Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:34

(And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam.") This circumstantial element (zarf) relates to an implied verb indicated by the discourse, such as "submit and obey." This connection is an instance of linking one narrative to another; in each, there is a recounting of blessings, even though the first was a verification of merit, while this is an acknowledgment of it. It is not grammatically sound to link this zarf to the preceding one, given the principle of appropriateness we previously established regarding the difference in the two timeframes. It is permissible, however, to consider the previous accusative as governed by an implied verb.

"Prostration" (sujud) in its literal origin signifies humility accompanied by a lowering [of the body] through bowing or otherwise. In Islamic law (Shar’), it means placing the forehead [on the ground] with the intent of worship. There is disagreement regarding the meaning intended here. Some say it is the legal definition, and the one truly worshipped is Allah (may He be exalted), while Adam was either the qibla (direction) or the sabab (cause). This was challenged on the grounds that if this were the case, Iblis would not have refrained, and that it would not prove Adam’s (peace be upon him) superiority over them. However, His saying, "Do you see this one whom You have honored over me?" indicates otherwise. Do you not see that the Ka'bah is not more honorable than those who prostrate towards it? It has been answered that the matter was obscured for Iblis, and that the act of honoring [Adam] made him the locus for this act of worship, excluding the others. It is not hidden that this indicates the greatness of his status, just as the Ka'bah was made a qibla among all other places.

Some among the people permitted that the one prostrated to was Adam (peace be upon him) in reality, claiming that prostration to a created being was only forbidden in our law. The response to this is that legal prostration is an act of worship, and worshipping other than Him—the Glorified—is shirk (polytheism) prohibited in all religions and eras; I do not see that it was ever permitted in any age. Others say the meaning is linguistic, involving no placement of foreheads, but rather mere humility and submission. Thus, the lam (in li-Adam) is either retained in its literal sense or functions with the meaning of "toward," similar to the statement of Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him): "Is he not the first who prayed liqiblatikum (toward your qibla)?"—and he was the most knowledgeable of the Quran and Sunnah. Or, it may be for causality, like His saying, "Perform the prayer liduluk al-shams (due to the sun’s decline)."

The wisdom behind the command to prostrate was to manifest the acknowledgment of his (peace be upon him) merit and to offer an apology for what they had said regarding him, while signaling that the right of a teacher over those he teaches is a great right. The Almighty changed the style; whereas He previously said, "And when your Lord said," here He says, "And when We said," using the pronoun of Majesty. This is because the first instance involved the creation of Adam and his vicegerency, so it was appropriate to mention Lordship attributed to the most beloved of His successors. Here, the context requires the issuance of a command befitting Majesty. Furthermore, prostration involves magnification; when it was ordered to be performed for other than Him, He signaled His Pride, which has no need for magnification. Abu Ja’far read al-mala’ikah with a damma on the ta following the damma of the jim—this is a dialect of the Azd Shanu'ah. It is a rare but valid Arabic dialect and is not an error as the Persian [grammarian] supposed; for it has been narrated that a woman saw her daughters with a man and said, "Afi al-su’ati antunna?" (Are you [fem.] in the act?), meaning Afi al-su’ati antunna?

(So they prostrated, except Iblis) The fa indicates their haste in compliance and lack of hesitation. "Iblis" is a non-Arabic name, indeclinable (ghayr al-munṣarif) due to being a proper noun and being non-Arabic; its structure is fa'lil, as stated by Al-Zajjaj. Abu 'Ubaydah and others said: It is Arabic, derived from iblas, meaning alienation from good or despair of the mercy of Allah the Almighty. Its structure in this view is maf'il, and it is indeclinable because it has no parallel among nouns—an objection was raised that this is not a recognized cause for being indeclinable, especially since it has parallels like ihlil and iklil, though this view is debatable. It is also said it is because it resembles non-Arabic nouns, as no Arab was named by it, but this is baseless.

