it with poison; or he perforated it; or he pierced or passed through it; he examined it and endeavoured to learn its depth. سمت الریح means, the hot wind scorched the things. سموم means, a hot wind; a hot wind which pierces the body; the flaming fire which has no smoke (Lane, Aqrab & Muhit).

Commentary:

Etymologically whatever hides or covers or darkens a thing, or whatever is concealed or invisible or becomes invisible is جن (jinn). According to the popular idea, however, the jinn are such beings as are invisible to us and are capable of being seen only when they disclose themselves to us. The belief in the existence of such spirits is widespread and has been found in all ages. Some include all invisible spirits in the category of angels and look upon the jinn as fallen angels.

The word jinn (see 6:101, 113; 7:13, 39, 180; 17:89; 18:51; 27:18, 40; 34:13, 42; 37:l.59; 41:26, 30; 46:19, 30; 51:57; 55:16, 40, 57, 75; 72:2, 6, 7; 114:7) has been used in different senses in the Quran as well as in the Traditions, all based upon the two basic meanings of the word, viz. (a) that which remains hidden or concealed; and (b) that which hides or conceals or covers. The word جن has been applied by the Quran to the following:

(1) Evil spirits which inspire evil thoughts in the minds of men. They are the agents of Satan and are, as it were, his incarnates (114:6, 7).

(2) Some imaginary beings whom the infidels worshipped but who existed nowhere in the world (34:42).

(3) The inhabitants of northern hilly tracts of Europe of white and red colour whom other peoples, such as Hindus and Jews, looked upon as beings separate from other human beings and who lived detached from the civilized people of Asia but who were destined to make great material progress in the latter days and to lead a great revolt against religion (55:16, 40, 57).

(4) Peoples belonging to alien religions and nationalities (34:13 & 2 Chron. 2:7-18).

(5) Savages and wild peoples who in pre-historic times, before man had morally developed enough to be given a revealed code of laws, lived in caves and hollows of the earth and were subject to no laws or rules of conduct. When, however, man became civilized after having been given a revealed Law, those among the last-mentioned class of men who obeyed it were called انسان (man) by the Quran while those who were of a fiery and rebellious temperament were called جن (jinn). In this sense these two classes of human beings viz. انسان (man) and جن (jinn) still exist and people continue to change from one class to the other according as they become law-abiding and civilized or throw off the yoke of law and defy it. For a fuller treatment of this subject the reader is referred to "Sair-e-Ruhani" and "Tafsir-e-Kabir" by Hadrat Khalifatul Masih II, the Second Successor to the Promised Messiah.

Now for the interpretation of the verse the words, And the jinn We had created before from the fire of hot wind,signify that the people whom God has given the name of jinn were only men of fiery temperament who, on account of their unruly nature, became easily excited and would not submit to anybody. In fact, before the birth of Adam, men were of this nature and disposition. Adam was the first man who achieved a high standard of moral and social perfection and this is why Divine revelation which intimately deals with morals and sociology was, first of all, given to him. So those who accepted Adam’s lead and joined the social system set up by him brought, as it were, a sort of death on their fiery temperament and received the imprint of God’s allegiance and were thus called "clayey" (see the preceding verse) because of their resemblance to clay, which easily submits to any kind of impression with which it is imprinted or any kind of shape which is given to it. But because the jinn preferred individual freedom to association in a social system and refused to give their allegiance to anybody, they were called "fiery" (the present verse), which means that, like the flame of fire, they broke all restraints and went out of control. And they were called jinn also because they lived underground.

The objection that it is putting a far-fetched interpretation on the words, And the jinn We had created before from the fire of hot wind, to say that they merely signify a fiery disposition, possesses no weight. The objection has been answered by the Quran itself where it uses similar expressions. In 21:38, for instance, it says خلق الانسان من عجل i.e. man is made of haste. Now all commentators of the Quran agree that these words simply mean that man is by nature hasty and not that there is any material substance called "haste" of which he is made.

It is also possible that in the earliest stages of his creation man was a fiery being but, as the result of a long process of evolution and develop-ment, he finally became a clayey one, and Adam may have been the leader or chief of those who were the first to attain full development in this process of evolution. This surmise finds an interesting analogy in the fact that the science of geology has proved that the earth too was, at first, a mass of hot fire which later became transformed into a clayey shell.

Finally, it may be noted that the popular belief that jinn, in the sense of invisible spirits, pay visits to men, play frolics with them, subject them to their control and take any kind of work they desire from them or, contrarily, help them to perform prodigious works etc., is a mere myth which has no foundation in fact, being at the same time contrary to the teachings of the Quran.

7:13; 38:77; 55:15.

