Quran Quote  : 

Quran-7:12 Surah Al-araf English Translation,Transliteration and Tafsir(Tafseer).

Transliteration:( Qaala maa mana'aka allaa tasjuda iz amartuka qaala ana khairum minhu khalaqtanee min naarinw wa khalaqtahoo min teen )

12. He said: "What prevented you (O Shaitan) that you did not fall into prostration when I commanded you". Said he: "I am better than him. You created me of fire and made him of clay" (18).

Surah Al-Araf Ayat 12 Tafsir (Commentry)



  • Tafseer-e-Naeemi (Ahmad Yaar Khan)
  • Ibn Kathir
  • Ala-Madudi

18. By this is meant fire is superior to sand and that which is born from the superior thing will be regarded superior. Both these assumptions are incorrect. i.e. neither is fire superior, nor a thing made of a superior thing is superior. Thus, it is clear that to give conjecture priority over a categorical order is the work of the Devil.

 

Ibn-Kathir

12. (Allah) said: “What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you” Iblis said: “I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.”) Allah said,


﴿مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلاَّ تَسْجُدَ﴾

(What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate) ï´¿7: 12ï´¾ meaning, what stopped and hindered you from prostrating after I ordered you to do so, according to Ibn Jarir. This meaning is sound, and Allah knows best. Iblis, may Allah curse him, said,

﴿أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ﴾

(I am better than him (Adam)), and this excuse is worse than the crime itself! Shaytan said that he did not obey Allah because he who is better cannot prostrate to he who is less. Shaytan, may Allah curse him, meant that he is better than Adam, “So how can You order me to prostrate before him” Shaytan said that he is better than Adam because he was created from fire while, “You created him from clay, and fire is better.” The cursed one looked at the origin of creation not at the honor bestowed, that is, Allah creating Adam with His Hand and blowing life into him. Shaytan made a false comparison when confronted by Allah’s command,

﴿فَقَعُواْ لَهُ سَـجِدِينَ﴾

(“Then you fall down prostrate to him”)﴿38:72﴾. Therefore, Shaytan alone contradicted the angels, because he refused to prostrate. He, thus, became `Ablasa’ from the mercy, meaning, lost hope in acquiring Allah’s mercy. He committed this error, may Allah curse him, due to his false comparison. His claim that the fire is more honored than mud was also false, because mud has the qualities of wisdom, for – bearance, patience and assurance, mud is where plants grow, flourish, increase, and provide good. To the contrary, fire has the qualities of burning, recklessness and hastiness. Therefore, the origin of creation directed Shaytan to failure, while the origin of Adam led him to return to Allah with repentance, humbleness, obedience and submission to His command, admitting his error and seeking Allah’s forgiveness and pardon for it. Muslim recorded that `Aishah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

«خُلِقَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ وَخُلِقَ إِبْلِيسُ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ وَخُلِقَ آدَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُم»

(The angels were created from light, Shaytan from a smokeless flame of fire, while Adam was created from what was described to you).

Iblis was the First to use Qiyas (Analogical Comparison)

Ibn Jarir recorded that Al-Hasan commented on Shaytan’s statement,

﴿خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ﴾

(“You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.”) “Iblis used Qiyas ﴿analogy﴾, and he was the first one to do so.” This statement has an authentic chain of narration. Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Sirin said, “The first to use Qiyas was Iblis, and would the sun and moon be worshipped if it was not for Qiyas” This statement also has an authentic chain of narration.

(7:12) Allah said: ‘What prevented you from prostrating, when I commanded you to do so?’ He said: ‘I am better than he. You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.’

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

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