His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "He said, 'What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?' He said, 'I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.'" "He said, 'Descend from it, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the despised.'" "He said, 'Give me respite until the Day they are resurrected.'" "He said, 'Indeed, you are of the respited.'" "He said, 'Because You have led me astray, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path.'"

"What"; is an interrogative; and the intended meaning is reproach; and "not"; in His saying, the Exalted, "not to"; it is said: it is extra; and the meaning is: "What prevented you from prostrating?"; and it is like "not"; in the saying of the poet:

'His generosity did not allow him to be stingy, so he hastened with it, 'Yes,' from a youth who does not withhold generosity from his killer.'

And this is on one of the opinions regarding this verse; it has been said: "not"; in it is extra; and Al-Zajjaj said: it is a direct object; and "stinginess"; is a substitute for it; and Al-Tabari narrated from Yunus from Abu Amr ibn al-Ala that the narration in it is: "not stinginess"; with the lam being in the genitive case; because "not"; can imply generosity; if said in a matter that prevents rights; and stinginess from obligations; and among the verses in which "not"; is extra; is the saying of the poet:

'Is there no lightning from you, as if its flash were a fire that has been ignited?'

And it has been said regarding the verse: "not"; is not extra; but rather the meaning is: "What prevented you, thus making you in need to not prostrate?"; and it has been said: since "What prevented you"; means: "Who commanded you?"; and "Who told you?"; it is appropriate to say afterwards: "not to prostrate."

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The gist of this is that a verb is to be understood in the speech that is appropriate to carry the negation upon it; as if he said: "What compelled you; or forced you?"; and the response of the accursed Iblis is not about what he was asked about; but rather he came with words that include the response and the argument against him; as if he said: "My virtue prevented me; since I am better than him; when You created me from fire; and created him from clay;" and it has been narrated from Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - that he said: "I will not prostrate while I am better than him; and older; and stronger in creation; saying: indeed, fire is stronger than clay; and Iblis thought that fire is better than clay; and it is not so; rather they are on the same level in that they are both created matter; so when Iblis thought that the ascent of fire and its lightness necessitate superiority over the stillness of clay and its heaviness; he judged that what was created from it is better than what was created from clay; so his reasoning was incorrect; and he overlooked that the spirit which was breathed into Adam is not from clay; Al-Tabari said: He overlooked what is in fire of recklessness; and lightness; and turmoil; and in clay of steadiness; and patience; and forbearance; and deliberation.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And in the words of Al-Tabari there is consideration; and it has been narrated from Al-Hasan and Ibn Sirin that they said: The first to make a comparison was Iblis; and the sun and the moon were not worshipped except by comparison.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: Al-Tabari said: They mean the erroneous analogy; and there is no evidence from their wording for it; nor can their denial of analogy be interpreted; rather, their words were a prohibition of what was present in their time from the measures of the Khawarij and others; so they intended to guide the people to the right path.

And His saying, the Exalted, ﴿So descend from it﴾; the verse; is a command from Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - to Iblis to descend at the time of his disobedience in prostration; it appears from this that he was indeed brought down first; and was expelled from Paradise; and became in the heavens; because the reports have confirmed that he led Adam - peace be upon him - and Hawwa from outside Paradise; then he was finally commanded to descend from the heavens; with Adam - peace be upon him - and Hawwa; and the serpent.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And all of this is according to the words of the story; and Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

And His saying, the Exalted, ﴿So what is for you﴾; its meaning is: "So what is valid for you; and does not complete"; and this wording does not imply that arrogance is valid for him in other than it; contrary to what some of the objectors have claimed.

The verse indicates that Allah, the Exalted, informed Iblis that pride is not valid for him; nor does it complete in Paradise; with His prohibition to him; and to others; against pride in every place; and as for if we took "So what is for you"; to mean: "So what is good; and what is beautiful"; as you would say to a man: "It was not for you not to connect with your relatives"; it would lessen the meaning of severity against Iblis.

And His saying, the Exalted, ﴿Indeed, you are among the despised﴾; is a ruling against him with the opposite of the sin by which he disobeyed; which is pride; so he was punished by being made to carry it; contrary to his desire and hope; and "despised": is humiliation; as said by Al-Suddi.

Then Iblis asked his Lord, the Exalted, to delay him until the Day of Resurrection; hoping that he would not die; since he knew that death would cease after the resurrection; and the meaning of "Give me respite"; is: delay me; so Allah, the Exalted, granted him respite until the known time; and most people said: the known time is the first blowing in the trumpet; which causes those in the heavens and those on the earth from the creatures to faint; and a group said: rather, He referred him to a known time with Him - the Mighty and Majestic -; meaning the day of Iblis's death; and the arrival of his appointed time; without specifying that for him; but rather left him in the darkness of ignorance of it to confuse him as long as he lived.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And some of the people of this statement said: Indeed, Iblis was killed by the angels on the day of Badr; and they narrated a weak report regarding that.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And the first of these statements is the most correct and the most famous in the Shari'ah.

And the meaning of ﴿ "Among those who are given respite":﴾ is from the group whose lifespans were greatly delayed; until their appointed times came; at different times; indeed, that group has a respite; even if they were not alive for a long time.

And His saying: "So by what"; it is possible that he means by it the oath; as you say: "So by Allah, I will surely do it"; and it is possible that he means by it the meaning of recompense; as you say: "So by your honoring, O Zayd, I will surely honor you."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this is the most appropriate meaning in the context of the story.

And it is possible that he means: So with your misleading me; and with what I am upon of a bad state; I will surely endure; and I will surely sit...; and it does not relate to the meaning of recompense; and it is possible that he means by his saying "So by what"; the inquiry about the reason for his misleading; then he cut that off and began to inform about his sitting with them; and with this, Al-Tabari explained during his wording.

And "You have led me astray"; the majority said: Its meaning is: You have misled me; from "al-ghayy"; and on this meaning, Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi said - as Al-Tabari narrated -: "May Allah fight the Qadariyyah; for Iblis knows about Allah better than they do"; meaning that he knew that Allah guides; and misleads; and Al-Hasan said: "You have led me astray": You have cursed me; and it was said: Its meaning is: You have disappointed me.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And all of this is an explanation of things that necessitated his misleading.

And a group said: "You have led me astray"; its meaning is: You have destroyed me; Al-Tabari narrated that; and said: It is from your saying: "The offspring has gone astray; it leads astray; it has gone astray"; if the milk has been cut off from it and it dies; and he recited:

The offspring of the she-camel is not a loser; nor does it die in its misguidance.

And it has been reported from some of Tayy that: "So-and-so has become misguided"; meaning: sick.

And His saying: ﴿I will surely sit for them on Your straight path﴾; he means: On Your path; and in Your path; and it was omitted as is done in circumstances; and similar to this is the saying of the poet:

A soft touch of the hand makes its back sweet; as the fox sweetened the path.

And Mujahid said: ﴿Your straight path﴾; he means by it the truth; and Awn ibn Abdullah said: He means the path to Mecca.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this specification is weak; and the meaning is: I will surely confront them in the path of Your legislation; and Your worship; and the method of salvation; so I will surely turn them away from it. And from this is his saying - blessings and peace be upon him -: "Indeed, the devil sits for the son of Adam at his paths; forbidding him from Islam; and says: Will you abandon the religion of your forefathers? So he disobeyed him; and he embraced Islam; then he forbade him from migration; and said: Will you leave your family and your land? So he disobeyed him; and he migrated; then he forbade him from jihad; and said: Will you be killed and leave your children? So he disobeyed him; and he fought; for him is Paradise." The hadith.