Iblis, The Accursed
فَأَزَلَّهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ عَنْهَا فَأَخْرَجَهُمَا مِمَّا كَانَا فِيهِ ۖ وَقُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ {36}
But ‘الشَّيْطَانُ’ the Satan had them removed from it and exited from what they used to be in; and We said: Go down, some of you being the enemies of others! And there is for you in the earth an abode and a provision for a while [2:36]
قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: فَأَزَلَّهُمَا الشَّيْطانُ عَنْها عَنِ الْجَنَّةِ بِوَسْوَسَتِهِ وَ خَدِيعَتِهِ وَ إِيهَامِهِ [وَ عَدَاوَتِهِ] وَ غُرُورِهِ، بِأَنْ بَدَأَ بِآدَمَ فَقَالَ: ما نَهاكُما رَبُّكُما عَنْ هذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونا مَلَكَيْنِ إِنْ تَنَاوَلْتُمَا مِنْهَا تَعْلَمَانِ الْغَيْبَ، وَ تَقْدِرَانِ عَلَى مَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ مَنْ خَصَّهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِالْقُدْرَةِ أَوْ تَكُونا مِنَ الْخالِدِينَ لَا تَمُوتَانِ أَبَداً
(From Imam Hassan Askari-asws) ‘Allah-azwj Said: But the Satan had them removed from it [2:36] from the Garden by his-la whisperings and deceptions and illusions and his-la enmity and his-la ego and he-la began with Adam-as and he-la said Your Lord has not forbidden you this tree except that you may not both become two Angels [7:20] And if you were to take from it then you will come to have the knowledge of the unseen and have the power of those special ones-asws who have been Endowed with such powers by Allah-azwj the Exalted or that you may become of the immortals not dying, ever!
وَ قاسَمَهُما حَلَفَ لَهُمَا إِنِّي لَكُما لَمِنَ النَّاصِحِينَ [الصَّالِحِينَ]. وَ كَانَ إِبْلِيسُ بَيْنَ لَحْيَيِ الْحَيَّةِ أَدْخَلَتْهُ الْجَنَّةَ، وَ كَانَ آدَمُ يَظُنُّ أَنَّ الْحَيَّةَ هِيَ الَّتِي تُخَاطِبُهُ، وَ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ إِبْلِيسَ قَدِ اخْتَبَأَ بَيْنَ لَحْيَيْهَا
And he swore to them both, takingoath to them-as Most surely I am a sincere adviser to you [7:21] – the correcting one. And it was so that Iblees-la was in the mouth of a serpent by way of which he-la had entered the Garden, and Adam-as thought that it was the serpent that was talking to him-asws, and he-asws did not know that it was Iblees-la who was talking from inside the serpent.
فَرَدَّ آدَمُ عَلَى الْحَيَّةِ: أَيَّتُهَا الْحَيَّةُ- هَذَا مِنْ غُرُورِ إِبْلِيسَ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ- كَيْفَ يَخُونُنَا رَبُّنَا أَمْ كَيْفَ تُعَظِّمِينَ اللَّهَ بِالْقَسَمِ بِهِ- وَ أَنْتِ تَنْسُبِينَهُ إِلَى الْخِيَانَةِ وَ سُوءِ النَّظَرِ، وَ هُوَ أَكْرَمُ الْأَكْرَمِينَ أَمْ كَيْفَ أَرُومُ التَّوَصُّلَ إِلَى مَا مَنَعَنِي مِنْهُ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ، وَ أَتَعَاطَاهُ بِغَيْرِ حِكْمَةٍ
Adam-as retorted upon the serpent: ‘O you serpent! This is from the deception of Iblees-la may Allah-azwj Curse him-la. How can our Lord-azwj defraud us? How can you-la be revering Allah-azwj by swearing by Him-azwj, and you are linking Him-azwj to the betrayal and the evil thinking, and He-azwj is the most Benevolent of the benevolent ones?’ Why should I-asws incline towards that deed which has been forbidden unto me-as by my-as Lord-azwj Mighty and Majestic and wrong Him-azwj without wisdom?’