People have differed as to whether he was of the angels or the jinn. A group leaned toward the latter, citing His saying, "Except Iblis, he was of the jinn," and that angels do not grow arrogant, whereas he did; and that angels—as narrated by Muslim from ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)—were created from light, while jinn were created "from a smokeless flame of fire," and he was created from what the jinn were created, as indicated by his own words: "I am better than him; You created me from fire and created him from clay." His refusal to prostrate was an act of defiance and arrogance. In that case, either he was raised among the angels and overwhelmed by their numbers, so the command reached him and he failed to comply, or the jinn were also commanded along with the angels, but mentioning the angels sufficed to imply their honor, omitting the jinn; or, he—the curse be upon him—was commanded explicitly rather than implicitly, as suggested by the literal reading of His saying, "When I commanded you." The pronoun in "they prostrated" refers to those commanded to prostrate.

The majority of scholars among the Companions and the Successors adopted the first view, citing the literal meaning of the exception. The justification for this as mentioned is forced, because although he was one of them, he was their leader and chief, as the reports indicate, so he was not "overwhelmed" among them. Moreover, assigning the pronoun to the general body of the commanded—while highly improbable—is not established, as it has not been reported that the jinn prostrated to Adam except for Iblis. That he was explicitly commanded is not clearly stated in the verse; thus, proving it is a difficult task (as difficult as cutting thorny wood). The implication of the aforementioned verse that he is of the jinn species is refuted, as it is possible it refers to his being one of them in action. His saying, "So he disobeyed" (fafa-saqa) acts as an explanation of this. It is also possible that "was" (kana) means "became," as it is narrated that he was transformed due to this sin and became a jinn, just as the Jews were transformed into monkeys and swine. Even if we concede this, there is no contradiction between his being a jinn and being an angel, for "jinn" can refer to a type of angel, as reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both)—they were the keepers of Paradise or the crafters of its adornments. It is said they are a class of angels unseen by other angels, just as we cannot see them. It is also said that angels are called "jinn" because of their concealment from human eyes. For this reason, some interpreted His saying, "And they made a kinship between Him and the jinn." Similar usage appears in the speech of the Arabs; Al-A’sha said regarding our master Solomon (peace be upon him): "And He subjected nine of the jinn-angels, standing before him, working without pay."

The fact that angels do not grow arrogant while he did is not harmful. It may be that some angels are not infallible, even if infallibility is the norm for them, contrary to us—in the creed of Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi there is support for this. Or, it may be that Allah stripped him of angelic attributes and clothed him in the garments of devilish attributes; he disobeyed only then, for an angel, as long as he remains an angel, does not disobey.

And who is the one that does not change?

His creation from fire while they are created from light is also not harmful nor a blemish on his angelic status, for fire and light share the same essence in terms of genus, differing only in accidents. Furthermore, the report of ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) regarding the creation of angels from light pertains to the majority, otherwise it would contradict many literal reports, for there are reports that Allah created angels from fire, angels from snow, and angels from this and that. It is also recorded that under the Throne is a river, and when Gabriel (peace be upon him) bathes in it and shakes himself, a new angel is created from every drop.

Some interpretations suggest that there exists a class of angels that does not differ from devils in essence, but only in accidents and attributes—like the righteous and the wicked among humans and jinn—and Iblis was of this class. So, count him as you wish: angel, jinn, or devil; thus, the reconciliation between the different viewpoints is achieved. And Allah the Almighty knows the truth of the matter.

Then, the majority hold that the exception is connected (muttasil) if he was of the angels, and disconnected (munqati') if he was not. You already know their forced attempts to justify it as connected while holding the second view. It is widespread among grammarians and legal theorists that the disconnected is that which is excepted from a different genus, while the connected is excepted from its own genus. Al-Farafi said in al-'Aqd al-Manzum: "This is an error in both." For His saying, "Do not consume your wealth among yourselves in vanity, except it be trade," "They will not taste death therein, except the first death," and "It is not for a believer to kill a believer, except by mistake"—the exception in these is disconnected, even though the excepted is of the same genus as what precedes it, thus invalidating both definitions. The truth is that the connected is that in which the genus is governed by the opposite of what the initial subject was governed by; both of these conditions must be present. Whenever one is missing, it is disconnected, whether it is a different genus or not, regardless of whether it is governed by its opposite or not—for example, "I saw the people, except a horse."

