Friday, 20 June 2014

Iblees: The First Racist

Recall the occasion when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam." They all prostrated except Iblees (Satan), who replied: "Should I prostrate to the one whom You have created from clay?"  Then he asked: "Tell me, is this the one whom You have honoured above me? If You give me respite till the Day of Resurrection, I will certainly uproot all but a few of his descendants."

Lessons:
-       Iblees was the first racist.
-       Racism was the original sin that was borne out of pride.
-       Allah honoured humans above the angels and jinns.
-       Satan vowed that he would not stop misguiding and deceiving us until the Day of Judgment.
-       Even though Allah commanded the angels to bow down to Adam, the commandment also applied to Satan as he was amongst them, as this is a rule of Arabic grammar.
-       Also note that Satan never claimed that this commandment was not meant for him since he was not an angel. As such Satan knew full well that the commandment applied to him and his only objection was that humans were inferior to him so he saw no need to obey Allah, thus committing kufr.
-        By bowing down to Adam the angels did not worship Adam but worshipped Allah as it was Allah who commanded them to bow down to Adam. This of course was a test for Iblees since angels never disobey Allah.

Allah said: "Go away! Hell is your reward, and the reward of those who follow you, an ample reward it shall be.  You may try to allure whomsoever you can with your seductive voice, muster against them all your cavalry and infantry, be their partner in their riches and their children, and promise them what you will – the promises of Satan are nothing but deception - as for My servants, you shall have no authority over them. Your Lord is sufficient as their Guardian."[1]

Lessons:
-       Allah hates racism.
-       Satan is going to tempt and allure humankind with things we love and desire.
-       Satan will promise us the moon in order to made sure we go astray.
-       “The promises of Satan are nothing but deception.”
-       Satan will have no authority over the prophets and messengers.

Indeed We created you, then We fashioned you, then We asked the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam." They all prostrated accordingly except Iblees who did not join those who prostrated. Allah said: "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" He replied: "I am better than he; you created me from fire and him from clay."

Lessons:
-       Allah created Adam with His own hands.
-       Allah gave Iblees a chance to explain even though He knows everything.
-       Iblees refused to obey due to arrogance and self-conceited notion of his own superiority.
-       He chose to hate Adam for something he had no control over – something that Allah had decided.

Allah said: "Get down from here. You have no right to brag here of your superiority. Get out; henceforth you are of the petty ones." Satan requested: "Give me respite till the Day of Resurrection." Allah said: "The respite you requested is hereby granted."

Lessons:
-       Allah calls Iblees, Satan – the outcast.
-       Iblees asks Allah for respite knowing that only Allah can give him that request.

Satan declared: "Since You let me deviate, now I will lie in ambush for mankind on Your Right Way. I will come upon them from the front, from the rear, from the right, and from the left, and You will not find most of them to be grateful." Allah said: "Get out from here, you despicable outcast; I will certainly fill hell with you and all of them who follow you."[2]

Lessons:
-       Satan blames Allah for his evil disobedience.
-       Satan vows to take as many of us as he can to hell-fire with him.
-       Satan promises Allah that he will ambush us – from the front, the back, the right and the left.
-       Satan’s master plan to make sure we go to hell – make us ungrateful to Allah.
-       Allah tells Satan what he will do to him and those who follow him.

When We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourself before Adam, "all prostrated themselves except Iblees, who was one of the Jinns and chose to disobey the command of his Lord. Would you then take him and his children as your protectors rather than Me, even though they are your enemies? What a bad substitute the wrongdoers have chosen![3]

Lessons:
-       Satan is our true enemy.
-       Jinns, like humans can chose to obey or disobey Allah.
-       Those who do not believe and follow Allah’s religion are followers of Satan – no matter what they call themselves.



[1] Surah al-Isra 17:61-65
[2] Surah al-A’raf 7:11-18
[3]  Surah al-Kahf 18:50

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