Commentary:

In this verse by the word "angels" is meant the whole of creation, because angels constitute the first link of all creation and, as such, a command given to them really applies to the whole of creation. The verse purports to say that man has been given a sort of sovereignty or power over creation as a whole which has been made subservient to him; and angels have been bidden to bring about the results of human actions according as they are good or evil. In this respect the command is general. But when the command pertains to the time of a particular Prophet of God when a special Divine decree comes into operation, angels are bidden to help the Prophet of the day who, as it were, becomes the spiritual Adam of his time. Angels then help the Prophet against his opponents and render null all their schemes and machinations against him. In this connection it is significant that, whereas elsewhere the Quran speaks of the command of God to the angels to submit to "Adam," in the present and the following verses the word used is "man." For an explanation of the words, from dry ringing clay, from black mud wrought into shape, see v. 27.

32:10; 38:73.

2:35; 7:12; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117.

Commentary:

In the present verse the example of the man who, in the beginning of human civilized life, achieved moral and spiritual perfection has been cited, and we are told that he was vouchsafed Divine revelation and angels were pressed into his service and were made to carry out his programme and plans. The mention of man or Adam here implies that the descending of the Word of God upon man and its preservation and protection have gone on from the beginning of creation.

The pronoun "him" in the expression سویته (I have fashioned him) refers not only to Adam but to every human being; for it is into every man that God breathes His spirit and angels are also appointed to serve him. When a peasant, for instance, ploughs his land and casts his seed in it, the angels are bidden to help him and produce the results of his labour. Thus the injunction, fall ye down in submission to him, given to the angels holds good for every human being. It appears from the Quran that whereas all things are subject to the control of angels, all things have been created for the service of man (45:14). This shows that angels are employed in the service of mankind.

2:35; 7:12; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117.

2:35; 7:12; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117.

Commentary:

The word الا (but) has been used here in the form of مستثنی منقطع thus hinting that Iblis was not one of the angels. This is also clear from the words کلھم اجمعون (all of them together) used about the angels in the preceding verse. Such emphatic expression could not be used about angels, if Iblis had belonged to their community.

It may be asked why God punished Satan (vv. 35, 36) for his failure to carry out a command which was addressed only to angels (vv. 29, 30). In reply to this, it should be remembered that when a command is given to a person, it automatically applies to all those who are under his jurisdiction and subject to his control. As angels were commanded to submit to, and serve, Adam, therefore this command automatically applied to all those creatures of God who were made subject to the administration of angels. Elsewhere, the Quran itself makes the point clear that the command to angels implied a command to Iblis (7:12, 13).

As man was endowed with the power to do both good and evil, it was necessary that both kinds of incentive should have been created for him. One incentive was created in the form of angels, and the other came into being in the form of Satan.

When God created Adam, angels were commanded to serve his cause and, along with angels, other things comprising the universe were also made subservient to man but, owing to error or negligence on his part, these things sometimes get out of his control and thus, becoming as it were the manifestations of Satan, begin to harm him. These evil things (e.g. fire, etc.) are intended to serve man and are subject to his control and man can derive great benefit from them; but when they get out of his control, they do him great harm.

It should also be remembered that, as already explained under 2:31-35 and 7:12-20, the dialogue between God and Adam or between God and Satan need not be taken literally. It is most probably intended to represent a state of affairs extending over a long period of time. The word Iblis or Satan also includes all harmful persons and things representing the unseen Evil Spirit.

7:13; 38:76.

7:13; 17:62; 18:51.

Commentary:

The verse may be understood to mean that the arch-enemy of truth who opposed Adam spoke of the latter as if saying: "Here is a poor and humble fellow who justifies, and indeed glories in, the submission of all others to him. He and his comrades are a party of mental slaves who take pride in imitating others. But my nature rests high on the firm rock of freedom and independence. How then can I, his superior, bring myself so low as to obey his orders and carry out his wishes?" This dialogue, however, is no real talk between God and Iblis but only an allegory, the sense being that the new order which was to be inaugurated by Adam was regarded by his chief opponent and those of his way of thinking as contrary to their sense of pride and their conception of freedom and, consequently, a source of humiliation for them. Satan, therefore, refused to give it his allegiance considering the old order to be better than that introduced by Adam. It is this sense of the comparative values of the two orders that is meant to be expressed in the terms طین (clay) and نار (fire) expressed in 38:77. For an explanation of dry ringing clay, from black mud wrought into shape, see under v. 27.

7:14,19; 38:78.

Commentary:

Iblis or the Arch-Satan may not be deserving of punishment because it is, as it were, part of his being to incite men to evil deeds; but his manifestations and embodiments among human beings certainly are. It appears from the Quran that the person who opposed Adam was not Iblis himself but only his mani-festation, for we are told that he came to Adam and talked with him. If he was the very Iblis who, as the Quran says, was from among the jinn, he might as well become visible to us and hence talk with us for, being the progeny of Adam, we are subject to all those influences to which Adam was. But such a thing has never happened. The fact that Iblis does not come to us shows that the person who had a talk with Adam was not the Iblis who was created of fire, but only his human manifestation whom Iblis used as a tool to put Adam into trouble. This is what happens in the case of every Prophet and, in fact, in that of every human being.