The disconnected is of two types, and the connected is of one type. The disconnected acts as the opposite of the connected. Therefore, His saying, "They will not taste [death]..." is disconnected due to the ruling being something other than the opposite, because the opposite is that they do taste it therein, which is not the case. Likewise, "except it be trade," because it is not consumed in vanity but in truth. Likewise, "except by mistake," because he does not have the right to kill absolutely; otherwise, it would be permissible. Thus, the disconnected splits into three: governing the genus with something other than the opposite, and governing the non-genus with it or with something else. The connected remains of one type. This is the correct standard. It is also said that the standard for connection and disconnection is entry into the ruling versus its absence, not the reality of the word—so reflect, and you will be guided.

The words of the people—may Allah benefit us by them—suggest that all creation, its upper and lower realms, its fortunate and its wretched, is created from the Muhammadan Reality (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), as indicated by the words of Al-Nabulsi (may his secret be sanctified), refuting what is raised against the literal sense: "Taha the Prophet, from his light all creation was formed." There are reports supporting this, except that the upper angels were created from him—the prayer and peace be upon him—in terms of beauty, and Iblis in terms of majesty. This ultimately leads to the fact that Iblis is a manifestation of the majesty of Allah the Almighty. This is why what happened, happened; he did not lament, did not regret, and did not seek forgiveness, for he knew that Allah the Almighty does what He wills, and that what He wills—the Exalted—is what the realities necessitate, and there is no way to change or alter them. He felt this from the very calling of him as "Iblis"—his name was not that before, but rather ‘Azazil or Al-Harith, and his kunya was Abu Murrah. Beyond that is what cannot be unveiled. Allah says the truth, and He guides the path.

In His saying, "He refused and was arrogant and was of the disbelievers," there is a type of indication to some of what has been mentioned. The sentence is an isti’naf (resumption/new commencement) serving as an answer to those who ask what he did. It is said that the first two verbs are in the accusative as a state (hal), meaning "refusing, arrogant." And "was of the disbelievers" is resumed or in the place of a hal. It is also said that the three sentences are a tadhil (supplementary clause) after a tadhil. "Abā" (refusal) is abstention with familiarity and the ability to act; hence, the saying of Abu Zaid, "Oppression is more eloquent than 'he did not oppress.'" Because the verb signifies negation, the "empty exception" (istithna' mufarragh) is correct after it, as in "Allah refuses but to perfect His light." The verb is abā (with a fathah), and upon this, ya’bā is not analogous (standard). It has been heard as abī (like radiya), in which case the imperfect is analogous. The object here is omitted—that is, [the prostration]. "Istitkabār" (arrogance) is takabbur (pride), and it is among the forms of istaf'ala that come with the meaning of tafa''ala. It is said that takabbur is for a person to see himself as greater than others—and this is blameworthy even if he is actually greater—while istikbār is seeking that through pretension.

Refusal was placed before it, even though it is later in rank, because it is an external state, unlike arrogance which is psychological. Or, because the intent is to inform that he violated the state of the angels; thus, it was appropriate to begin by confirming the ruling passed upon him in the exception, or by initiating the report of his violation, so he began with that in the most eloquent way. "And was" is taken in its literal sense, meaning he was in the knowledge of Allah among the disbelievers, or he was of the disbelieving people who were on earth before the creation of Adam. It is also said it means "became," which is something some grammarians established. Ibn Furak said: The foundations reject this, and because the state [of disbelief] was already apparent, so it was [by the action] of the fa (immediacy).

Furthermore, his disbelief was not due to the abandonment of an obligation as the Kharijites claimed, holding onto this verse, because that does not necessitate [disbelief] in our tradition, as evidenced by conclusive proofs; and that it was obligatory before that is not certain. Rather, it was due to his finding the command of Allah to prostrate to one he believed was better and more honorable than him to be detestable, as the refusal and arrogance indicate. Abu al-‘Aliyah said: The meaning of "of the disbelievers" is "of the disobedient."

