Surah 7. Al-A'raf

Yea, indeed, We have created you, and then formed you;⁹ and then We said unto the angels, "Prostrate yourselves before Adam!" - whereupon they [all] prostrated themselves, save Iblis: he was not among those who prostrated themselves.¹⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

The sequence of these two statements - "We have created you [i.e., "brought you into being as living organisms"] and then formed you" [or "given you your shape", i.e., as human beings] - is meant to bring out the fact of man's gradual development, in the individual sense, from the embryonic stage to full-fledged existence, as well as of the evolution of the human race as such.

As regards God's allegorical command to the angels to "prostrate themselves" before Adam, see {2:30-34}, and the corresponding notes. The reference to all mankind which precedes the story of Adam in this surah makes it clear that his name symbolizes, in this context, the whole human race. Western scholars usually take it for granted that the name "Iblis" is a corruption of the Greek word diabolos, from which the English "devil" is derived. There is, however, not the slightest evidence that the pre-Islamic Arabs borrowed this or any other mythological term from the Greeks - while, on the other hand, it is established that the Greeks derived a good deal of their mythological concepts (including various deities and their functions) from the much earlier South-Arabian civilization (cf. Encyclopaedia of Islam I, 379 f.). One may, therefore, assume with something approaching certainty that the Greek diabolos is a Hellenized form of the Arabic name for the Fallen Angel, which, in turn, is derived from the root-verb ablasa, "he despaired" or "gave up hope" or "became broken in spirit" (see Lane I, 248). The fact that the noun diabolos ("slanderer" - derived from the verb diaballein, "to throw [something] across") is of genuinely Greek origin does not, by itself, detract anything from this hypothesis: for it is conceivable that the Greeks, with their well-known tendency to Hellenize foreign names, identified the name "Iblls" with the, to them, much more familiar term diabolos. - As regards Iblis' statement, in the next verse, that he had been created "out of fire", see surah {38}, note [60].

Indeed We created you, then We fashioned you, then We asked the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam." They all prostrated accordingly except Iblees (Shaitan) who did not join those who prostrated.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We created you, then fashioned you, then told the angels: Fall ye prostrate before Adam! And they fell prostrate, all save Iblis, who was not of those who make prostration.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And God] said: "What has kept thee from prostrating thyself when I commanded thee?" Answered [Iblis]: "I am better than he: Thou hast created me out of fire, whereas him Thou hast created out of clay."

  - Mohammad Asad

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."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: What hindered thee that thou didst not fall prostrate when I bade thee? (Iblis) said: I am better than him. Thou createdst me of fire while him Thou didst create of mud.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[God] said: "Down with thee, then, from this [state] - for it is not meet for thee to show arrogance here! Go forth, then: verily, among the humiliated shalt thou be!"

  - Mohammad Asad

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."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: Then go down hence! It is not for thee to show pride here, so go forth! Lo! thou art of those degraded.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Said [Iblis]: "Grant me a respite till the Day when all shall be raised from the dead."

  - Mohammad Asad

Shaitan requested: "Give me respite till the Day of Resurrection."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: Reprieve me till the day when they are raised (from the dead).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And God] replied: "Verily, thou shalt be among those who are granted a respite."

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah said: "The respite you requested is hereby granted."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: Lo! thou art of those reprieved.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[Whereupon Iblis] said: "Now that Thou hast thwarted me,¹¹ I shall most certainly lie in ambush for them all along Thy straight way,

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "allowed me to fall into error". The term aghwahu denotes both "he caused [or "allowed"] him to err" or "he caused him to be disappointed" or "to fail in attaining his desire" (cf. Lane VI, 2304f.). Since, in this case, the saying of Iblis refers to the loss of his erstwhile position among the angels, the rendering adopted by me seems to be the most appropriate.

Shaitan declared: "Since You let me deviate, now I will lie in ambush for mankind on Your Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said : Now, because Thou hast sent me astray, verily I shall lurk in ambush for them on Thy Right Path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and shall most certainly fall upon them openly as well as in a manner beyond their ken,¹² and from their right and from their left: and most of them Thou wilt find ungrateful."

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "from between their hands and from behind them". Regarding this idiomatic expression and my rendering of it, see the similar phrase in 2:255 ("He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them"). The subsequent phrase "from their right and from their left" signifies "from all directions and by all possible means".

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."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right bands and from their left hands, and Thou wilt not find most of them beholden (unto Thee).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And God] said: "Go forth from here, disgraced and disowned! [And] as for such of them as follow thee - I will most certainly fill hell with you all!

