And when he was opposing the King in the place of punishment, the listener yearned for his news, so it was responded to with his saying: ﴿He said﴾, meaning to Iblis, in denial of him and reproaching him, and extracting his disbelief which he was concealing by what he was showing in his response, so that the creation may know the reason for his expulsion (p-365) ﴿What prevented you﴾. And when this phrase has explicitly stated his not prostrating, the meaning cannot be confused by inserting (no) in his saying: ﴿Did you not prostrate﴾. He brought it to indicate the emphasis on the blame for refraining from the action and proceeding to the abandonment, so it is as if it was said: What prevented you from prostrating and caused you to abandon it? ﴿When﴾, meaning: at the time ﴿I commanded you﴾, meaning: at the time when the moment arrived in which the commanded action should be performed. ﴿He said﴾, meaning: Iblis, attributing to his Lord - glorified and exalted is He - injustice or lack of knowledge of the truth: ﴿I am better than him﴾, meaning: it is not fitting for me to prostrate to one who is beneath me, nor my command to do so; because it contradicts wisdom. Then he clarified the aspect of the goodness which he imagined due to his misunderstanding or due to what his bad nature led him to, by saying: ﴿You created me from fire﴾, meaning: it is the most dominant of my parts and it is elevated, shining, and superior. ﴿And You created him from clay﴾, meaning: it is the most dominant of his parts, and it is dark, lowly, and defeated. And he made a grave mistake, for indeed, existence is better than non-existence without dispute, and fire is the cause of non-existence and destruction for what it mixes with, while clay is the cause of growth and nurturing for what it mixes with. This, if the matter were in virtue considering the elements and principles, but it is not so; rather, it is considering the ends.