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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
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Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Kahf 18:50-52 [7/12]
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
وَإِذْAnd when
قُلْنَاWe said
لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِto the Angels,
ٱسْجُدُواْ"Prostrate
لِأَدَمَto Adam,"
فَسَجَدُوٓاْso they prostrated
إِلَّآexcept
إِبْلِيسَIblis.
كَانَ(He) was
مِنَof
ٱلْجِنِّthe jinn,
فَفَسَقَand he rebelled
عَنْagainst
أَمْرِthe Command
رَبِّهِۦٓ‌ۗ(of) his Lord.
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥWill you then take him
وَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓand his offspring
أَوْلِيَآءَ(as) protectors
مِن دُونِىother than Me,
وَهُمْwhile they
لَكُمْ(are) to you
عَدُوُّۢ‌ۚenemies?
بِئْسَWretched
لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَfor the wrongdoers
بَدَلاً(is) the exchange.
﴿٥٠﴾
۞ مَّآNot
أَشْهَدتُّهُمْI made them witness
خَلْقَthe creation
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ(of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِand the earth
وَلَاand not
خَلْقَthe creation
أَنفُسِهِمْ(of) themselves
وَمَاand not
كُنتُI Am
مُتَّخِذَthe One to take
ٱلْمُضِلِّينَthe misleaders
عَضُدًا(as) helper(s).
﴿٥١﴾
وَيَوْمَAnd the Day
يَقُولُHe will say,
نَادُواْ"Call
شُرَكَآءِىَMy partners,
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
زَعَمْتُمْyou claimed,"
فَدَعَوْهُمْthen they will call them
فَلَمْbut not
يَسْتَجِيبُواْthey will respond
لَهُمْto them.
وَجَعَلْنَاAnd We will make
بَيْنَهُمbetween them
مَّوْبِقًاa barrier.
﴿٥٢﴾


وَاِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلٰۤـئِكَةِ اسۡجُدُوۡا لِاٰدَمَ فَسَجَدُوۡۤا اِلَّاۤ اِبۡلِيۡسَؕ كَانَ مِنَ الۡجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنۡ اَمۡرِ رَبِّهٖؕ اَفَتَـتَّخِذُوۡنَهٗ وَذُرِّيَّتَهٗۤ اَوۡلِيَآءَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِىۡ وَهُمۡ لَـكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ ؕ بِئۡسَ لِلظّٰلِمِيۡنَ بَدَلًا‏   مَّاۤ اَشۡهَدْتُّهُمۡ خَلۡقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا خَلۡقَ اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ وَمَا كُنۡتُ مُتَّخِذَ الۡمُضِلِّيۡنَ عَضُدًا‏  وَيَوۡمَ يَقُوۡلُ نَادُوۡا شُرَكَآءِىَ الَّذِيۡنَ زَعَمۡتُمۡ فَدَعَوۡهُمۡ فَلَمۡ يَسۡتَجِيۡبُوۡا لَهُمۡ وَجَعَلۡنَا بَيۡنَهُمۡ مَّوۡبِقًا‏ 

Translation
(18:50) And recall when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam"; all of them fell prostrate, except Iblis.47 He was of the jinn and so disobeyed the command of his Lord.48 Will you, then, take him and his progeny as your guardians rather than Me although they are your open enemies? What an evil substitute are these wrong-doers taking! (18:51) I did not call them to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor in their own creation.49 I do not seek the aid of those who lead people astray. (18:52) What will such people do on the Day when the Lord will say: "Now call upon all those whom you believed to be My partners?"50 Thereupon they will call upon them, but they will not respond to their call; and We shall make them a common pit of doom,51

Commentary

47. The reference to the story of Adam and Iblis has been made here to warn the erring people of their folly. It is an obvious folly that people should discard their Prophets, who were their well wishers, and get entangled in the snare set by their eternal enemy, Iblis, who has been jealous of man ever since he refused to bow down before Adam and became accursed.

48. It was possible for Iblis to disobey Allah because he was not one of the angels but one of the jinns. It must be noted that the Quran is very explicit that the angels are inherently obedient.

(1) They do not show arrogance; they fear their Lord Who is above them, and do whatever they are bidden. (Surah An-Nahal, Ayat 50).

(2) They do not disobey the command that is given to them by their Lord and do whatever they are bidden to do. (Surah At-Tahrim, Ayat 6).

In contrast to the angels, the jinns have been, like human beings, given the option to obey or not to obey. Therefore they have been given the power to believe or disbelieve, to obey or not to obey. This thing has been made explicit here by saying that Iblis was one of the jinns, so he deliberately chose the way of disobedience. Incidentally, this verse removes all those misunderstandings that are generally found among the common people that Iblis was one of the angels and not an ordinary angel but the instructor of the angels. As regards to the difficulty that arises because of this statement of the Quran: When We said to the angels, bow down before Adam. They bowed down but Iblis did not, it should be noted that the command to the angels was meant for all those on the earth who were under the administration of the angels so that they should also be made submissive to man. Accordingly all these creatures bowed along with the angels but Iblis refused to bow down along with them.

49. This thing has been asserted to impress on the disbelievers that the satans were not entitled to their submission and worship, for they had no share at all in the creation of the heavens and the earth, nay, they themselves were the creation of Allah: therefore Allah alone was worthy of worship.

50. This theme has already been stated at several places in the Quran. This is to impress that it is shirk to discard the commandments and the guidance of Allah and to follow the orders and guidance of any other than Allah, though one may not be professing with his tongue that there is any partner of Allah: nay, if one might be cursing others but at the same time following their orders instead of divine commandments, even then that one shall be guilty of shirk. For instance, we see that everyone in this world curses satans but still follows them. According to the Quran, in spite of cursing them, if people follow satans, they shall be guilty of setting up satans as partners with Allah. Though this will not be shirk in so many words, it will be tantamount to the practice of shirk and the Quran denounces this as shirk.

51. Generally the commentators have assigned two meanings to this. The one is the same that we have adopted in our translation and the other is this: We will cause enmity between them. That is: Their friendship in this world shall be turned into bitter enmity in the Hereafter.