The pronoun ھا in the expression منھا (hence) does not refer to the post-mortal Heaven as supposed by some commentators, because Heaven is a place where Satan could not possibly visit and tempt Adam. Nor could Adam be turned out of it; nor can the pronoun refer to the earthly garden in which Adam was placed; for when once Satan was turned out of it, he could not possibly enter it again. So the pronoun refers to that gate of apparent bliss in which men happen to live before the advent of a Prophet when, though they might be prey to many errors, yet, not having rejected a Prophet they are not deprived of divine favours which are here represented in the form of a جنة or garden.

38:79.

Important Words:

اللعنة (the curse) literally means, the state of being away from the mercy of God. See also 2:89.

Commentary:

The verse declares that the curse and maledictions of not only God and His Chosen Ones but also of all succeeding generations of men dog the footsteps of the opponents of God’s Prophets, while the latter and their followers continue to be remembered with honour and affection. As Divine Reformers will continue to come till the end of days, so Satan and his votaries will also continue to be cursed till the Day of Judgement. The curse referred to here does not, however, mean the Divine punishment which will have its full manifestation on the Day of Judgement but the curses and maledictions of men with which Satan and his followers will ever continue to be remembered in this world. See also 2:162 & 13:26.

7:15; 17:63; 38:80.

Commentary:

The preceding verses, like the relevant verses of chapters 2 & 7, refer to Adam and other Prophets in particular and to mankind in general. In reference to Adam and the Prophets, the breathing of the Divine Spirit would mean the descent of Divine revelation on men, and in reference to mankind in general, it would signify the perfection of the human soul. The words, the day when they shall be raised, will therefore, have different meanings in reference to the two classes of persons. When taken as referring to mankind in general the words would mean the time of the spiritual rebirth of man when, having attained that state of spiritual ascent, he not only becomes safe against spiritual fall but also contented and pleased with his Lord. In this sense, the protest of Satan mentioned in the present verse would mean that he should be granted respite to deceive and seduce man till the time of his (man’s) spiritual rebirth, when he joins the rank of the sincere servants of God and becomes immune from any further interference by Satan and his followers. This dialogue between God and Satan is, as hinted above, only an allegory or a metaphor.

That the words, the day when they shall be raised, signify the spiritual rebirth of man and not the Day of Resurrection after death, is confirmed by the fact that Satan asked for respite to be extended not to the day of death, but to the Day of Resurrection. As a matter of fact, there being no possibility of man being seduced by Satan after his death, Satan’s request to be allowed to tempt man up to the Day of Resurrection, which is to take place, after death, would be meaningless. It is thus evident that these words do not mean the actual Day of Resurrection after death but the day of man’s spiritual rebirth i.e. when he attains to the stage of نفس مطمئنة (the soul at peace) in his very life. In fact, Satan and his followers can tempt a man only so long as he does not attain to this very high state of spiritual development when he becomes immune against the onslaughts of Satan. When referring to Adam and his true Successors, i.e. the Prophets of God, the verse means that Satan and his followers are allowed to find fault with them and put all sorts of impediments and obstacles in their way till the day when they shall be raised, i.e. till the time when truth finally triumphs and the enemies of the Prophets are vanquished and many of them join the ranks of the Faithful. This time of the final victory of truth over falsehood or, in other words, of the Prophets over their adversaries, is here called the day of resurrection. See also v. 19.

7:16; 17:64; 38:81.

38:82.

Commentary:

The words, Till the day of the appointed time, mean, as explained in v. 37 till the day when the Prophets and their followers will have achieved final victory over their adversaries and falsehood and its votaries will have been finally crushed.

This "day of the appointed time" comes to different Prophets at different times. To the Holy Prophet it came in his life-time, when he saw the complete triumph of his cause with his own eyes, and to Jesus it came centuries after his death.

7:17, 18; 38:83.

Commentary:

This verse too, gives a figurative word-picture of the condition of those disbelievers who, having failed to join the ranks of the Faithful in the beginning of the ministry of a Prophet, feel bitterly disappointed when they see him triumphing. The leaders of disbelief feel disgraced and humiliated at finding that others less important than themselves have outstripped them in believing and so, instead of accepting the Prophet, even at a later stage, they begin to oppose him. It is this state of mind of disbelievers that v. 3 depicts where it is mentioned that seeing the cause of Islam triumphing they wish they had accepted Islam in the beginning and thus had retained their former status and respect and had shared the blessings with which Muslims were favoured but having lost all their respect by rejecting the Prophet, they refrain from believing in spite of their desire and even increase in disbelief and opposition. This phenomenon has been repeated in the time of every Prophet of God, as is clear from 2:218, 4:45, 7:89 and 14:4.