فَلَمَّا أَيِسَ إِبْلِيسُ مِنْ قَبُولِ آدَمَ مِنْهُ، عَادَ ثَانِيَةً بَيْنَ لَحْيَيِ الْحَيَّةِ فَخَاطَبَ حَوَّاءَ مِنْ حَيْثُ يُوهِمُهَا أَنَّ الْحَيَّةَ هِيَ الَّتِي تُخَاطِبُهَا، وَ قَالَ: يَا حَوَّاءُ أَ رَأَيْتِ هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ الَّتِي كَانَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ حَرَّمَهَا عَلَيْكُمَا، قَدْ أَحَلَّهَا لَكُمَا بَعْدَ تَحْرِيمِهَا لِمَا عَرَفَ مِنْ حُسْنِ طَاعَتِكُمَا لَهُ، وَ تَوْقِيرِكُمَا إِيَّاهُ
When Iblees-la despaired from the acceptance of Adam-as from him-la, he-la returned for the second time to be between the lips of the serpent, and he-la addressed Hawwa-as from where they-as would think that it is the serpent which is addressing them-as, and he-la said, ‘O Hawwa-as! Do you-as see this tree, which Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic had Prohibited upon you-as two? He-azwj has (now) Permitted it to you-as after Prohibiting you-as, due to recognition of the goodly obedience of both of you-as to Him-azwj and your-as reverence to Him-azwj.
وَ ذَلِكِ أَنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ الْمُوَكَّلِينَ بِالشَّجَرَةِ الَّذِينَ مَعَهُمْ حِرَابٌ- يَدْفَعُونَ عَنْهَا سَائِرَ حَيَوَانِ الْجَنَّةِ لَا تَدْفَعُكِ عَنْهَا إِنْ رُمْتِهَا فَاعْلَمِي بِذَلِكِ أَنَّهُ قَدْ أُحِلَّ لَكِ، وَ أَبْشِرِي بِأَنَّكِ إِنْ تَنَاوَلْتِهَا قَبْلَ آدَمَ كُنْتِ أَنْتِ الْمُسَلِّطَةَ عَلَيْهِ، الْآمِرَةَ النَّاهِيَةَ فَوْقَهُ
And that is because the Angles Allocated to the tree – those with whom were weapons to repel the rest of the animal of the Paradise from it – would not be repelling you-as from it, so you-as would know from that, that it is (now) Permissible for you-as; and receive glad tidings that you-saww, if you-as were to take it before Adam-as does, you-as would overcome upon him-as. The Order is (now) above its Prohibition’.
فَقَالَتْ حَوَّاءُ: سَوْفَ أُجَرِّبُ هَذَا. فَرَامَتِ الشَّجَرَةَ- فَأَرَادَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَنْ تَدْفَعَهَا عَنْهَا بِحِرَابِهَا
Hawwa-as said: ‘Soon I-as shall be trying this’. So she-as approached the tree and the Angels wanted to repel her-as from it by their weapons.
فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهَا: إِنَّمَا تَدْفَعُونَ بِحِرَابِكُمْ مَنْ لَا عَقْلَ لَهُ يَزْجُرُهُ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ جَعَلْتُهُ مُمَكَّناً مُمَيِّزاً مُخْتَاراً، فَكِلُوهُ إِلَى عَقْلِهِ الَّذِي جَعَلْتُهُ حُجَّةً عَلَيْهِ، فَإِنْ أَطَاعَ اسْتَحَقَّ ثَوَابِي، وَ إِنْ عَصَى وَ خَالَفَ [أَمْرِي] اسْتَحَقَّ عِقَابِي وَ جَزَائِي
But, Allah-azwj the Exalted Revealed to them: “But rather you should be repelling with your weapons the one who has no intellect for him, ousting him. But, as for the one Whom I-azwj have Made him with possibilities, discernment, choice, so leave him to his intellect which I-azwj have Made it to be an argument upon him. So, if he obeys, he would be deserving of My-azwj Rewards, and if he disobeys and opposes My-azwj Command, he would be deserving of My-azwj Punishment and My-azwj Penalty”.
