سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 34
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ﴿34﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam.". And they prostrated except Iblîs (Satan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allâh).
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
أَبَىٰ
abā
He refused
وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ
wa-is'takbara
and was arrogant
وَكَانَ
wakāna
and became
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
l-kāfirīna
the disbelievers
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.
34. And (remember) when We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam [46]." So they all prostrated except Iblis; he refused, acted arrogantly, and became one of the disbelievers [47].
[46]
Prostration of Reverence:
When the angels acknowledged the superiority of Adam ؑ, they were commanded to prostrate to him. Regarding this prostration, scholars have two opinions. One is that since this prostration was by Allah’s command, it was not actually to Adam ؑ but was equivalent to prostrating to Allah Himself and was in compliance with His command. The second is that this was a prostration of reverence, which was permissible before our Shariah. Just as the brothers of Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ also prostrated to him. Both these interpretations are correct. However, in the Shariah of Muhammad ﷺ, there is no allowance for prostration of reverence.
[47]
The Reason for Iblis’s Rivalry:
Iblis was actually from the species of jinn [18: 50] and, due to his abundance of worship, used to mingle among the angels. When, because of mischief and corruption, the angels drove the jinn towards the seas, at that time too he was included among the angels, and since jinn are also a responsible creation and possess the power of choice and will, after the jinn, Iblis himself was hoping for the vicegerency of the earth. Then, when Allah Almighty made Adam ؑ the vicegerent, he burned with jealousy inside, and when the angels were commanded to prostrate, his inner envy and malice surged, and he refused to prostrate and became arrogant, and openly began to express his superiority over Adam [7: 12]. Because of this, he was cast out from the court of Allah and declared a disbeliever. Thus, his crime was not only that he did not prostrate, but even more so that, due to arrogance, he began to declare his own superiority in opposition to the command of Allah.
[46]
Prostration of Reverence:
When the angels acknowledged the superiority of Adam ؑ, they were commanded to prostrate to him. Regarding this prostration, scholars have two opinions. One is that since this prostration was by Allah’s command, it was not actually to Adam ؑ but was equivalent to prostrating to Allah Himself and was in compliance with His command. The second is that this was a prostration of reverence, which was permissible before our Shariah. Just as the brothers of Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ also prostrated to him. Both these interpretations are correct. However, in the Shariah of Muhammad ﷺ, there is no allowance for prostration of reverence.
[47]
The Reason for Iblis’s Rivalry:
Iblis was actually from the species of jinn [18: 50] and, due to his abundance of worship, used to mingle among the angels. When, because of mischief and corruption, the angels drove the jinn towards the seas, at that time too he was included among the angels, and since jinn are also a responsible creation and possess the power of choice and will, after the jinn, Iblis himself was hoping for the vicegerency of the earth. Then, when Allah Almighty made Adam ؑ the vicegerent, he burned with jealousy inside, and when the angels were commanded to prostrate, his inner envy and malice surged, and he refused to prostrate and became arrogant, and openly began to express his superiority over Adam [7: 12]. Because of this, he was cast out from the court of Allah and declared a disbeliever. Thus, his crime was not only that he did not prostrate, but even more so that, due to arrogance, he began to declare his own superiority in opposition to the command of Allah.
