His saying, exalted is He, “They will find whatever they did present,” written and recorded in their Book. “And your Lord wrongs no one,” meaning that He does not diminish the reward of anyone who has done good.
Al-Dahhak said: “He does not hold anyone accountable for a crime he did not commit.”
Abd Allah ibn Qays said: “People will be brought forth three times on the Day of Resurrection. As for the first two presentations, there will be disputation and excuses; but at the third presentation, the records will fly into people’s hands, and one will take his record in his right hand while another takes his in his left.” Some narrated it as a prophetic report on the authority of Abu Musa. (1)
“And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they all prostrated except Iblis. He was one of the jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord’s command. Would you then take him and his offspring as allies besides Me, though they are your enemy? What an evil substitute for the wrongdoers!” (50)
His saying, exalted is He, “And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’” means: Remember, O Muhammad, when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam.” “They all prostrated except Iblis. He was one of the jinn.” Ibn Abbas said: “He belonged to a group of angels called the jinn; they were created from the scorching fire.” (2)
Al-Hasan said: “He was one of the jinn and was not one of the angels. He is the progenitor of the jinn, just as Adam is the progenitor of mankind.” (3) “So he rebelled” means: he departed “from his Lord’s command,” that is, from obedience to his Lord. “Would you then take him”—addressing the children of Adam—“and his offspring as allies besides Me, though they are your enemy,” that is, enemies.
(1) Recorded by al-Tirmidhi in the Book of Asceticism, chapter: What Has Been Narrated Concerning the Presentation [of Deeds], 7/111, through al-Hasan from Abu Hurayrah, ascribed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He said: “This hadith is not sound, because al-Hasan did not hear from Abu Hurayrah [so it is disconnected]. Some narrate it through Ali ibn Ali, al-Rifa'i, from al-Hasan, from Abu Musa, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.” Ibn Majah also recorded it through this route in the Book of Asceticism, no. 4277, 2/1430. Al-Zawa'id states: “The narrators in its chain are trustworthy, but it is disconnected ...” Imam Ahmad also recorded it in al-Musnad, 4/414. Al-Bayhaqi recorded it in al-Ba'th (The Resurrection), with a sound chain, from Abd Allah ibn Masud as a Companion report. See Fath al-Bari, 11/403.
(2) Recorded by al-Tabari, 1/502 (Dar al-Ma'arif edition).
(3) Recorded by al-Tabari, 1/506. Ibn Kathir said, 3/89: “This is an authentic chain from al-Hasan.” Al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, preferred the first view; yet he seems to have preferred the less weighty opinion, as the author did at 1/82 of this edition. The apparent meaning of the Quran is that Iblis was among the jinn and was created from fire. When the term jinn is used without qualification, it refers to the well-known jinn, not to a class of angels called “the jinn” who were created from scorching fire. However, no evidence has established the soundness of this claim.
Accordingly, after Ibn Kathir presented the reports on this matter, he said, 3/90: “Many reports have been transmitted from the early generations, pointing to the narrations from Ibn Abbas that Iblis was among the angels created from fire and that they were called the jinn. Most of these are Isra'iliyyat, transmitted for consideration; Allah knows best the condition of many of them. Some can certainly be judged false because they contradict the truth that is in our possession. The Quran renders us independent of all the foregoing reports, for they scarcely escape alteration, addition, and omission. Many things have been fabricated within them, and they do not possess meticulous hadith masters who remove from them the distortions of extremists and the false claims of those who spread falsehood, as this Ummah possesses among its imams, scholars, leaders, righteous men, virtuous ones, and eminent critics and hadith masters. They compiled and carefully examined hadith, distinguishing its authentic, sound, weak, objectionable, fabricated, abandoned, and false reports; and they identified fabricators, liars, unknown narrators, and the other categories of transmitters. All of this was done to preserve the sanctity of the Prophet and the rank of Muhammad, the Seal of the Messengers and master of mankind, peace and blessings be upon him, from having a lie attributed to him or a report narrated from him that is not truly from him. May Allah be pleased with them, please them, and make the gardens of Firdaws their abode.”