فَتَرَكُوهَا وَ لَمْ يَتَعَرَّضُوا لَهَا، بَعْدَ مَا هَمُّوا بِمَنْعِهَا بِحِرَابِهِمْ. فَظَنَّتْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ نَهَاهُمْ عَنْ مَنْعِهَا- لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ أَحَلَّهَا بَعْدَ مَا حَرَّمَهَا
They left her and did not confront her-as, after considering preventing her-as with their weapons. She-as thought that Allah-azwj had Forbidden them from preventing her-as because He-azwj has Permitted (going to the tree) after having Prohibited it.
فَقَالَتْ: صَدَقَتِ الْحَيَّةُ، وَ ظَنَّتْ أَنَّ الْمُخَاطَبَ لَهَا هِيَ الْحَيَّةُ، فَتَنَاوَلَتْ مِنْهَا وَ لَمْ تَنَكَّرْ مِنْ نَفْسِهَا شَيْئاً. فَقَالَتْ لِآدَمَ: أَ لَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ الشَّجَرَةَ الْمُحَرَّمَةَ عَلَيْنَا قَدْ أُبِيحَتْ لَنَا تَنَاوَلْتُ مِنْهَا فَلَمْ تَمْنَعْنِي أَمْلَاكُهَا، وَ لَمْ أُنْكِرْ شَيْئاً مِنْ حَالِي
She-as said: ‘The serpent spoke the truth’, and she-as thought that the one who had addressed her-as was the serpent (and not Iblees-la). She-as took from it and did not affect anything from herself-as. She-as said to Adam-as: ‘Do you-as know that the tree Prohibited upon us-as has (now) been Permitted to us-as? I-as took from it, and its Angels did not prevent me-as, and it did not affect anything from my-as state’.
(فَذَلِكَ حِينَ) اغْتَرَّ آدَمُ وَ غَلِطَ فَتَنَاوَلَ- فَأَصَابَهُمَا [مَا] قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي كِتَابِهِ: فَأَزَلَّهُمَا الشَّيْطانُ عَنْها فَأَخْرَجَهُما بِوَسْوَسَتِهِ وَ غُرُورِهِ مِمَّا كانا فِيهِ مِنَ النَّعِيمِ
That is when Adam-as got deceived and went wrong. So he-as took and it hit them both-as what Allah-azwj the Exalted Says in His-azwj Book But the Satan had them removed from it and exited [2:36]– by his-la whispering and his-la deception from what they used to be in – from the Bounties.
وَ قُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ وَ يَا حَوَّاءُ وَ يَا أَيَّتُهَا الْحَيَّةُ وَ يَا إِبْلِيسُ اهْبِطُوا بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ آدَمُ وَ حَوَّاءُ وَ وُلْدُهُمَا عَدُوٌّ لِلْحَيَّةِ، وَ إِبْلِيسُ وَ الْحَيَّةُ وَ أَوْلَادُهُمَا أَعْدَاؤُكُمْ وَ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ مَنْزِلٌ وَ مَقَرٌّ لِلْمَعَاشِ وَ مَتاعٌ مَنْفَعَةٌ إِلى حِينٍ الْمَوْتِ
And We said: O Adam-as, and O Hawwa-as, and O you serpent, and O Iblees-la! Go down, some of you being the enemies of others! – Adam-as and Hawwa-as as enemies of the serpent, and Iblees-la and the serpent and their children as your-as enemies –And there is for you in the earth an abode – a lodging and abode for living and a provision – benefits for a while – death’.[1]
[1] Tafseer Imam Hassan Al Askari-asws – S 104