Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:61

"And when We said to the angels..."

{طينًا} (clay): This is a circumstantial qualifier (ḥāl), either from the relative pronoun (al-mawṣūl—i.e., "the one who"), with the operative verb being "prostrate," meaning: "Shall I prostrate to one who is clay?"—that is, his origin is clay. Or, it is from the pronoun referring back to him from the relative clause, meaning: "Shall I prostrate to one who, at the time of his creation, was clay?"

{أرأيتك} (Tell me): The kāf is for address, and hādhā (this) is the direct object. The meaning is: "Tell me about this one whom You have honored over me—why have You honored him over me when I am better than him?" He abbreviated the speech by omitting that, then began by saying:

{لئن أخرتني} (If You respite me): The lām is a preparatory particle for an omitted oath.

{لأحتنكن ذريته} (I will surely uproot his descendants): I will surely eradicate them through misguidance. It is derived from iḥtanaka al-jarād al-arḍ (the locusts consumed the land), meaning it stripped everything upon it by eating. It comes from al-ḥanak (the jaw/palate). From this is what Sībawayh mentioned: aḥnaku al-shātayn (I ate the two sheep).

If you ask: How did he know this would be easy for him, given it is of the Unseen? I say: Either he heard it from the angels after God informed them, or he deduced it from their saying, "Will You place therein one who causes corruption therein?", or he looked at him and perceived in his features that he was a creature of desire. It is also said he said this after his whispering had affected Adam, though the apparent meaning is that he said it before Adam ate from the tree.

{اذهب} (Go): This is not the "going" that is the opposite of "coming." Rather, its meaning is: "Proceed with your affair which you have chosen," as an act of abandonment and leaving him to his own devices. He followed this by mentioning what his evil choice brought upon him in His saying: {فمن تبعك منهم فإن جهنم جزاؤكم} (Whoever follows you among them, then Hell is your recompense), just as Moses (peace be upon him) said to the Samiri: "Go, then indeed for you in this life is to say, 'No contact'" (Ta-Ha: 97).

If you ask: Was it not more appropriate for the pronoun in "recompense" to be in the third person to refer back to "whoever follows you"? I say: Yes, but the estimation is: "Hell is their recompense and your recompense." Then the addressee was given precedence over the third person, so it was said: jazā’ukum (your recompense). It is also possible that it refers to the followers by way of iltifāt (shift in address).

{جزاءً موفورًا} (An ample recompense): It is in the accusative case due to the meaning of "you will be recompensed" (tujzawna) contained within fa-inna jahannama jazā’ukum, or by an implied tujzawna. Or it is a circumstantial qualifier, because the "recompense" is described as mawfür (ample/full). Mawfür means muwaffar (complete). It is said: farra li-ṣāḥibika ‘irḍahu farratan (preserve your companion's honor).

{واستفزز} (Assault/Startle): Meaning: istakhiff (incite/lighten them). Al-fazz is the light/agile one.

{وأجلب} (And incite/rally): From al-jalaba, which is shouting.

{بخيلك ورجلك} (With your cavalry and infantry): Al-khayl refers to the cavalry. From this is the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ): "O cavalry of God, mount!" Al-rajil is a collective noun for the infantry (al-rāji). Its equivalent is al-rakb (riders) and al-ṣaḥb (companions). It is recited as wa-rajlika, where fa‘l is in the meaning of fā‘il (active participle), like ta‘ab (fatigue) and tā‘ib (fatigued). Its meaning is: "your infantry gathering." The jīm can also be damma-voweled, making it like ḥadath and ḥuduth, nadis and nudus, and their peers. It is said: rajul and rajil. It is also recited as wa-rijālika.

If you ask: What is the meaning of Iblis startling them with his voice and rallying his cavalry and infantry against them? I say: This is speech used in the manner of a parable. His state in dominating those he misguides is likened to a raider who attacks a people, shouting at them in a way that startles them from their places and unsettles them from their positions, and rallies his troops of cavalry and infantry against them until he eradicates them. It is said: "his voice" means his call to evil. "His cavalry and infantry" refers to every rider and walker among the people of corruption. It is also said: It is possible that Iblis actually has cavalry and infantry.

As for the participation in wealth and children, every sin he drives them to falls under this category: usury, forbidden earnings, the baḥīra and sā’iba (superstitious offerings), spending on immorality, extravagance, withholding zakat, seeking children through forbidden means, claiming a child without cause, naming [children] "Servant of Uzza" or "Servant of Harith," Judaizing and Christianizing, driving them to base crafts and forbidden deeds, and so on.

{وعدهم} (He promises them): False promises, such as the intercession of idols, nobility before God through honorable lineages, delaying repentance and the forgiveness of sins without it, relying on mercy, the intercession of the Messenger for major sins, exiting the Fire after becoming ashes, and preferring the immediate over the deferred.

{إن عبادي} (Indeed, My servants): He means the righteous. {ليس لك عليهم سلطان} (You have no authority over them), meaning you are unable to misguide them. {وكفى بربك وكيلا} (And sufficient is your Lord as a Trustee) for them; they rely on Him in seeking refuge from you. Similar to this is His saying: "Except for My servants among them who are sincere."

If you ask: How is it permissible for God to command Iblis to dominate His servants, misguiding and leading them astray, calling to evil and blocking from good? I say: This is among the commands issued by way of abandonment and leaving one to their own devices, just as He said to the disobedient: "Do whatever you wish."