The Rock, Stoneland, Rock City — Verse 28
15:28 · al-Hijr
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وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰۤىِٕكَةِ إِنِّی خَـٰلِقُۢ بَشَرࣰا مِّن صَلۡصَـٰلࣲ مِّنۡ حَمَإࣲ مَّسۡنُونࣲ ٢٨
wa-idh qāla rabbuka lil'malāikati innī khāliqun basharan min ṣalṣālin min ḥama-in masnūni
The Rock, Stoneland, Rock City / al-Hijr (15:28)
Connections 2 single-source 1 commentator
Multi-source connections
No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.
Single-source mentions (2) cited by only one commentator
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 2 verses
Note: these connections are extracted from numeric S:A references inside the commentary text and are therefore biased toward mufassirun who use that notation. Prose-style references (e.g. "Surat al-Baqarah verse 30") will be added later, which should surface additional multi-source consensus.
Your Lord said to the angels, ‘I will create a mortal out of dried clay, formed from dark mud
wa-idh qāla rabbuka lil'malāikati innī khāliqun basharan min ṣalṣālin min ḥama-in masnūni
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Tafsir Commentary
The creation of Adam, the Command to the Angels to prostrate to Him, and the Rebellion of Iblis
Allah informs us of how He mentioned Adam to His angels before He created him, and how He honored him by commanding the angels to prostrate to him. He mentions how His enemy Iblis, amidst all the angels, refused to prostrate to him out of envy, disbelief, stubbornness, arrogance, and false pride. This is why Iblis said:
لَمْ أَكُن لاًّسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُ مِن صَلْصَـلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ
(I am not one to prostrate myself to a human, whom You created from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.) this is like when he said,
أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
(I am better than him (Adam), You created me from Fire and him You created from clay.)(7:12) and
أَرَءَيْتَكَ هَـذَا الَّذِى كَرَّمْتَ عَلَىَّ
("Do you see this one whom You have honored above me...") 17:62
And mention when your Lord said to the angels ‘Indeed I am going to create a mortal out of a dry clay drawn from a malleable mud.
واذكر -أيها النبي- حين قال ربك للملائكة: إني خالق إنسانًا من طين يابس، وهذا الطين اليابس من طين أسود متغيِّر اللون.
يذكر تعالى تنويهه بذكر آدم في ملائكته قبل خلقه له وتشريفه إياه بأمر الملائكة بالسجود له ويذكر تخلف إبليس عدوه عن السجود له من بين سائر الملائكة حسدا وكفرا وعنادا واستكبارا وافتخارا بالباطل ولهذا قال " لم أكن لأسجد لبشر خلقته من صلصال من حمإ مسنون " كقوله " أنا خير منه خلقتني من نار وخلقته من طين " وقوله " أرأيتك هذا الذي كرمت علي " الآية.
ثم حكى - سبحانه - ما أمر به ملائكته عندما توجهت إرادته - سبحانه - لخلق آدم ، فقال - تعالى - : ( وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلآئِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَراً مِّن صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي فَقَعُواْ لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ ) .أى : واذكر - أيها العاقل - وقت أن قال ربك - سبحانه - للملائكة - الذين لا يعصون الله ما أمرهم ويفعلون ما يؤمرون - ( إنى خالق ) بقدرتى ( بشرا ) أى : إنسانا ، وعبر عنه بذلك اعتبارا بظهور بشرته وهى ظاهر الجلد ( مِّن صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ ) .
يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: ( و ) اذكر يا محمد ( إِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُون فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ ).
قوله تعالى : ( وإذ قال ربك للملائكة إني خالق بشرا ) أي : سأخلق بشرا ( من صلصال من حمإ مسنون ) .
عطف قصة على قصة .و { إذ } مفعول لفعل ( اذكر ) محذوف . وقد تقدم الكلام في نظائره في سورة البقرة وفي سورة الأعراف .والبشر مرادف الإنسان ، أي أنّي خالق إنساناً . وقد فهم الملائكة الحقيقة بما ألقَى الله فيهم من العلم ، أو أن الله وصف لهم حقيقة الإنسان بالمعنى الذي عبّر عنه في القرآن بالعبارة الجامعة لذلك المعنى .وإنما ذُكر للملائكة المادة التي منها خلق البشر ليعلموا أن شرف الموجودات بمزاياها لا بمادة تركيبها كما أومأ إلى ذلك قوله : { فإذا سوّيته ونفخت فيه من روحي فقعوا له ساجدين }.
تفسير الآيتين 28 و 29 :ـ فلما أراد الله خلق آدم قال للملائكة: { إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ } جسدا تاما { وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ } فامتثلوا أمر ربهم.
وإذ قال ربك للملائكة إني خالق بشرا من صلصال من حمإ مسنون[ ص: 23 ] قوله تعالى : وإذ قال ربك للملائكة تقدم في البقرة . إني خالق بشرا من صلصال من طين
Satan’s ostensible reason for not prostrating himself was that a human being was lower in status than he. But, in fact, the real reason was Satan’s own inferiority complex. He resented it that all creatures were not made to honour him by prostrating themselves before him, as they did before Adam, considering that he had been created before Adam, a human being, whom he considered inferior to himself. He could not agree to pay homage to an undeserving being. It is this type of pride and envy which are collectively at the root of all evils. In the present world such circumstances confront man again and again. One who does not become envious on such occasions has, in effect, followed the example of the angels and one who becomes a victim of envy has, in effect, followed Satan.
Going Ahead and Remaining Behind in Righteous Deeds: The Difference in Degrees
Some exegetic interpretations of the words: (al-mustaqdimin) : 'those who go ahead' and: (al-musta'khirin) : 'those who remain behind' appearing in verse 24: الْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ ~.A11 have been variously reported from Tafsir authorities among the Sahabah ؓ and Tabi` in. These are:
1. 'Al-Mustaqdimin' are those born to date, and 'Al-Musta'khirin' are those not born yet [ Qatadah and ` Ikrimah ].
2. 'Al-Mustaqdimin' means the dead, and 'Al-Musta'khirin' means those alive till now [ Ibn ` Abbas and Dahhak ]
3. 'Al-Mustaqdimin' signifies good people who came before the appearance of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and 'Al-Mustakhirin' refers to his Ummah itself [ Mujahid ].
4. 'Al-Mustaqdimin' denotes people who obey Allah and do good deeds while 'Al-Musta'khirin' refers to people who disobey Him and neglect what is good [ Hasan and Qatadah ]
5. 'Al-Mustaqdimin' are people who remain ahead in the rows of Sal, or in the front lines of Jihad, and in other righteous deeds - and 'Al-Musta'khirin' are those who remain behind in these deeds of merit, stay in the rear rows and are used to being late [ which is the Tafsir given by leading authorities Hasan al-Basri, Said ibn al-Musaiyyab, al-Qurtubi, al-Sha` bi and others ]
It is obvious that there is no distinct conflict or contradiction in these sayings, in the real sense. They can be accommodated all in one because the all-encompassing knowledge of Allah Ta` ala covers all kinds of people 'who go ahead' or 'remain behind.'
In his Tafsir, Al-Qurtubi has said that this verse indicates the merit of performing Salah in the first row, and soon after the time it becomes due. This is in accordance with the Hadith where the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: If people were to find out the enormous merit of calling the Adhan and standing in the first row of Salah, everyone would have started making the effort to necessarily stand in the first row, and when there would remain no space for everybody to stand there, lots would have to be drawn.
With this, Al-Qurtubi has also reported the saying of Sayyidn Ka'b ؓ : 'There are some people in this Ummah who, when they put their forehead on the ground for their Sajdah, forgiveness is granted to all those who are praying behind them.' Therefore, Sayyidna Ka'b liked to be in the last row in the hope that 'perhaps, there may be in the front rows, some servant of Allah of the class, because of whose barakah (blissful presence), I may be forgiven.'
What is apparent here is that real merit does lie in praying in the first row - as stands proved from the clear statements of the Qur'an and Sunnah. But, a person who does not, for some reason, find a place in the first row, then, he too will have a sort of merit in that there may perhaps be some righteous servant of Allah praying in the front rows for whose sake, he too may be forgiven. And the way praying in the first row of Salah stands proved from this verse, also proved is the superiority of being in the front lines of Jihad.
(And (remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels) who were on the earth, there were 10,000 of them: (Lo! I am creating a mortal out of potter's clay of black mud altered) of stinking mud.