Al-Isra: (64-65) And provoke those you can...

Know that when Iblis requested respite from Allah until the Day of Resurrection to corrupt the progeny of Adam, the Almighty mentioned several things.

The first is His saying: {Go} (اذهب), meaning: I have granted you respite for this duration.

The second is His saying: {And incite [to rebellion] those you can among them} (واستفزز من استطعت منهم). It is said, afzahu al-khawf (fear agitated him), and istafazzahu means he disturbed and made him light-headed. His "voice" (صوتك) is his call to disobey Allah. Some say it refers to singing, amusement, and play. The imperative form here is a threat, just as one says, "Exert your utmost effort, and you will see what befalls you."

The third is: {with your voice and charge against them with your cavalry and your infantry} (بصوتك وأجلب عليهم بخيلك ورجلك). Regarding {And charge against them} (وأجلب), there are several interpretations:

1. Al-Farra' said it is from al-jalabah (shouting/clamor). They sometimes say al-jalab just as they say al-ghalabah and al-ghalb, or al-shafaqah and al-shafaq. Al-Layth and Abu 'Ubaydah said ajlabu and jalabu mean shouting.
2. Al-Zajjaj said regarding the verb form af'ala, ajlaba 'ala al-'aduww ijlāban means he gathered horses against the enemy.
3. Ibn al-Sikkit said hum yajlibūna 'alayhi means they assist him.
4. Tha'lab narrated from Ibn al-A'rabi that ajlaba al-rajul 'ala al-rajul means he threatened him with evil and gathered forces against him.

Based on these views:

• According to Al-Farra', {And charge against them} means "assault them with your cavalry and infantry."
• According to Al-Zajjaj, it means "gather against them everything you can of your stratagems," and the preposition bi (with) in {with your cavalry} is superfluous.
• According to Ibn al-Sikkit, it means "assist them with your cavalry and infantry," and the object of the charging is omitted, implying he seeks assistance in misleading them with his cavalry and infantry. This is close to Ibn al-A'rabi's view.

They differed on interpreting cavalry (khayl) and infantry (rajl):

• Abu al-Dhuha narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: "Every rider or walker in disobedience to Allah is among the cavalry and soldiers of Iblis." This includes every rider and walker in sin. Thus, his cavalry and infantry are everyone who shares in calling to disobedience.
• The second view suggests Iblis has troops of devils, some mounted and some on foot.
• The third view is that it is a metaphor, like saying to a striving person: "You have come with your cavalry and infantry." This view is closer. Khayl can refer to horsemen (as in the Prophet's saying: "O cavalry of Allah, ride!"), or specifically to horses. Here, the first meaning is intended. Rajl is the plural of rajil (walker), like tajir and tujjar, or sahib and suhb, or rakib and rukb.
• Hafs narrated from 'Asim reading {and your infantry} (rajlik) with a kasra (i) on the jim, while others use a damma (u). Abu Zayd said rajul and rijl mean the same thing, like hadath and huduth, or nadas and nudus. Ibn al-Anbari narrated from Al-Farra' that rajul, rijl, and rajulān all mean the same thing.

The fourth type of things Allah mentioned to Iblis is His saying: {and share with them in wealth and children} (وشاركهم فى الاموال والاولاد).

Regarding sharing in wealth: This refers to every reprehensible handling of wealth, whether by taking what is not rightfully theirs or placing it where it shouldn't be. This includes usury (riba), usurpation (ghasb), theft, and corrupt transactions. This is the sound definition given by Al-Qadi.

The commentators mentioned other views:

• Qatadah said sharing in wealth is their practice of designating certain cattle as bahirah and sa'ibah (types of idolatrous offerings).
• 'Ikrimah said it refers to their slitting the ears of livestock.
• It was said it means they dedicated some of their wealth to others besides Allah, as in the verse: {And they say, "This is for Allah"—by their claim—"and this is for Our partners"} (Al-An'am: 136).
• The most correct view is that of Al-Qadi.

