Al-A'raf: (27) O Children of Adam...

Know that the purpose behind mentioning the stories of the Prophets (peace be upon them) is for the listener to derive a lesson. Thus, when God mentioned the story of Adam and clarified the intensity of Satan's enmity towards Adam and his offspring, He followed it by warning Adam's children against accepting Satan's whispers, saying: {O Children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he expelled your parents from Paradise.}

This is because when Satan achieved the effect of his cunning, the subtlety of his whispering, and the intensity of his concern to the extent that he managed to lead Adam into the slip that necessitated his expulsion from Paradise, it is much more likely that he can inflict similar harm upon the children of Adam.

In this manner, God warned the children of Adam to guard against Satan's whispers, saying: {Let not Satan tempt you}, which results in you not entering Paradise as he tempted your parents, leading to their expulsion from it. The root of fitnah (temptation/trial) is presenting gold to fire to purify it from impurity. In the Qur'an, it is used to mean trial or tribulation.

Herein lie two discussions:

It is said to him: Why do you claim that attributing this action to Satan prevents it from being attributed to God? Why can it not be said that since God created the power (qudrah) and the incentive (dā'iyah) that necessitate that action, it is attributed to God? And since He established His custom that He creates that incentive after Satan beautifies and adorns those actions for that disbeliever, it is attributed to Satan.

Answer: It might be said that the outcome resulted from the combination of both matters. And God knows best.

Then He said: {He strips them of their clothing to show them}. There are discussions regarding this:

The purpose of this statement is to emphasize the warning to the children of Adam. Since the effect of Satan's whispering reached this extreme concerning Adam, despite his high status, what must be the state of the common individuals of creation?

Then God emphasized this warning by saying: {Indeed, he and his tribe see you from where you do not see them}. There are discussions regarding this:

The Mu'tazila say the reason humans do not see the Jinn is the thinness and subtlety of the Jinn's bodies. The reason the Jinn see humans is the density of human bodies. The reason some Jinn see others is that God strengthens and increases the rays of the Jinn's sight. If God increased the strength of our sight, we would see them as we see each other. If He made their bodies denser while our sight remained as it is, we would see them. Therefore, according to the Mu'tazila, whether humans can see the Jinn depends either on an increase in the density of the Jinn's bodies or an increase in the strength of human sight.

Some scholars said: If the Jinn were capable of changing their forms into any shape they wished, trust in people's knowledge would be lost. Perhaps this person I see and judge to be my son or wife is a Jinn who has taken the form of my son or wife. If this were the case, certainty in recognizing individuals would cease.

Furthermore, if they were capable of confusing people and removing their sanity, especially since God has clarified the intense enmity between them and humans, why would they not do this to the majority of mankind? And why not against scholars, the virtuous, and the ascetics, given that their enmity towards scholars and ascetics is greater and stronger? Since none of this occurs, it is established that they have no power over humans in any way.

This is confirmed by His saying: {I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me} (Ibrahim: 22). Mujahid said: Iblis said, "I was given four characteristics: we see but are not seen, we emerge from beneath the earth, and our old men return to youth."

Then God Almighty said: {Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe}. Our companions use this text as evidence that God is the one who gave the accursed devil dominion over them until he misled and misguided them. Al-Zajjaj said this is confirmed by His saying: {Did We not send the devils upon the disbelievers?} (Maryam: 83).

Al-Qadi said: The meaning of {We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe} is that We have ruled that the devil is an ally to the one who does not believe. And the meaning of {We sent the devils upon the disbelievers} is that We left them alone with them, just as one says about someone who ties a dog in his house and does not prevent it from pouncing on visitors: "He sent his dog upon him."

The Answer: When someone says, "So-and-so made this garment white or black," it is not understood that he merely ruled it so; rather, it is understood that he caused the blackness or whiteness to occur in it. Similarly, here, the word ja'ala (made) must be understood as causing an effect and bringing something into being, not merely as a ruling.

Furthermore, even if He ruled that, disobeying God's ruling would necessitate that the devil is a liar, which is impossible. That which leads to the impossible is impossible. Therefore, the servant's ability to act contrary to this must be impossible.

As for the saying that {We sent the devils upon the disbelievers} means We left them alone with the disbelievers, this is also weak. Do you not see that people in the marketplace harm and curse one another? If Zayd and 'Amr do not prevent some from attacking others, it is not said that "he sent some upon the others." Rather, the word irsal (sending) is only truly affirmed if the dominion of some over others is caused by him. Thus, it is here as well. And God knows best.

{And when they commit an indecency, they say, "We found our fathers doing so, and Allah has commanded us to do it." Say, "Indeed, Allah does not command indecency. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?"} (7)