Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:116

{And [mention] when We said to the angels...}

{And [mention] when}: This is in the accusative case governed by an implied verb, meaning: "And remember the time when the enmity of Iblis occurred toward him [Adam], his whispering to him, his beautifying for him the eating from the tree, and his [Adam's] obedience to him after the sincere advice, eloquent exhortation, and warning against his deception had preceded him—so that it may become clear to you that he was not among those of determination and steadfastness."

If you ask: Iblis was a jinn, as evidenced by the Almighty’s saying: {He was of the jinn and departed from the command of his Lord} (Al-Kahf: 50). So, how did the command apply to him when it was specifically for the angels?

I say: He was in their company and worshipped Allah, the Exalted, just as they did. When they were commanded to prostrate to Adam and show humility toward him as an honor to him, the jinn who was with them was more deserving of showing humility. It is like when a person of high status enters a gathering and the elite and noble people stand for him; standing for him is even more incumbent upon one among them who is of lower rank than they are. If he does not stand, he is rebuked and told: "So-and-so and so-and-so have stood, so who are you to refrain from standing?"

If you ask: How is his exception from the angels valid when he is a jinn?

I say: It is based on the rule of taghlib (generalization/dominance) in applying the name "angels" to them and to him. Thus, the exception was phrased accordingly, just as you would say: "They went out, except for so-and-so [a woman]," when a woman is among men.

{Refused}: This is an independent sentence, as if it were an answer to someone who asked: "Why did he not prostrate?" The best approach is not to assume an object for it—such as "prostration," which is implied by the statement {so they prostrated}—but rather that its meaning is: "He manifested refusal, hesitated, and held back."

{Then We said, "O Adam, indeed this is an enemy to you and to your wife. So let him not remove you both from Paradise so that you would suffer."}