Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 17 Al-Isra, Ayat 61-62

وَاِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلٰۤـئِكَةِ اسۡجُدُوۡا لِاٰدَمَ فَسَجَدُوۡۤا اِلَّاۤ اِبۡلِيۡسَ قَالَ ءَاَسۡجُدُ لِمَنۡ خَلَقۡتَ طِيۡنًا​ ۚ‏ ﴿17:61﴾ قَالَ اَرَءَيۡتَكَ هٰذَا الَّذِىۡ كَرَّمۡتَ عَلَىَّ لَـئِنۡ اَخَّرۡتَنِ اِلٰى يَوۡمِ الۡقِيٰمَةِ لَاَحۡتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهٗۤ اِلَّا قَلِيۡلًا‏ ﴿17:62﴾

(17:61) And recall when We asked the angels73 to prostrate themselves before Adam; all prostrated themselves except Iblis,74 who said: "Shall I prostrate myself before him whom You created of clay?" (17:62) He then continued: "Look! This is he whom You have exalted above me! If you will grant me respite till the Day of Resurrection I shall uproot the whole of his progeny75 except only a few."


Notes

73. That is, We showed you such things during the Miraj so that they should have the first hand knowledge of the reality from a truthful and honest man like you and be warned by it to the right way. They, however, began to make fun of you, though We had already warned them through you that their evil ways would force them to eat of the Az-zaqqum. Instead of this they began to scoff at you, saying, just consider the logic of this man. On the one hand, he says that there is an awful fire burning in Hell and, on the other, he says that trees are growing in it.

74. Please also refer to (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayats 30-39); (Surah An-Nisa, Ayats 117-122); (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayats 11- 25); (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 22); (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayats 26-43). This story has been cited here to impress upon the disbelievers that their attitude of arrogance and indifference towards Allah is exactly the same as was adopted by Satan. As a matter of fact, they were following Satan who is the avowed enemy of man, and were being entangled in the snare spread by him who had challenged the progeny of Adam at the very beginning of human history that he would allure and ruin them.

75. That is, I will uproot them from the high position of divine vicegerency which demands steadfastness in obedience. Their removal from that high position is just like the tearing of a tree from its roots.