سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 50
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِۦٓ ۗ أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِى وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۢ ۚ بِئْسَ لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ بَدَلًا ﴿50﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves unto Adam." So they prostrated themselves except Iblîs (Satan). He was one of the jinn; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him (Iblîs) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for the Zâlimûn (polytheists, and wrong-doers).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قُلْنَا
qul'nā
We said
لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ
lil'malāikati
to the Angels
ٱسْجُدُوا۟
us'judū
Prostrate
لِـَٔادَمَ
liādama
to Adam
فَسَجَدُوٓا۟
fasajadū
so they prostrated
إِلَّآ
illā
except
إِبْلِيسَ
ib'līsa
Iblis
كَانَ
kāna
(He) was
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْجِنِّ
l-jini
the jinn
فَفَسَقَ
fafasaqa
and he rebelled
عَنْ
ʿan
against
أَمْرِ
amri
the Command
رَبِّهِۦٓ ۗ
rabbihi
(of) his Lord
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥ
afatattakhidhūnahu
Will you then take him
وَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓ
wadhurriyyatahu
and his offspring
أَوْلِيَآءَ
awliyāa
(as) protectors
مِن
min
other than Me
دُونِى
dūnī
other than Me
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they
لَكُمْ
lakum
(are) to you
عَدُوٌّۢ ۚ
ʿaduwwun
enemies
بِئْسَ
bi'sa
Wretched
لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
lilẓẓālimīna
for the wrongdoers
بَدَلًۭا
badalan
(is) the exchange
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
50. [46] And (remember) when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," so they all prostrated except Iblis. He was one of the jinn [47], so he disobeyed the command of his Lord. Will you then take him and his descendants as allies instead of Me, while they are your enemies? What a miserable exchange [49] for the wrongdoers!
[46]
The Precise Recording of Deeds:
It will not happen that the punishment for one’s crime is given to another, nor that someone’s crime is minor and yet he is punished, nor that someone is seized while being innocent—that is, no kind of injustice will be allowed there. Whatever the angels have recorded in the book of deeds, the recompense will be given exactly according to that.
[47]
The Command to the Angels to Prostrate, Iblis’s Refusal Even Though He Was Not an Angel:
He was not from the origin of the angels, because angels are by nature the obedient creation of Allah; they neither disobey Allah’s command nor can they do so. The choice to obey or not to obey Allah has only been given to jinn and humans. Therefore, the commands of guidance that Allah has revealed in His books, whether they pertain to commands or prohibitions, are only related to jinn and humans. Since Iblis belonged to the lineage of the jinn and had the choice to obey or not obey Allah’s command, he misused this choice and refused to accept Allah’s command. The reason for his refusal was his arrogance and pride, and he considered Adam to be inferior to himself, whereas the reality was exactly the opposite. This story has already been mentioned at several places before, and it is mentioned here because the chiefs of Quraysh had also adopted the way of arrogance and pride, and considered the helpless Muslims to be inferior to themselves, whereas here too the reality was exactly the opposite. Here the question arises that the command to prostrate was given to the angels, so how did the matter of Iblis come up? The answer is given in two ways: one is that Iblis, due to his abundance of worship, had entered the ranks of the angels. The second answer is that before the creation of Adam, only two intelligent creations had been created: one, the angels, and the other, the jinn. And the angels were, in any case, a superior creation to the jinn. Then, when the superior creation was commanded to prostrate to Sayyiduna Adamؑ, this command, by implication, was also for the inferior creation or the jinn.
[48]
Neither in belief nor verbally does anyone claim Satan as their friend, master, or guardian; rather, everyone sends curses upon him. But in practice, when a person chooses other paths contrary to the way shown by Allah and disobeys His command, then this is, in practice, following Satan, because it was he who adopted the way of disobedience and rebellion.
[49]
Here, the wrongdoers refer to those who are obedient to Satan or Iblis and his followers and henchmen, and this phrase can have two meanings. One is that a person should have obeyed his Lord, but these wrongdoers, instead, adopted the way of following their eternal enemy. The second meaning is that these wrongdoers are going to receive a very evil recompense.
[46]
The Precise Recording of Deeds:
It will not happen that the punishment for one’s crime is given to another, nor that someone’s crime is minor and yet he is punished, nor that someone is seized while being innocent—that is, no kind of injustice will be allowed there. Whatever the angels have recorded in the book of deeds, the recompense will be given exactly according to that.
[47]
The Command to the Angels to Prostrate, Iblis’s Refusal Even Though He Was Not an Angel:
He was not from the origin of the angels, because angels are by nature the obedient creation of Allah; they neither disobey Allah’s command nor can they do so. The choice to obey or not to obey Allah has only been given to jinn and humans. Therefore, the commands of guidance that Allah has revealed in His books, whether they pertain to commands or prohibitions, are only related to jinn and humans. Since Iblis belonged to the lineage of the jinn and had the choice to obey or not obey Allah’s command, he misused this choice and refused to accept Allah’s command. The reason for his refusal was his arrogance and pride, and he considered Adam to be inferior to himself, whereas the reality was exactly the opposite. This story has already been mentioned at several places before, and it is mentioned here because the chiefs of Quraysh had also adopted the way of arrogance and pride, and considered the helpless Muslims to be inferior to themselves, whereas here too the reality was exactly the opposite. Here the question arises that the command to prostrate was given to the angels, so how did the matter of Iblis come up? The answer is given in two ways: one is that Iblis, due to his abundance of worship, had entered the ranks of the angels. The second answer is that before the creation of Adam, only two intelligent creations had been created: one, the angels, and the other, the jinn. And the angels were, in any case, a superior creation to the jinn. Then, when the superior creation was commanded to prostrate to Sayyiduna Adamؑ, this command, by implication, was also for the inferior creation or the jinn.
[48]
Neither in belief nor verbally does anyone claim Satan as their friend, master, or guardian; rather, everyone sends curses upon him. But in practice, when a person chooses other paths contrary to the way shown by Allah and disobeys His command, then this is, in practice, following Satan, because it was he who adopted the way of disobedience and rebellion.
[49]
Here, the wrongdoers refer to those who are obedient to Satan or Iblis and his followers and henchmen, and this phrase can have two meanings. One is that a person should have obeyed his Lord, but these wrongdoers, instead, adopted the way of following their eternal enemy. The second meaning is that these wrongdoers are going to receive a very evil recompense.
