• Man’s creation

• Angels ordered to prostrate in obeisance to Man

• Satan’s arrogance

• Satan driven away accursed

• Satan respited until the Day of Judgment

• Satan’s enmity to Man

• Satan denied authority over the chosen devotees of God in Adam’s seed

Al-Hijr (The Rock) Verses 26 – 44

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ

And indeed We created man of clay that giveth sound, of black mud moulded into shape. (15:26)

وَالْجَانَّ خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ مِنْ نَارِ السَّمُومِ

And the jinn We created before of intense hot (smokeless ) fire. (15:27)1

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ

And remember when thy Lord said unto the angels: “Verily I create man2of the essence of black mud fashioned into shape. (15:28)3

فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ

So when I complete him and breathe into him My spirit, fall ye down unto him prostrating (in obeisance). (15:29)4

فَسَجَدَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ

So prostrated (in obeisance) (unto him) the angels all of them. (15:30)

إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ

Except ’Iblis; Refused he to be with those who prostrated in obeisance. (15:31)

قَالَ يَا إِبْلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلَّا تَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ

Said He5O’ Iblees! “What hindereth thee that thou art not with those who prostrate in obeisance?” (15:32)

قَالَ لَمْ أَكُنْ لِأَسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ

He said: “I am not one to prostrate in obeisance unto man6(for) Thou created him of the essence of black mud fashioned in shape.” (15:33)

قَالَ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌ

Said He:7“Then get thou out of it, for verily thou art the driven away accursed,” (15:34)

وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ اللَّعْنَةَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

“And verily on thee is (My) curse until the Judgment Day.” (15:35)

قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنْظِرْنِي إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

He8said: “My Lord! Respite me till the day when they are raised.” (15:36)

قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنْظَرِينَ

Said He: “Then verily thou art of the respited ones,” (15:37)

إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ

“Till the day9of the time made known.” (15:38)10

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

He said: “My Lord! because Thou hast left me to stray, certainly will I 11adorn unto them the path of error, and certainly will I cause them all to go astray,” (15:39)12

إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

“Save Thy (devoted) servants, of them the freed ones.” (15:40)13

قَالَ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ عَلَيَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ

Said He14: “This is a right way unto 15Me” (15:41)

إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ

“Verily, (as regards) My (devoted) servants, There is not for thee over them any16authority except the one who followeth thee, of the 17deviators” (15:42)18

وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوْعِدُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

“And verily Hell is certainly the promised abode for them all,” (15:43)

لَهَا سَبْعَةُ أَبْوَابٍ لِكُلِّ بَابٍ مِنْهُمْ جُزْءٌ مَقْسُومٌ

“For it (the Hell) are seven gates; for each of those (gates) shall be a separate party (of the sinners) assigned.” (15:44)

Commentary

Verse 33

The argument of ‘Iblis’ or Satan was that Adam was created of clay and clay is the basest of the elements, (i.e., an earthly being), and he (Iblis) was created of fire which is a superior and subtler element; how could a superior being adore an inferior one. The fact is Iblis could have only the external view of the physical existence of Adam and did not consider the superior-most and of the unique excellence endowed in him (i.e., of the Sublime Spirit, even that of God’s own).

The Sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammed al-Sadiq says that the word ‘Roohi’, i.e., spirit, is derived from ‘Ruh’, i.e., air. The likeness of the spirit in the body of a faithful one is like a valuable jewel in a box and when the jewel is removed from the box the box loses all its value and worth. And spirit is not mixed with the matter of the body but envelops it.

Verse 34

When Iblis refused to do obeisance to Adam he was dismissed and made an accursed outcast from the Lord’s Mercy and Grace. ‘Rajeem’ is the one driven away.

Verse 37

It is said that Iblis has been granted respite until the blowing of the Trumpet which will be given for the total annihilation of all living beings before the Final Judgment. He will meet death between the first and the second blow of the Trumpet.

Verse 40

‘Mukhlus’, i.e., the purified ones freed. To know who the purified ones are see verse 33:33. It is clearly indicated that even Iblis being hopeless of his success against beguiling any one of the holy Ahl al-Bayt, he himself very gracefully puts an exception in his challenge to beguile the issues of Adam on earth. It is quite obvious that though these purified ones (i.e., the Mukhlasin) were sent into this world through the progeny of Adam, they were beings with special excellence of quality and matter, quite different from the children of Adam which under no circumstances could have been imagined even by the Arch-Deceiver Iblis, to be ever subject to any temptation at all.

Any intelligent reader can easily judge how foolish and blunderful would it be to compare such divinely purified ones with those who were the easiest victims even to the most elementary temptation of the Satanic forces. The ‘Mukhlasin’ were the holy apostles and the holy Imams who were free from every kind of sin, pollution or shortcoming of any kind whatsoever, from the beginning of their life to its end in this world; and who were nothing but the perfect models and the ideal examples of godliness and who manifested nothing but the divine attributes of the Lord for the guidance of the human race through their godly life on earth.

