Tafsir of Sad 38:71

(When your Lord said to the angels...) This is the beginning of the elaboration of what was summarized regarding the "dispute," which is the exchange of speech that took place among them. Thus, it is an appositive (badal) to (When they dispute)—a total appositive replacing a total (badal kull min kull); some have also permitted it to be a partial appositive. It is valid to attribute the "dispute" to the angels, even though the exchange occurred between them and Allah—as indicated by (When your Lord said...)—because His speaking to them took place through the medium of an angel. Therefore, the meaning of the dispute among the "High Assembly" (al-mala' al-a'la) is the discourse of an angel from among the angels with the rest of the angels (peace be upon them) regarding the appointment of a vicegerent, with Iblis regarding the prostration, and with Adam in the words: (Inform them of their names).

The meaning of the dispute being between the angels, Adam, and Iblis is its occurrence among them collectively. It does not necessitate combining the literal and figurative in the attribution; rather, it is all literal. For the "High Assembly" includes the intermediary angel, who is the true speaker, while the Exalted Lord is the speaker figuratively. Do not argue that the opponent might claim the matter is the reverse; what is said—that the verse (When your Lord said...) necessitates that Allah’s speaking to them was without an intermediary—is denied. It is an act of replacing a time-frame of a story with a time-frame of the negotiation within it. The purpose is for you to know the story, not to ensure every minute part corresponds to every minute part; that is neither necessary nor intended.

Furthermore, there is a sublime benefit here: since the speech of the angel to them—or to both—was on behalf of Allah, they are also speaking to Him. This meaning is intended by this phrasing, not from the literal wording, so that the aforementioned combination of literal and figurative is not required. Making Allah, the Exalted, part of the "High Assembly" by defining it as "that which is other than mankind," so that the dispute is established between Him and them—in the sense that He, Glory be to Him, disputes with them and they with Him—is rejected by the context, as it carries an implication of directionality (jiha) for Him, which the station clearly rejects.

He, Glory be to Him, did not mention the reply of the angels (peace be upon them) to complete the discourse, as a summary, because it had been repeated frequently. For this reason, He, the Majestic in His Majesty, did not say: "I am creating a creation whose attributes are such and such, making him a vicegerent." This structure was observed here for a secret nuance: to make the main point of the story the account of Iblis, so that it aligns with the state of the people of Mecca—that if by refusing one single command, such befell him, what then of their state, submerged as they are in disobedience? It implies that whoever sets the precedent for rebellion is their leader and guide to the Fire.

The account of the angels' prostration was mentioned, and their discourse regarding the vicegerency was folded away, to distinguish between the two discourses; for a question before a command is not like one after it, as the latter necessitates procrastination. Furthermore, it contains the honor of Adam (peace be upon him) implicitly, indicating that the teacher and the advisor must be revered. This was an ancient law from Allah; the people of Mecca should have treated the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as the angels treated Adam, not as Iblis treated him. This was stated by the author of al-Kashf, and it is sound. However, the reason given for the abbreviation—that it was repeated—is only complete if this was a Meccan surah revealed before that surah. Some have explained the omission as being satisfied with what is in al-Baqarah, but that surah is Medinan and its revelation is later than this one, so it is not valid to defer to it before its revelation. The idea that this is directed at those who read the Quran thereafter is an obvious matter. Perhaps the story was known to them by hearing it from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who knew it via revelation, even if it had not yet been revealed as Quran at that time. Thus, it was abbreviated here for the reason mentioned in al-Kashf.

He also said in al-Kashf: This is because the discourse between the angels and Adam (peace be upon them) where He said (Inform me of the names of these), was to rebuke them for what they attributed to Him in their words (Will You place therein one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood?). And the discourse between Him and Iblis is either because he is included in the denial and the rebuke—indeed, he is the most intense of them in that—but Allah, the Exalted, chose the angels because he [Iblis] is too lowly to be mentioned individually alongside them, or because he was commanded to prostrate to his teacher and refused, and He made him hear what He made him hear.

His words (And when your Lord said...) etc., are to bring a part [of the story] comprising the tale of the discourse and to depict its origin. It does not necessitate that the Lord, the Majestic, is one of the speakers, even if there was a discourse between Him and them that Allah recounted. This is less forced than the claim that His speaking was through an angel, for one who objects may deny the mediation according to our principles and those of the Mu'tazilah as well, especially if the ones being rebuked are considered to be all the angels.

In both views, the benefit of the apposition of (When your Lord said) to (When they dispute) becomes clear. The objection that if it were an appositive, the manifest form would be "When my Lord said," because of His words (I have no knowledge...), is not valid. The station does not require a shift in pronouns (iltifat), as it is in the style of His words: (And if you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they will surely say, "The Exalted, the All-Knowing created them, who made for you the earth..."). The address "for you" is in view of the fact that it is the speech of Allah, completing their statement. Likewise, this is the speech of Allah to complete the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is like your interlocutor saying, "The Emir came to me," and you say, "The one who honored you and bestowed upon you," or he says, "I saw the Emir on Friday," and you say, "The day he bestowed such-and-such robe upon you." From this, it is known that it is not a shift in pronoun at all, and that this apposition in this style is for increased elegance.

