Transliteration:( Wa iz qulnaa lilmalaaa'i katis judoo liAadama fasajadooo illaaa Ibleesa abaa wastakbara wa kaana minal kaafireen )
"And (recall) when We ordered the angels to prostrate before Adam [66]. All of them prostrated, except Iblis. He refused and was arrogant and became one of the infidels. [67]"
The Sajdah (prostration) commanded to the angels was not the same as the Islamic legal prostration (Shar’i Sajdah), like the one performed in Salah.
This is because Shariah (religious law) is only conveyed through a Prophet, and at the time, no Shariah had yet been revealed to mankind. Angels are not bound by religious commandments in the way humans are.
Moreover, this was a one-time command, and no general obligation of Sajdah was ever placed on the angels.
Therefore, this act was a Sajdah of respect, not of worship, and was permissible before the formal announcement of Adam’s religion. This supports the understanding that:
Hadith cannot override the Qur’an,
But Qur’anic law can override Hadith, especially in matters that predate revealed religion.
This verse also teaches that knowledge is superior to worship, as Adam's knowledge was the reason for his elevation over the angels, who were constantly engaged in worship.
Even the sorcerers of Pharaoh recognized the truth of Prophet Musa عليه السلام based on their knowledge, showing that true knowledge leads to truth.
Iblis was once among the devoted worshippers and learned beings, yet he fell from grace due to arrogance and refusal to obey a divine command involving a Prophet.
This serves as a grave warning to all scholars and worshippers:
Anyone who disrespects or challenges a Prophet, especially the Holy Prophet ﷺ, brings about their own destruction.
The downfall of Iblis underscores that no amount of devotion or knowledge can compensate for disrespect toward Prophethood. The rank of Prophets is sacred and must be approached with utmost humility and reverence.
34. And (remember) when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before Adam.” And they prostrated except Iblis (Shaytan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allah).
This Ayah mentions the great honor that Allah granted Adam, and Allah reminded Adam’s offspring of this fact. Allah commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam, as this Ayah and many Hadiths testify, such as the Hadith about the intercession that we discussed. There is a Hadith about the supplication of Musa, “O my Lord! Show me Adam who caused us and himself to be thrown out of Paradise.” When Musa met Adam, he said to him, “Are you Adam whom Allah created with His Own Hands, blew life into and commanded the angels to prostrate before” Iblis was among Those ordered to prostrate before Adam, although He was not an Angel
When Allah commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam, Iblis was included in this command. Although Iblis was not an angel, he was trying – and pretending – to imitate the angels’ behavior and deeds, and this is why he was also included in the command to the angels to prostrate before Adam. Satan was criticized for defying that command, as we will explain with detail, Allah willing, when we mention the Tafsir of Allah’s statement,
(Except Iblis (Satan). He was one of the Jinn; he disobeyed the command of his Lord.) (18:50)
Similarly, Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn `Abbas said, “Before he undertook the path of sin, Iblis was with the angels and was called `Azazil.’ He was among the residents of the earth and was one of the most active worshippers and knowledgeable persons among the angels. This fact caused him to be arrogant. Iblis was from a genus called Jinn.”
Qatadah commented on Allah’s statement,
(And (remember) when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before Adam.”)
“The obedience was for Allah and the prostration was before Adam. Allah honored Adam and commanded the angels to prostrate before him.” Some people said that this prostration was just a prostration of greeting, peace and honor, hence Allah’s statement,
(And he (Prophet Yusuf) raised his parents to the throne and they fell down before him prostrate. And he said: “O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream aforetime! My Lord has made it come true!”) (12:100)
The practice of prostrating was allowed for previous nations, but was repealed for ours. Mu`adh said to the Prophet , “I visited Ash-Sham and found that they used to prostate before their priests and scholars. You, O Messenger of Allah, are more deserving of prostration.” The Prophet said,
(No. If I was to command any human to prostrate before another human, I would command the wife to prostrate before her husband because of the enormity of his right on her.)
Ar-Razi agreed with this view. Also, Qatadah said about Allah’s statement,
(And they prostrated except Iblis (Shaytan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allah).)
“Iblis, the enemy of Allah, envied Adam because Allah honored Adam. He said, `I was created from fire, and he was created from clay.’ Therefore, the first error ever committed was arrogance, for the enemy of Allah was too arrogant to prostrate before Adam.” I – Ibn Kathir – say, the following is recorded in the Sahih,
(No person who has the weight of a mustard seed of arrogance in his heart shall enter Paradise.)
Iblis had disbelief, arrogance, and rebellion, all of which caused him to be expelled from the holy presence of Allah, and His mercy.
(2:34) And when We ordered the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before Adam,” all of them fell prostrate,[45] except Iblis.[46] He refused, and gloried in his arrogance and became one of the defiers.[47]
45. This signifies that all the angels whose jurisdiction embraces the earth and that part of the universe in which the earth is situated were ordered to devote themselves to man’s service. Since man had been invested with authority on earth the angels were told that whenever man wanted to make use of the powers with which he had been invested by God, and which God of His own will had allowed him to use, they should co-operate with him and enable him to do whatever to do, irrespective of right and wrong.
This can be understood with reference to the manner in which government employees are required to work. When a sovereign appoints a governor or a magistrate, all government employees under his jurisdiction are duty not. But as soon as the sovereign indicates to those employees that the governor or magistrate should be barred from doing something, the effective authority of the governor or the magistrate comes to an abrupt end. In fact, were the sovereign to issue the order that the governor be dismissed or imprisoned, the same employees who until then had been moving to and fro at his bidding would not feel hesitant in putting hand on him and taking him to prison.
God’s order to the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam was of a similar nature. It is possible that prostration signifies the fact of their becoming yoked to man’s service. At the same time it is also possible that they, were ordered to perform the act of prostration itself as a sign of the envisaged relationship between angels and man. In my view the latter seems more plausible.
46. Iblis literally means ‘thoroughly disappointed; utterly in despair’. In Islamic terminology the word denotes the jinn who, in defiance of God’s command, refused to obey and to yoke himself to the service of Adam and his progeny and asked God to allow him a term when he might mislead and tempt mankind to evil and error. He is also called al-Shaytan (Satan)
In fact Satan (or Iblis) is not an abstract, impersonal force. Like human beings he is possessed of a specific personality. Moreover, one should not make the mistake of considering Satan an angel. Elsewhere the Qur’an itself clearly states that he was a jinn and jinn, as we know, are an independent species, distinct from the angels. See (Surah Al-Kahf, ayat 50)
47. These words seem to indicate that in committing disobedience Iblis was probably not alone. What seems to have been the case is that a section of the jinn was bent upon rebellion and the name of Iblis is mentioned only because he was their leader and the most noted among them for his rebellion. Another translation of this sentence could be: ‘? and he was of the defiers (kafirin)’. If this sense is correct, these words would signify that there was already a party of rebellious and recalcitrant jinn and that Iblis belonged to that party. In the Qur’an the word shayatin (satans) denotes these jinn and their offspring. Hence, whenever the context itself does not indicate that the term has been used for human beings who possess satanic attributes, the word ‘ Satans’ should be understood to signify these satanic jinn.
[21]- The proper name of Satan, who was not an angel but from the jinn, as stated in 18:50. Done in obedience to Allāh, this prostration was one of respect, not worship.
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