Surah Sad 38:76
ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ
He said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay."
Tafsir of Sad 38:76
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 38:76
76 (He said, "I am better than him.") It is said: This is a response to the final interrogation, carrying the implication that he is indeed as he claimed—that is, he is among the "exalted" according to the first interpretation, and that he is not of those who are arrogant, neither previously nor subsequently, according to the second interpretation. It functions as an explanation for his being superior. However, since this was not sufficient to achieve the intended purpose—being a mere claim—he preferred to clarify it with something that conveys that meaning and more: His saying, "You created me from fire and created him from clay."
As for the first part, it is manifest. As for the second, it is because he mentioned the two types to point out that mere similarity [in being created] would be sufficient [to preclude the command], let alone [the issue of] superiority. For this reason, he kept it vague, then detailed it, drew a comparison, and preferred the structure "You created me and You created him" rather than "I am from fire and he is from clay," to indicate that similarity in being created is an impediment—so how much more so when the superiority of the substance is added to it! In this, there is a realization that the one being ordered should have been the one to refuse, for prostration is the right of the One who commands. The author of al-Kashshaf noted this, then added: "From this, it is understood that Iblis’s response is of the foolish style."
Many scholars have held that his statement, "I am better than him," is the primary and essential answer to the interrogation by the Almighty: "What prevented you from prostrating?"—by claiming something that, according to his delusion, necessitates a prevention from prostrating. His saying, "You created me," and so forth, is an explanation for the claim of superiority.
Regardless, the accursed one erred, for there is no similarity in the act of creation: Adam—peace be upon him—was created by the Two Hands, while his own creation was not likewise. Furthermore, the matter of the superiority of the substance is, upon precise examination, the opposite. Moreover, excellence is not limited to what originates from the substance alone, but also arises from form and purpose; the excellence of Adam—peace be upon him—in those respects is not hidden. It is as if his error was so manifest that it did not need to be explained; rather, his response was met with his expulsion, which is the saying of the Almighty: ...