Al-Hijr 15:32
The Rock · ayah 32 of 99
Qala ya ibleesu ma lakaalla takoona maAAa assajideen
Saheeh International translation
Other English translations
Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+
"God said, ‘Iblis, why did you not bow down like the others?’"
Pickthall (classic)+
"He said: O Iblis! What aileth thee that thou art not among the prostrate?"
Yusuf Ali (classic)+
"(Allah) said: "O Iblis! what is your reason for not being among those who prostrated themselves?""
Tafsīr · classical commentary
Ibn Kathir
Abridged English, public domain
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Ibn Kathir
Abridged English, public domain
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:
(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,
(I am better than him (Adam), You created me from Fire and him You created from clay.)(7:12) and
("Do you see this one whom You have honored above me...") 17:62
Tafsir Saʿdi
English translation, public domain
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Tafsir Saʿdi
English translation, public domain
Maʿārif al-Qur'ān
Mufti Shafi Usmani, English
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Maʿārif al-Qur'ān
Mufti Shafi Usmani, English
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.