Regarding sharing in children, they mentioned several views:

1. Calling them to fornication (zina). Al-Asamm refuted this by saying there is no blame attached to the child itself. This can be answered by saying it refers to sharing in the method of acquiring children, i.e., calling to fornication.
2. Naming their children with names like 'Abd al-Lāt and 'Abd al-'Uzza.
3. Encouraging their children toward false religions like Judaism, Christianity, etc.
4. Committing infanticide and burying their children alive (wa'd).
5. Encouraging them to memorize poetry containing obscenities, and encouraging them toward killing, fighting, and base, vile professions.

The comprehensive definition is: Any action a person takes regarding their child that leads to committing a reprehensible or evil act falls under this.

The fifth type of things Allah mentioned to Iblis in this verse is His saying: {and make them promises} (وعدهم).

Know that since the goal of Satan is to encourage false belief and false action, and to dissuade from true belief and true action, encouragement requires establishing that there is absolutely no harm in the act, but rather it yields great benefits. Dissuasion requires establishing that there is no benefit in the act, but rather it yields great harms.

If this is established, when Satan calls to sin, he must first establish that there is absolutely no harm in it. This is only possible if he claims: there is no Hereafter, no Paradise, no Hellfire, and no life after this life. Through this path, he establishes that there is no harm in committing these sins. Once he finishes this stage, he establishes that this act yields types of pleasure and delight, and that human life in this world is only through it; thus, forfeiting it is a loss and a failure, as the poet said:

This is the path of calling to sin. As for dissuading from obedience, he first establishes that there is no benefit in it, which he does in two ways:

1. Saying there is no Paradise, no Hellfire, no reward, and no punishment.
2. Stating that these acts of worship yield no benefit for the worshipper or the Worshipped, making them mere futility.

Through these two paths, Satan establishes in a person's mind that there is no benefit [in obedience]. Once he finishes this stage, he claims that obedience brings toil and tribulation, which is the greatest harm. These are the main points of Satan's deception.

His saying {and make them promises} (وعدهم) encompasses all these categories. Commentators said:

• {and make them promises} means promising them there is no Paradise and no Hellfire.
• Others said: {and make them promises} means postponing repentance (taswif).
• Others said: {and make them promises} with false hopes, like what he said to Adam: {Your Lord forbade you this tree only lest you become angels or become among the immortals} (Al-A'raf: 20).
• Others said: promising them the intercession of idols with Allah, noble lineage, and preferring the immediate over the eternal.

In summary, these categories are numerous, and all are included in the framework we mentioned. If you wish for a comprehensive study of this topic, consult the book Dhamm al-Ghurur (Condemnation of Deception) from the Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din by Shaykh Al-Ghazali, so your intellect may grasp the entirety of Iblis's deception.

Know that when Allah said {and make them promises}, He followed it with what serves as a deterrent against accepting his promise: {But Satan does not promise them except delusion} (وما يعدهم الشيطان إلا غرورا). The reason is that he only calls to one of three things: satisfying desire, executing anger, or seeking preeminence and high status. He never calls to the knowledge of Allah or service to Him. These three things are spiritually deficient in many ways:

1. In reality, they are not true pleasures, but rather escapes from pain.
2. Even if they are pleasures, they are base pleasures shared by dogs, worms, beetles, and others.
3. They are fleeting and quickly vanish and perish.
4. They are only attained through much hardship and great difficulty.
5. The pleasures of the belly and the private parts are only completed through engaging in foul, repulsive fluids.
6. They are not lasting; they are followed by death, old age, poverty, regret over what was missed, and fear of death.

Since these pursuits, despite appearing delightful on the surface, are mixed with these great calamities and serious contraventions, encouraging them is deception. For this reason, Allah Almighty said: {But Satan does not promise them except delusion}.