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah said: "Get out from here, you despicable outcast; I will certainly fill hell with you and all of them who follow you."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: Go forth from hence, degraded, banished. As for such of them as follow thee, surely I will fill hell with all of you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [as for thee], O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in this garden, and eat, both of you, whatever you may wish; but do not approach this one tree, lest you become evildoers!"¹³

  - Mohammad Asad

See 2:35 and 20:120 , as well as the corresponding notes.

Allah said: "O Adam! Dwell with your wife in paradise and eat any fruit you please; but never approach this tree or you shall both become wrongdoers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And (unto man): O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden and eat from whence ye will, but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrong-doers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thereupon Satan whispered unto the two with a view to making them conscious of their nakedness of which [hitherto] they had been unaware;¹⁴ and he said: "Your Sustainer has but forbidden you this tree lest you two become [as] angels, or lest you live forever."¹⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "so as to make manifest to them that of their nakedness which [hitherto] had been imperceptible to them": an allegory of the state of innocence in which man lived before his fall from grace - that is, before his consciousness made him aware of himself and of the possibility of choosing between alternative courses of action, with all the attending temptations towards evil and the misery which must follow a wrong choice.

Lit., "or [lest] you become of those who are enduring": thus instilling in them the desire to live forever and to become, in this respect, like God. See note [106] on 20:120 .

But Shaitan tempted them so that he might reveal to them the private parts of their bodies which they had never seen before. He told them: "Your Rabb has forbidden you to approach this tree only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then Satan whispered to them that he might manifest unto them that which was hidden from them of their shame, and he said: Your Lord forbade you from this tree only lest ye should become angels or become of the immortals.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And he swore unto them, "Verily, I am of those who wish you well indeed!"

  - Mohammad Asad

And he swore to them both: "I am your sincere adviser."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And he swore unto them (saying): Lo! I am a sincere adviser unto you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

- and thus he led them on with deluding thoughts. But as soon as the two had tasted [the fruit] of the tree, they became conscious of their nakedness; and they began to cover themselves with pieced-together leaves from the garden. And their Sustainer called unto them: "Did I not forbid that tree unto you and tell you, 'Verily, Satan is your open foe'?"

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus he cunningly seduced them, and when they ate from the tree, their shame became visible to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of the garden. Then their Rabb called out to them: "Did I not forbid you to approach that tree, and did not I warn you that Shaitan was your open enemy?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Thus did he lead them on with guile. And when they tasted of the tree their shame was manifest to them and they began to hide (by heaping) on themselves some of the leaves of the Garden. And their Lord called them, (saying): Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you: Lo! Satan is an open enemy to you?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The two replied: "O our Sustainer! We have sinned against ourselves - and unless Thou grant us forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us, we shall most certainly be lost!"

  - Mohammad Asad

They both replied: "Our Rabb! We have wronged our souls. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall certainly be of the losers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They said : Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If Thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we are of the lost!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Said He: "Down with you,¹⁶ [and be henceforth] enemies unto one another, having on earth your abode and livelihood for a while:

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "from this state of blessedness and innocence". As in the parallel account of this parable of the Fall in {2:35-36}, the dual form of address changes at this stage into the plural, thus connecting once again with verse {10} and the beginning of verse {11} of this surah, and making it clear that the story of Adam and Eve is, in reality, an allegory of human destiny. In his earlier state of innocence man was unaware of the existence of evil and, therefore, of the ever-present necessity of making a choice between the many possibilities of action and behaviour: in other words, he lived, like all other animals, in the light of his instincts alone. Inasmuch, however, as this innocence was only a condition of his existence and not a virtue, it gave to his life a static quality and thus precluded him from moral and intellectual development The growth of his consciousness - symbolized by the wilful act of disobedience to God's command - changed all this. It transformed him from a purely instinctive being into a full-fledged human entity as we know it - a human being capable of discerning between right and wrong and thus of choosing his way of life. In this deeper sense, the allegory of the Fall does not describe a retrogressive happening but, rather, a new stage of human development: an opening of doors to moral considerations. By forbidding him to "approach this tree", God made it possible for man to act wrongly - and therefore, to act rightly as well: and so man became endowed with that moral free will which distinguishes him from all other sentient beings. - Regarding the role of Satan - or Iblis - as the eternal tempter of man, see note [26] on 2:34 and note [31] on 15:41 .

Allah said: "Go down, some of you are the enemy of others. The Earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood for a fixed term."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: Go down (from hence), one of you a foe unto the other. There will be for you on earth a habitation and provision for a while.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

there shall you live" - He added - "and there shall you die, and thence shall you be brought forth [on Resurrection Day]!"

  - Mohammad Asad

He further said: "Therein you shall live and therein you shall die, and therefrom you shall be raised to life."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: There shall ye live, and there shall ye die, and thence shall ye be brought forth.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall