Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:118

(Allah has cursed him): That is, He has driven him away and distanced him from His mercy. It is said that the intent of the curse is the act by which he became deserving of it, due to his arrogance regarding prostration, similar to their saying: "May you avoid the curse" (abita al-la'n), meaning: "What you have done is that for which you deserve it." The sentence is in the position of the accusative as a second descriptor (sifah) for "Satan." Abu al-Baqa' allowed for it to be an elliptical sentence (musta'nafah) in the form of an invocation (du'a'), in which case it has no grammatical position.

(And he said, "I will surely take from Your servants a prescribed portion"): This is a conjunction linked to the preceding sentence. The intent is a rebellious Satan who combines the curse of Allah Almighty with this heinous statement uttered by him at the time of the curse. It is permitted that it be in the position of a circumstantial clause (hal) with the estimation of "already" (qad), meaning: "and he had already said." It may also be an elliptical sentence, just as the one preceding it is an interjectionary one according to some opinions. The prepositional phrase is either linked to the verb or acts as a circumstantial qualifier for what follows it, which some have preferred. "Taking" (ittikhadh) is the appropriation of a thing for the sake of exclusivity, and the root meaning of "prescribed" (fard) is "cutting." It is used here for a specific quantity to signify its severance from all else. This portion is—as Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from al-Dahhak, and Ibn al-Mundhir from al-Rabi'—nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand.

The manifest view is that this statement occurred as literal speech from the Accursed One. It is as if, upon achieving what he achieved regarding Adam (peace be upon him), he became greedy for his progeny and said that based on conjecture. This is supported by the Almighty’s saying: "And Iblis had certainly confirmed his assumption about them." It is also said that he understood their widespread obedience to him from what the angels understood when they said: "Will You place therein one who causes corruption and sheds blood?" Some have claimed that this statement is an internal state (like an inner consciousness), as in the saying: "The basin became full, and it said: 'Enough of me, wait, slowly; I have filled my belly.'"

In these sentences, there is that which proclaims the ignorance of the polytheists and the extreme decline of their rank, preventing them from being joined to the ranks of the rational in the most complete and perfect manner. Within these verses, there is also a rebuke to them, as is not hidden.