15. The words that follow lend the sense that man was "created" at one go and that he did not emerge out of an evolutionary process, even if changes in individuals or species by mutation are not ruled out. We shall have more to write on this topic later, Allah willing. Yet, we might point out here that to many scientists appearance of man in his present form and shape is quite a mystery. The theory of evolution is far from satisfactory (Au.).

16. According to Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, Dahhak and Rabi` b. Anas, the act of creation refers to the creation of Adam and that of shaping and forming to his progeny in the wombs of their mothers (Ibn Jarir, Shawkani).

17. The prostration was that of honor and not of worship.

18. Iblis is the other name of Shaytan. See surah al Baqarah, note 36 for some more details.

19. The text can be understood in two ways. First, Iblis was one of those who did not prostrate themselves, that is, there were other creations too who did not prostrate themselves, perhaps because they were not required to. Second, (as Alusi has said) Iblis was never of those who prostrated themselves, neither on that occasion nor at any other time (Au.).

Ibn al `Arabiyy has said that not all angels prostrated themselves. Those in the higher level were not addressed by the command to prostrate and hence they were "of those who did not prostrate themselves." Imam Razi is also of the opinion that it is only the angels of the earth who prostrated themselves before Adam (Rashid Rida).

20. A hadith in Muslim says:

خُلِقَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ وَخُلِقَ الْجَانُّ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ وَخُلِقَ آدَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُمْ

"Allah created the angels from Light (nur), the Jinn from the flame of fire (marij), and Adam from what He described to you" (Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Sirin and Hasan have said that Shaytan was the first to employ analogy (to a false end). Hasan has added that the worship of the Sun and the Moon has nothing but false analogy behind it (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani). The above does not rule out analogy as a useful scientific or Fiqh tool. In science analogy is widely employed to test a hypothesis. In Fiqh matters, analogy is used to arrive at a workable solution, rather than to reject a command as Iblis did (Au.).

21. The textual word saghir implies someone who accepts his low nature or position (Alusi).

Alusi mentions the following ahadith: Bayhaqi has recorded a hadith narrated by `Umar ibn al Khattab. The Prophet said:

من تواضع لله في الدنيا رفعه الله يوم القيامة

"Whoever humbled himself for Allah, Allah will raise him in esteem; and whoever waxed proud shall be brought low."

But this seems to be the statement of Salman (al-Farsi) – Au.

Tirmidhi has recorded the Prophet (saws) as having said:

يُحشرُ المُتكَبِرون يَوم القِيامةِ أَمثالَ الذَّر فِي صُورة الرِّجال ، يَغشاهُم الذُّل مِن كُل مَكان ، يُساقُون إِلى سِجنِ مِن جَهنَّم يُسمَّى : بُوْلَس تَعلُوهُم نَار الأنْيَار ، ويُسقَون مِن عُصارَة أَهلِ النَّار ، طينةَ الخَبال

"People who acted arrogantly (during this life) would be resurrected in the size of ants, although in human form; humiliation covering them from all sides. They will be dragged into a prison inside Jahannum called ‘Bolus.' Fire of the fires will be rising over them, and they will be fed with the wastes of the people of the Fire called teenatu al-khabaal."

22. Mujahid has said that although Iblis asked for respite until the Day of Judgment, he was granted the respite but not until the Day of Judgment, rather until an appointed time as in verse (15: 38) which said:

إِلَى يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ [الحجر : 38]

"(Respite) Until the Day of the appointed time" (Ibn Jarir, Razi).

The words, ‘You are of those given respite" suggest that there are others who are given respite. Who are they? Ibn Jarir answers that those who will not die when the Trumpet is blown could be the ones alluded to.

Thanwi adds: That the supplication of Iblis was accepted proves that the positive response to a supplication is not the sign of Allah's Pleasure as the ignorant ones assume.

23. The interpretation that has come from Ibn `Abbas is that it was Allah who misguided him (Ibn Jarir). (Perhaps meaning, He allowed Iblis to take the path of error: Au.).

Another interpretation is that Iblis attributed his own error to Allah since it is Allah who in the first place created "error" (Alusi).

24. A hadith (in Ahmad narrated by Sabrah ibn al Fakih: Ibn Kathir) says he heard the Prophet say:

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَعَدَ لِابْنِ آدَمَ بِأَطْرُقِهِ فَقَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الْإِسْلَامِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَتُسْلِمُ وَتَذَرُ دِينَكَ وَدِينَ آبَائِكَ وَآبَاءِ أَبِيكَ قَالَ فَعَصَاهُ فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الْهِجْرَةِ فَقَالَ أَتُهَاجِرُ وَتَذَرُ أَرْضَكَ وَسَمَاءَكَ وَإِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْمُهَاجِرِ كَمَثَلِ الْفَرَسِ فِي الطِّوَلِ قَالَ فَعَصَاهُ فَهَاجَرَ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الْجِهَادِ فَقَالَ لَهُ هُوَ جَهْدُ النَّفْسِ وَالْمَالِ فَتُقَاتِلُ فَتُقْتَلُ فَتُنْكَحُ الْمَرْأَةُ وَيُقَسَّمُ الْمَالُ قَالَ فَعَصَاهُ فَجَاهَدَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُمْ فَمَاتَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ أَوْ قُتِلَ

"Shaytan sat in the path of Adam's son at various points. He sat by the path of Islam and said, ‘Will you embrace Islam and abandon your ancestral religion?' The man disobeyed him and embraced Islam. Then he sat by the path of hijrah saying, ‘Will you emigrate abandoning your land and your sky?' The man opposed him and emigrated. Then he sat by the path of jihad in person and with the wealth and said, ‘Will you fight to be killed, so that your wife marries another man and your wealth distributed?' The man did not give him an ear and participated in jihad. The Prophet added, "Whoever achieved this of them and died, or was killed, will have a right on Allah to admit him into Paradise” (Zamakhshari). The hadith here is Ibn Kathir's version.

25. Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah and others have said that the word "front" alludes to this world, the "rear" to the Hereafter, the "right" to good deeds and the "left" to evil deeds. Yet, he will not be able to come from above to veil a man from Allah's mercy (Ibn Jarir).

Most of the commentators however have said that the meaning simply is that Iblis promised that he would attack man from all sides. Thanwi has added that the verse neither denies his coming from above nor confirms it.

But see hadith under note 31 of this chapter which confirms the need for protection from above (Au.).

26. Abu Muslim has said that when Satan discovered Adam possessed of so many physical senses and powers pulling him down to the earth against a single power of intellect trying to raise him up toward the spiritual world, he made a fair guess that his kind would succumb to temptations (Razi).

The following ayah confirms the above note (34: 20):

وَلَقَدْ صَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِبْلِيسُ ظَنَّهُ فَاتَّبَعُوهُ إِلَّا فَرِيقًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ [سبأ : 20]

“Iblis’ conjecture came true so that most followed him, except for a group of believers” (Au.).

27. He has no power however over the people. All he can do is to provoke them. The decision to accept his bidding or not, lies with the people themselves. A verse says (15: 42):

إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ [الحجر : 42]

"Verily you have no power over My slaves, except for the misguided ones who follow you" (Rashid Rida).

28. This shows that revealing one's private parts is one of the most serious acts (Zamakhshari).

"[The abomination of the act] .. is an integral part of human nature" (Mawdudi).

29. Accordingly, some scholars have said that if someone tried to deceive us "in the name of God," we might be deceived at his hands (Ibn Jarir). That is to say that God is the weakness of the humans who are prone to be deceived in His name (Au.).

Zamakhshari adds: It is said that when `Abdullah ibn `Umar noticed piety in one of his slaves, he would free him. He was warned, ‘Your slaves feign piety and good behavior only to deceive you.' He replied, ‘If someone deceives in the name of Allah, we are ready to be deceived.'

30. The textual words "dalla" implies letting down a thing in slow steps, gradually. It implies that Iblis brought them to the point of his own obedience in a gradual manner, gaining their hearing little by little, and convincing them in steps (Rashid Rida).

31. Wahab b. Munabbih has said that earlier to the eating of the forbidden tree the two had a cover of light on their private parts and so neither of them could see the other's. When they ate of the tree, their private parts became visible to them (Ibn Jarir). The chain of narrators of this report is trustworthy (Ibn Kathir).

Majid remarks: "This completely negatives the Biblical version: ‘And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed' (Gi., 2: 25)."

According to a report preserved by Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban and Hakim, who declared it Sahih, the Prophet never missed to say these prayer words any morning or evening:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَأَهِلِّي وَمَالِي , اللَّهُمَّ اسْتُرْ عَوْرَاتِي وَآمِنْ رَوْعَاتِي , اللَّهُمَّ احْفَظْنِي مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيَّ وَمِنْ خَلْفِي وَعَنْ يَمِينِي وَعَنْ شِمَالِي وَمِنْ فَوْقِي , وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُغْتَالَ مِنْ تَحْتِي

"O Lord, I seek, Your pardon, and protection in my religion, my life, my household and in my property. O Lord, cover my shameful parts and give peace to my apprehensions. O Lord, protect me from my front, my rear, my right, my left and from above me. I seek Your protection that I should be taken away unaware from underneath."

Waki` explained that by "from underneath" he meant caving in of the earth (Ibn Kathir).

Mawdudi comments: "The very first stratagem adopted by Satan in his bid to lead man astray from the Right Path consisted in undermining man's sense of modesty, to direct him towards lewdness and make him sexually deviant. In other words, the sexual instincts of man were taken by Satan as the most vulnerable aspect of human nature. Accordingly, he sought to weaken man's natural instincts of modesty and bashfulness. This devilish stratagem is still followed by the disciples of Satan in our time. For them, progress is inconceivable without exposing woman to the gaze of all.."

32. `A'isha, the Prophet's wife, said:

ما رأيت منه ولا رأى مني

"Neither I saw of him nor he saw of me" (Zamakhshari).

The statement is Mursal (Munawi); and it is not a hadith, but a point of note from `A’isha (Au.).

33. The supplication was in the spirit of the awliya' who think big of their minor sins and treat major good deeds as worth nothing (Zamakhshari).

It is reported of some of the earliest scholars that it was Hawwa' who recommended to Adam the eating of the tree. There is no hadith to this effect. But, as Rashid Rida points out, there is a hadith Sahih which says: "If not for Hawwa' a woman would never deceive her husband."

That said, the above hadith has not been adequately explained by the scholars (Au.).

34. The order to leave Paradise and dwell on the earth was not by way of punishment, since Adam and Eve were already pardoned, but a consequence of the act of disobedience. It also became the means to achieve the purpose of man's creation. See also note 100 of surah al Baqarah (Au.).

35. Conjectures about what exact spot of the earth it was where Adam descended, with none being closer to truth than another have been wide and varied. Moreover, there is no religious profit in knowing such details (Ibn Kathir).