The Rock, Stoneland, Rock City — Verse 33
15:33 · al-Hijr
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قَالَ لَمۡ أَكُن لِّأَسۡجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقۡتَهُۥ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلࣲ مِّنۡ حَمَإࣲ مَّسۡنُونࣲ ٣٣
qāla lam akun li-asjuda libasharin khalaqtahu min ṣalṣālin min ḥama-in masnūni
The Rock, Stoneland, Rock City / al-Hijr (15:33)
Connections 1 multi-source 1 single-source 2 commentators
Multi-source connections cited by 2+ commentators
Single-source mention (1) 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
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Ma'arif-ul-Quran 1 verse
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.
and he answered, ‘I will not bow to a mortal You created from dried clay, formed from dark mud.’
qāla lam akun li-asjuda libasharin khalaqtahu 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
Said he ‘I was not about to prostrate myself I should not prostrate myself before a mortal whom You have created out of a dry clay drawn from malleable mud’.
قال إبليس مظهرًا كبره وحسده: لا يليق بي أن أسجد لإنسان أَوجدْتَهُ من طين يابس كان طينًا أسود متغيرًا.
وقد روى ابن جرير ههنا أثرا غريبا عجيبا من حديث شبيب بن بشر عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس قال لما خلق الله الملائكة قال " إنى خالق بشرا من طين فإذا سويته ونفخت فيه من روحي فقعوا له ساجدين " قالوا لا نفعل فأرسل عليهم نارا فأحرقتهم; ثم خلق ملائكة أخرى فقال لهم مثل ذلك فقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا إلا إبليس كان من الكافرين الأولين وفي ثبوت هذا عنه بعد والظاهر أنه إسرائيلي والله أعلم.
فكان رد إبليس : ما كان ليليق بشأنى ومنزلتى أن أسجد مع الساجدين لبشر خلقته - أيها الخالق العظيم - من صلصال من حمأ مسنون .ومقصود إبليس بهذا الرد إثبات أنه خير من آدم .كما حكى عنه - سبحانه - ذلك فى قوله - تعالى - ( قَالَ أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ ) وهذا الرد منه يدل على عصيانه لأمر ربه ، وعدم الرضا بحكمه ، وسوء أدبه مع خالقه - سبحانه - .قال الآلوسى : وقد أخطأ اللعين حيث ظن أن الفضل كله باعتبار المادة ، وما درى أنه يكون باعتبار الفاعل ، وباعتبار الصورة ، وباعتبار الغاية ، بل إن ملاك الفضل والكمال هو التخلى عن الملكات الردية ، والتحلى بالمعارف الربانية .فشمال والكأس فيها يمين ... ويمين لا كأس فيها شمال
يقول تعالى ذكره ( قَالَ ) إبليس: ( لَمْ أَكُنْ لأَسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ ) وهو من طين وأنا من نار، والنار تأكل الطين.
( قال لم أكن لأسجد لبشر خلقته من صلصال من حمإ مسنون ) أراد : أنا [ أفضل ] منه لأنه طيني ، وأنا ناري ، والنار تأكل الطين .
وقوله : { لم أكن لأسجد } جُحود . وقد تقدم أنه أشد في النفي من ( لا أسجد ) في قوله تعالى : { ما يكون لي أن أقول } في آخر العقود [ المائدة : 116 ].وقوله : { لبشر خلقته من صلصال من حمإ مسنون } تأييد لإبايَته من السجود بأن المخلوق من ذلك الطين حقِير ذميم لا يستأهل السجود . وهذا ضلال نشأ عن تحكيم الأوهام بإعطاء الشيء حكم وقعه في الحاسة الوهمية دون وقعه في الحاسة العقلية ، وإعطاء حكم ما منه التكوين للشيء الكائن . فشتّان بين ذكر ذلك في قوله تعالى للملائكة : { إني خالق بشراً من صلصال من حمإ مسنون } وبين مقصد الشيطان من حكاية ذلك في تعليل امتناعه من السجود للمخلوق منه بإعادة الله الألفاظ التي وصف بها الملائكة . وزاد فقال ما حكي عنه في سورة ص ( 76 ) إذ قال : { أنا خير منه خلقتني من نار وخلقته من طين } ولم يحك عنه هنا .
تفسير ألايتين 32 و 33 :ـ قال الله: { يَا إِبْلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلَّا تَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ قَالَ لَمْ أَكُنْ لِأَسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ } فاستكبر على أمر الله وأبدى العداوة لآدم وذريته وأعجب بعنصره، وقال: أنا خير من آدم.
قال لم أكن لأسجد لبشر خلقته من صلصال من حمإ مسنونبين تكبره وحسده , وأنه خير منه , إذ هو من نار والنار تأكل الطين ; كما تقدم في " الأعراف " بيانه .
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.
The Command to Prostrate was Given to Angels - Iblis was to Follow Suit
Addressing Iblis in Surah Al-A` raf, it was said: مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ (What stopped you from prostrating when I ordered you? - 7:12). This shows that the command to prostrate was given, along with the angels, to Iblis as well. However, the verses you have gone through a little earlier apparently give the sense that the command was particular to the an-gels. This could mean that the command was originally given to the angels but, as Iblis too was present among the angels, therefore, he too was covered by this command as a corollary - because, when the command went forth for the most august creation of Allah Ta’ ala, that is, the an-gels, that they pay their homage to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) ، it was obvious that any other creation was bound to follow suit under this command. It was for this reason that Iblis did not respond by saying that he was never asked to prostrate to begin with, so he could not be charged with the crime of non-compliance of the order. Perhaps, the words of the Qur’ an here: ' أَبَىٰ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ ' (He refused to be among those who prostrated - 30) may contain a hint in that direction. Rather than say: أَبَىٰ أَن یَّسجُدَ 1 that is, 'he refused to prostrate', what was actually said was: ' أَبَىٰ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ ' he refused to be among those who prostrated. This indicates that the main prostraters were after all the angels but Iblis too, being present with them, was reason-bound to join the prostrating an-gels. So, the Divine wrath was against his failure to join.
(He said: Why should I prostrate myself unto a mortal whom Thou hast created out of potter's clay of black mud altered?) he said: it is not becoming of me to prostrate to clay.