Then, the apparent meaning is that his disbelief was due to ignorance, in that the Exalted retracted from him what He had lent him of the knowledge he was adorned with when he was the "peacock of the angels." The nails of destiny, when they scratch, cause bleeding; the arrows of fate, when they are shot, deafen; the lamp of union was bright among us, then a wind of separation blew upon it, and it was extinguished. It is also said it was out of obstinacy, driven by a love of leadership and admiration for the nobility he was given. The poor wretch did not know that if he had complied, his status would have risen and his pride would have soared among the Highest Assembly. But when there is no aid from Allah for the youth, the first thing that harms him is his own exertion. How many eyes has this story caused to weep, and how many eyes has it caused to overflow! For Iblis was, for a period, in the coquetry of his obedience, strutting in the garment of his proximity, then he came to what you see, and the Pen ran with what it ran. We were, Laila and I, ascending in love, then when we met, it remained and [I] slipped. Hence, the Shafi’is and Ash’aris—and I say with their view on this issue—state that what counts is the faith one meets the Creator with at the end of one's life and the first stations of the Hereafter. Thus, it is correct to say "I am a believer, if Allah wills," with doubt—not in the completed faith, but in the true faith considered at the time of death and the completion of deeds. It is authentically narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), as Al-Zarqani recorded, that it is part of the perfection of a servant's faith to make this exception, as the ends of believers are hidden from them ("And He is the Irresistible, above His servants"). And in the Sahih from Jabir, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to frequently say, "O Turner of hearts, make our hearts firm on Your religion." The report of those who said, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," [meaning] he has no share of Islam, is a fabrication according to the consensus of the traditionists. But "I am a believer, by Him [who wills], if Allah wills"—this is correct.

Know that what this noble verse—as well as those in Al-A’raf, Bani Isra'il, Al-Kahf, and Taha—necessitates is that the prostration of the angels was contingent upon the decisive command issued after his creation and the blowing of the soul into him; this is what is attested to by tradition and reason. However, what is in [Surah] Al-Hijr—His saying, "And when your Lord said to the angels, 'I am going to create a human being from clay... so when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down to him in prostration.' So the angels prostrated, all of them entirely"—and likewise in [Surah] Sad, outwardly suggests it was contingent upon the conditional command mentioned therein, without anything intervening between them except the creation and its consequences. Some have held this view, interpreting the command in those verses as a narration of the conditional command after the condition was fulfilled in general; for it then takes on the ruling of a decisive command. The "then" (fa) in the verse of Al-A’raf denotes delay in rank, or delay in reporting. Or, it may be said that when the conditional command, before the realization of its condition, was equivalent to non-existence regarding the obligation of the commanded act, it was treated as if it occurred only after its realization; thus, it was narrated in the form of a decisive command.

When some saw that this leads to the idea that what transpired regarding the vicegerency, and what they said and heard, only happened after the prostration—which was preceded by the knowledge of his (peace be upon him) high status, Iblis’s exit through the curse, and their witnessing all of that—a violation of the logic of the reports, nay, a violation of reason, they were forced to say that the prostration happened twice. But alas! The perfumer cannot mend what time has corrupted. The true, verified reality is what those verses indicate. What the opposition used as evidence does not stand as proof, because if the condition was a restriction on the consequent, its meaning would be, upon the assumption of the realization of "when I fashion him," I request [the prostration], based on the principle that the condition is a restriction on the request, as stated by the scholar Al-Taftazani—that the meaning of our saying "If Zayd comes to you, honor him" is: upon the assumption of the truth of "If Zayd comes to you," I request from you his honoring. And if the ruling is between the condition and the consequent, the request-based consequent must be interpreted as a report, i.e., "It is deserving that it be said regarding him: Honor him." Under both interpretations, the meaning of "fall down to him in prostration" was a future request, not a present one; thus, it does not necessitate that the command to prostrate occurred before the fashioning. Yes, if the condition were a restriction on the requested act—not on the request—the meaning would be a request in the present for prostration at the time of fashioning, which would imply the command preceded the fashioning.

The statement of our Master Al-Razi (may his secret be sanctified) that the verse, just as it indicates the priority of the command to prostrate over the fashioning, implies that the teaching and the information [of the names] was after the prostration, because it indicates that Adam (peace be upon him) became an object of prostration for the angels as soon as he became alive, because the fa in "fall down" is for immediate sequence—the flaw in this is not hidden, for the fa is for causality, not for sequence, and it does not necessitate immediate sequence, as in His saying, "When the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten," and His saying, "Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words." Some have carried the "breathing of the spirit" in the verse to mean "teaching," as it is famous that knowledge is life and ignorance is death—but you are in no need of that. And Allah is the Grantor of success.