Know that when Allah told him to do what he could, He then said: {Indeed, My servants - you will have no authority over them} (إن عبادى ليس لك عليهم سلطان). There are two views on this:

The First View: It refers to all accountable servants of Allah. This is the view of Abu 'Ali al-Jubba'i. He argued that Allah exempted many in other verses by saying: {except for those who follow you} (Al-Hijr: 42). He then used this to argue that Iblis and his soldiers have no way to directly confuse people or scramble their minds; their power is limited only to whispering (waswasa). He reinforced this with His saying: {I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves} (Ibrahim: 22). Furthermore, if he had power over these actions, the people of virtue and knowledge would be more afflicted than others, maximizing his harm. He added that when someone's mind is disturbed, it is not due to Satan, but due to the dominance of corrupt humors, though it is possible that one cause of this illness is the belief that Satan is attacking him, leading to overwhelming fear that causes the illness.

The Second View: The term {My servants} (عبادى) refers specifically to the people of virtue, knowledge, and faith. This is based on our previous explanation that the term al-'ibad in the Qur'an is often reserved for the people of faith. The evidence is His saying in another verse: {His authority is only over those who take him as an ally} (Al-Nahl: 100).

Then He said: {And sufficient is your Lord as a Trustee} (وكفى بربك وكيلا). There are two points of discussion here:

First Point of Discussion: Since Allah enabled Iblis to do the utmost he could in terms of whispering, which causes intense fear in a person's heart, He said: {And sufficient is your Lord as a Trustee}. This means that even though Satan has power, Allah is more powerful than him and more merciful to His servants than anyone. Thus, Allah repels the mischief of Satan from them and protects them from his misguidance and temptation.

Second Point of Discussion: This verse indicates that protection comes from Allah, and that a person cannot guard himself against straying on his own. If adhering to the truth and avoiding falsehood were solely dependent on the person, it would have been appropriate to say: "And sufficient is the person himself in guarding against Satan." Since it was not said, but rather {And sufficient is your Lord}, we know that everything comes from Allah. This is why the scholars of verification say: There is no turning away from Allah's disobedience except by Allah's protection, and there is no strength for obedience to Allah except by Allah's success (tawfiq).

Two questions remain regarding the verse:

Question One: Was Iblis aware that the One addressing him with {And incite [to rebellion] those you can among them} was the God of the worlds, or did he not know? If he knew, and yet Allah said: {then indeed, Hell is the recompense for you, an ample recompense}, how did this severe warning not prevent him from sin, especially since he heard it directly from Allah without an intermediary? If he did not know the speaker was the God of the worlds, how could he say: {See this one whom You have honored}?

Answer: Perhaps he was doubtful about everything, or he was saying whatever came to his mind based on conjecture.

Question Two: What is the wisdom in Allah granting him respite until the Day of Resurrection and enabling him to whisper? A wise being, if intending something, and knowing that something else prevents its occurrence, would not seek to bring about that preventative thing.

Answer: Our doctrine on this matter is clear. As for the Mu'tazilah, they have two views:

• Al-Jubba'i said: Allah knew that those who disbelieve upon Iblis's whispering would disbelieve even if Iblis did not exist. If that is the case, his existence brings no additional corruption.
• Abu Hashim said: It is not impossible that his existence brings additional corruption, but Allah kept him to intensify the obligation (taklīf) upon creation, so that they might deserve greater reward because of this intensification. We have mentioned and elaborated on these two views in Surah Al-A'raf and Al-Hijr. And Allah knows best.

(7) {Your Lord is the One Who drives the ships for you through the sea that you may seek of His bounty. Indeed, He is to you ever Merciful. * And when harm touches you at sea, lost are those you invoke besides Him, but when He delivers you to the land, you turn away. And man is ever ungrateful. * Or have you felt secure that He will not cause a section of the land to swallow you or send against you a storm of stones, and then you would find no protector for yourselves? * Or have you felt secure that He will not return you to the sea once more and send against you a devastating wind and drown you for your disbelief, and then you would find no avenger against Us for you?}