It is permitted to say that (When) in His words (When your Lord said...) is an adverb for (dispute), and that the "High Assembly" refers to the angels, and their dispute is their words to Allah: (Will You place therein one who causes corruption...?) in response to His words: (I am placing on earth...), and so on. The correctness of intending this does not depend on making Allah part of the "High Assembly," nor on Him speaking through an angel, nor on the elaboration of the dispute preceding it absolutely; rather, it is sufficient that it is mentioned after the revelation, whether it was mentioned as Quran or not.

The interpretation of the "Assembly" as mentioned returns to its interpretation as including Adam (peace be upon him), but that, as you heard, necessitates saying that Adam was in heaven. This is apparent in that he (peace be upon him) was created in heaven or raised to it after his creation on earth; many people do not accept either of these two matters. Ibn al-Qayyim transmitted in his book Miftah Dar as-Sa'adah from a group that Adam (peace be upon him) was only created on the earth, and that the Paradise in which he was settled after what transpired was also there. He brought many strong proofs for this and did not answer any of them. Reflect on this.

Some have taken the view that the "High Assembly" refers to the angels, and that their dispute was regarding the "Degrees" and the "Expiations." Al-Tirmidhi and al-Tabrani and others reported from Mu'adh ibn Jabal that he said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was held back from us one morning for the dawn prayer until we almost saw the eye of the sun. He came out quickly, signaled for the prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed. When he finished, he called out in his voice: 'Keep to your ranks.' Then he turned to us and said: 'I will tell you what held me back from you this morning. I rose in the night, prayed what was destined for me, and grew drowsy in my prayer until I felt heavy. Suddenly, I was with my Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, in the best form. He said: "O Muhammad." I said: "Here I am, my Lord." He said: "What are the High Assembly disputing about?" I said: "I do not know." He placed His palm between my shoulders, and I felt the coolness of His fingertips between my breasts, and everything became clear to me, and I knew. He said: "O Muhammad." I said: "Here I am." He said: "What are the High Assembly disputing about?" I said: "About the degrees and the expiations." He said: "What are the degrees?" I said: "Feeding the hungry, spreading peace, and praying at night while people are asleep." He said: "You have spoken the truth. What are the expiations?" I said: "Performing ablution thoroughly in difficult circumstances, waiting for the prayer after the prayer, and walking to the congregations." He said: "You have spoken the truth. Ask, O Muhammad." I said: "O Allah, I ask You for the doing of good deeds, the leaving of evil deeds, the love of the poor, and that You forgive me and have mercy on me, and if You intend a trial for Your servants, take me to You without being tried. O Allah, I ask for Your love, and the love of those who love You, and the love of an action that brings me near to Your love." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Learn them and study them, for they are the truth.'"

The meaning of their dispute regarding that, according to al-Bahr, is their disagreement over the measure of its reward. It is not hidden that carrying the "dispute" in the verse to what was mentioned is far removed from the context, for it is something the People of the Scripture did not know, so the polytheists would not accept it from him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at all. Yes, it is another dispute that has no relation to this station. Those who hold this view make (When) in (When your Lord said) an object of an implied "Remember," and likewise everyone who says the dispute is not regarding Adam (peace be upon him) makes it so. Shihab al-Khafaji said: The most apparent is that the attachment of "When" to the implied "Remember"—as is customary in such cases—is absolute, so that (When they dispute) remains in its generality, to avoid separating the appositive and the original, to encompass what is in the authentic hadith regarding their dispute over the expiations and degrees, and to avoid the need to justify the shift from "my Lord" to "your Lord." This is complete, though there is something in it that is not hidden.

Among the strange things said regarding their dispute is what al-Kirmani narrated in his Aja'ib (Marvels): that it is an expression of their debating among themselves in the deduction of sciences, like the debate of the scholars on earth. This is a refutation of those who claim that all their knowledge is innate (bil-fi'l). The known position of the predecessors is that it is the discourse regarding Adam (peace be upon him), and the refutation is achieved by that as well. The intention in (When your Lord said to the angels) includes Iblis, for at that time he was submerged among them. Perhaps the expression using the plural [angels] rather than a pronoun referring to the "High Assembly"—if one holds they are identical—is due to the prevalence of the address being linked to them under this title among the People of the Scripture, or due to the fame of the contrast between the angel and the human. Thus, His, the Exalted, words (When your Lord said to the angels: "I am creating a human from clay") are very fitting.

(And it was said: He used this expression to demonstrate total encompassment of the one addressed. The meaning is "I am creating," in that which is to come. And in the expression of what was mentioned, there is a meaning that is not in the expression of the imperfect tense, signifying that He, the Exalted, is definitely the Doer, without any distractor.) A Bashar (human) is a dense body that meets and touches, or it is one with smooth skin, not covered by fur, wool, or hair. The intended meaning is Adam (peace be upon him). He mentioned here his creation from "clay," in Al Imran his creation from "dust," in Al-Hijr from "sounding clay of altered mud," and in Al-Anbiya from "haste." There is no contradiction; the utmost that is in the matter is that in some [verses] He mentioned the immediate substance, and in some the distant substance. Furthermore, what occurred at the time of the narrated event was not the "human" whose name had not been created at that time, let alone named, but rather it is an expression revealing his condition, and he was expressed with this name at the time of the narration.