Tafsir of Saba' 34:20

Surah Saba' (34): Verse 20

{And indeed Iblis (Satan) proved true his assumption concerning them, so they followed him, except for a party of the believers.}

This means that Iblis confirmed his assumption that he could lead them astray, just as he said: {By Your might, I will surely mislead them all} (Sad: 82).

His statement {so they followed him} is the explanation of that: meaning, he misled them, and they followed him.

{except for a party of the believers}. Regarding them, the Almighty said: {Indeed, over My [true] servants, you will have no authority} (Al-Hijr: 42).

Alternative Interpretation:

It can also be said that his assumption proved true in that he believed he was better than Adam, as the Almighty stated about him: {I am better than him} (Al-A'raf: 76). This is confirmed by the phrase {so they followed him}, because the one who is followed is considered better than the follower; otherwise, a rational person would not follow him.

What indicates that Iblis is "better" than the disbeliever is that Iblis refused to worship anyone other than God. However, because his refusal was out of obstinacy against obeying God, he committed disbelief (kufr). The polytheist (mushrik), on the other hand, worships other than God, so his disbelief stems from an act closer to monotheism (Tawhid).

Supporting the Chosen Interpretation (The Assumption of Misguidance):

The exception mentioned supports the interpretation that his assumption related to misguidance. Although he did not assume he would mislead everyone—as evidenced by God saying about him: {except for Your chosen servants among them} (Sad: 76)—he assumed he would mislead the believers. If he assumed he would mislead the believers, then his assumption was not true regarding them, making the exception necessary.

However, regarding his claim {I am better than him}, he believed in his superiority over all people, evidenced by his reasoning: {You created me from fire and created him from clay} (Al-A'raf: 12). In this claim, he was indeed proven false concerning the believers.

Reconciliation:

A response can be given to this by returning to the first interpretation: Even if he did not assume he would mislead everyone and knew some would be saved, he assumed that each individual was not among those saved, until it became clear to him. Thus, his assumption was true regarding some (those he misled) and false regarding others (those he failed to mislead).

{And it was not for him over them any authority except that We might know who believes in the Hereafter from who is in doubt about it. And your Lord, over all things, is a Guardian.}