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سورة البقرة (Surah Al-Baqarah)

آية 34

القرآن: وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ
Translation: And [mention] when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam”; so they prostrated, except for Iblis. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.

Explanation (Tafheemul Quran):

Maududi explains that this verse marks the pivotal moment of the first test and the origin of rebellion against God’s command. It follows directly from the demonstration of Adam’s divinely-granted knowledge, which established his unique status.

The commentary focuses on several critical points:

1. The Nature of the Command: The command to prostrate (“Prostrate before Adam”) was a test of obedience for all creations present. Maududi emphasizes that this prostration (Sujud) was not an act of worship (Ibadah) to Adam. Worship is due to God alone. Rather, it was a symbolic act of honor and acknowledgment of the lofty status and potential God had bestowed upon humanity. It was an act of obeying God’s order to show respect to His newly-appointed Khalifah (vicegerent).
2. The Angels’ Obedience: The angels, true to their nature, obeyed the command immediately and without hesitation. Their prostration signifies their complete submission to God’s will, even when the wisdom behind it may not have been fully apparent to them. This reinforces their role as perfect servants who do not deviate.
3. The Rebellion of Iblis: Iblis (Satan) was among the gathering, but he was not an angel. Maududi clarifies, based on other Quranic verses (like 18:50), that Iblis was from the Jinn, a species created from fire with free will. His refusal marks the first act of open, conscious disobedience to a direct command of God.
4. The Root of Disobedience: Arrogance: The verse identifies the core disease: “He refused and was arrogant (istakbara).” Maududi explains that Iblis’s arrogance stemmed from his perception of his own origin. He considered himself superior to Adam because he was created from “fire” while Adam was created from “clay.” This pride in his own nature blinded him to the divine wisdom that had endowed Adam with superior knowledge and potential. His arrogance led him to make a qualitative judgment against God’s decree.
5. The Ultimate Consequence: The verse concludes with the grave outcome: “and became of the disbelievers (al-Kafirin).” Maududi stresses that this is where Kufr (disbelief, ingratitude, rejection of truth) begins. Kufr is not merely an intellectual stance; it is the state of the heart that arises from arrogance (Kibr) in the face of a clear command from God. By placing his own judgment above God’s, Iblis exited the circle of obedience and entered the realm of rebellion and disbelief. This established him as the eternal enemy of humanity and the archetype of those who reject truth out of pride.

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Core Summary from Maududi’s Tafheem:

This single verse is foundational to Islamic theology, explaining:

· The Origin of Evil: Evil enters creation not from a flaw in God’s design, but from the misuse of free will through arrogance.
· The Primary Sin: The root of all sin is Kibr (arrogance) – the refusal to submit to God’s command due to a sense of self-importance.
· The Definition of Kufr: Disbelief is fundamentally an act of arrogant rejection, not mere ignorance.
· Humanity’s Test: The event foreshadows the ongoing struggle on earth. Just as Iblis refused to honor God’s vicegerent, his followers will continue to rebel against the divine order entrusted to humanity. The verse sets the stage for the earthly journey of Adam and his descendants, who must now contend with this manifest enemy.