Moreover, He said to the angels:

“I am placing a successor on earth,”

before commanding them to prostrate to Adam, before Iblīs refused, before forbidding Adam to eat from the tree, and before Adam ate from it, thereby causing his descent to earth. Allah, glorified be He, thus knew that He would appoint Adam as a successor, even as He gave him and Iblīs commands that He knew they would disobey. Their disobedience would lead to His ordering them both down to earth and to the establishment of succession there.

This shows that He knew how they would disobey His command. Iblīs refused to prostrate to Adam and hated him, becoming his enemy. He therefore whispered to him to induce him to eat from the tree, so that Adam too would sin. Iblīs had sworn to lead them all astray and had asked for respite until the Day they are resurrected. He is therefore intent on leading Adam and his descendants astray by every means available to him. But Adam received words from his Lord, who accepted his repentance; his Lord chose him and guided him through his repentance. Thus, Adam’s descendants have a path to salvation and happiness, escaping what Satan entices them into: repentance. Allah, Most High, says:

“So that Allah may punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the polytheists, men and women, and turn in mercy to the believers, men and women.”

Allah’s decree encompassed all of this before it came to pass. Iblīs persisted in sin, invoked divine decree as an excuse, and asked for respite so that he could bring others to ruin. Adam, however, repented and turned back to Allah. He and his wife said:

“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers.”

Allah accepted his repentance, chose him, guided him, and sent him down to earth to act there in obedience to Him. Through this, Allah would raise his rank, and his subsequent entry into Paradise would be more perfect than before. Thus, whoever among Adam’s descendants sins and follows his father Adam’s example in repentance will be blessed. And if he repents, believes, and does righteous deeds,