“He said, ‘O Iblis, what is the matter with you that you are not among those who prostrate?’ He replied, ‘I am not one to prostrate before a human being whom You created from sounding clay made from altered mud.’ He said, ‘Then get out of it, for you are indeed accursed, and the curse shall remain upon you until the Day of Judgment.’ He said, ‘My Lord, then grant me respite until the Day they are resurrected.’ He said, ‘You are indeed among those granted respite until the Day of the appointed time.’ He said, ‘My Lord, because You caused me to stray, I will surely make things on earth alluring to them, and I will surely lead them all astray, except Your chosen servants among them.’ He said, ‘This is a straight path leading to Me. You shall have no authority over My servants, except those among the wayward who follow you. And indeed, Hell is the promised destination of them all. It has seven gates, and for each gate there is a designated share of them.’”
Allah said: “O Iblis, what is the matter with you that you are not among those who prostrate? He replied, ‘I am not one to prostrate before a human being whom You created from sounding clay made from altered mud.’” He arrogantly rejected Allah’s command, displayed enmity toward Adam and his descendants, and became conceited over the substance from which he had been created, saying, “I am better than Adam.”
Allah said, as punishment for his disbelief and arrogance: “Then get out of it, for you are indeed accursed”—that is, expelled and banished from all good—“and the curse shall remain upon you”—that is, condemnation, disgrace, and exclusion from Allah’s mercy—“until the Day of Judgment.” This verse and others like it show that he will persist in his disbelief and remain far removed from good.
“He said, ‘My Lord, then grant me respite’”—that is, give me time—“until the Day they are resurrected. He said, ‘You are indeed among those granted respite until the Day of the appointed time.’” Allah’s granting his request was not an honor bestowed upon him. Rather, it was a test and trial from Allah for him and for His servants, so that the sincere person who obeys his Master rather than his enemy might be distinguished from one who does not. Allah therefore warned us against him in the strongest terms and explained to us what he seeks from us.
“He said, ‘My Lord, because You caused me to stray, I will surely make things on earth alluring to them’”—that is, I will make worldly life attractive to them and call them to prefer it over the Hereafter, until they become compliant with every act of disobedience—“and I will surely lead them all astray”—that is, turn them all away from the straight path—“except Your chosen servants among them”—those whom You have chosen and selected because of their sincerity, faith, and trust in You.
Allah the Exalted said: “This is a straight path leading to Me”—that is, an upright path leading to Me and to My abode of honor.
“You shall have no authority over My servants” by which you could incline them toward whatever forms of error you desire. Because of their servitude to their Lord and submission to His commands, Allah aids them and protects them from Satan.
“Except those who follow you”—being content to take you as their patron and obey you instead of obeying the Most Merciful—“among the wayward.” The wayward person is the opposite of the rightly guided: he knows the truth and abandons it, whereas one who is astray abandons it without having known it.
“And indeed, Hell is the promised destination of them all”—that is, Iblis and his forces. “It has seven gates,” each lying beneath another. “For each gate there is a designated share of them”—that is, of Iblis’s followers—according to their deeds. Allah the Exalted said: “Then they and the wayward will be hurled headlong into it, together with all the hosts of Iblis.”