A duly purified soul is that which does not contain any strain of evil and which has conquered every devilish urge and which is free from every kind of evil influence. When such a condition is established, Satan would naturally acknowledge their being beyond the bounds of his powers and would not unnecessarily attempt to tempt such souls and fail. It is this factor in the ‘Mukhlasin’ that made Satan himself declare that he would not beguile them for it would be futile and he would be putting himself to shame by quoting a result which he knew would be nothing but failure.19

When a soul achieves such an excellence it becomes incumbent upon God also to grant the protection of His mercy and grace as His appreciation of the goodness in the individual.

Verse 41

The word ‘Aliyya’ used here is a subject of serious consideration. It is a question created by the various ‘Qurra’ of the earliest reciters of the Holy Qur’an, whether this word is ‘Aliyan’ or ‘Aliyun’ or ‘ilayya’. Some have taken it as ‘Aliyya’ and interpret the verse as ‘my path which, is high’. Those who contest this view-point say that a way could rightly be praised if it is straight for the quality, praiseworthy in a way, is always its being straight or direct and not high or low as the height of the road is in the first place an improper expression; secondly a way being high or low ceases to be levelled, and a straight road is naturally easy to walk for which it should also be levelled or otherwise it would be an uphill task.

A commentator has translated the word ‘Aliyyun’ as ‘with me’ but it literally means ‘On me’ or ‘High.’

Some have taken it as ‘ilayya’ meaning ‘Towards Me’.20

MF takes it as ‘Aliyyun’ relating to the proper noun Ali, meaning, ‘This path of Ali is the straight path.’ This interpretation has the support of the frequent expositions on the part of the Holy Prophet about the unique excellence of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, about whom it has been universally acknowledged on all hands among the Muslims that the Holy Prophet had said that “I (i.e., the Holy Prophet) and Ali, both are of one and the same Light.”

Verse 42

This declaration fully justifies the attitude which should naturally be towards the purified ones for evil could never have any authority or hold upon them. This position of the Devil is borne out by his own statement in verse 14:22.

Verse 44

The Seven Doors have been mentioned with seven different names of the Seven Stages of Hell, which stages according to the statement of the First Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, are one over the other - The Seven Doors or the stages of Hell are:

1. Jahunnam i.e., the hell.

2. Sa’yur i.e., the burning fire.

3. Saqar i.e., the scorching fire.

4. Jahim i.e., the fierce fire.

5. Luza i.e., the flaming fire.21

6. Hatamah i.e., the crushing disaster.22

7. Huwiyah i.e., the abyss.23

The last stage containing the most intense sufferings would be of the hypocrites for it is said in the Holy Qur’an:

‘Verily the hypocrites shall be in the lowest of the low ones of Hell’ (4:145).24

Once a woman hearing about the Seven Doors of Hell got so much mindful of the wrath of God, she fell unconscious and on her returning to consciousness she said that she had seven slaves and she liberated all the seven of them to get herself safe from every one of the various stages or the doors of Hell.

The number of gates is said to correspond to the five external senses plus the faculty of feeling. Man may be led to Hell through the misuse of any one or more of these doors, for Paradise is said to be eight doors - the one addition to these seven doors is reasoning (the intellectual faculty of reasoning). The evil doers never use reasoning. (A.P.).

• 1. Refer to verse 7:12.
• 2. A mortal.
• 3. Refer to verses 2:30, 7:11-12, 18:37 & 20:116.
• 4. Refer to verses 18:37, 2:30, 7:11-12, & 20:116.
• 5. God.
• 6. A mortal.
• 7. Refer to verse 38:77.
• 8. Iblis – Satan.
• 9. Period.
• 10. Refer to verse 7:16.
• 11. Shall make fair-seeming the wrong and the false things and way to mislead mankind on earth.
• 12. Refer to verse 7:16.
• 13. Refer to verse 38:82.
• 14. God.
• 15. In the matter of My freed Servants. Any other recitation is wrong. Refer to note on ‘Tahrif’ in the introduction – A.P.
• 16. Refer to note on verse 6:68.
• 17. Arabic ‘Ghaween’ Those who deviate and go forward leaving the right course. There is not for thee.
• 18. Refer to note on verses 14:22 & 17:65.
• 19. See verse 14:22.
• 20. Minhaj-us-Sadiqin (Tafsir – Persian).
• 21. Refer to verse 70:15.
• 22. Refer to verse104:4.
• 23. Refer to verse 101:9.
• 24. Minhaj-us-Sadiqin (Tafsir – Persian).