to the angels, ‘I will place a successor on earth.’ They said, ‘Will You place in it one who will spread corruption there and shed blood, while we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your holiness?’ He said, ‘Indeed, I know what you do not know.’”

The angels thus concluded that human beings would spread corruption and shed blood before Allah created humankind. Yet they had no knowledge except what Allah had taught them, as they said:

“We have no knowledge except what You have taught us.”

Then He said:

“Indeed, I know what you do not know.”

This encompassed what would later transpire involving Adam, Iblīs and their descendants, and the consequences that would follow.

This verse also indicates that He knew Adam would leave Paradise, for had Adam not left Paradise, he would not have become a successor on earth. Allah commanded him to dwell in Paradise and not to eat from the tree, saying:

“And We said, ‘O Adam, dwell in Paradise, you and your wife, and eat freely from it wherever you wish. But do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.’”

The Most High also said:

“So We said, ‘O Adam, this is indeed an enemy to you and your wife. Do not let him drive you both out of Paradise, lest you suffer hardship.”

“Indeed, there you will neither go hungry nor be unclothed,”

“nor will you thirst there or suffer the sun’s heat.’”

He forbade Adam to let Iblīs drive him out of Paradise. This was a prohibition against obeying Iblīs, which would cause his departure. Yet He had already known that Adam would leave Paradise, and that he would leave it only because he obeyed Iblīs and ate from the tree, for He had previously said:

“I will place a successor on earth.”

For this reason, some of the early generations said that He had decreed Adam’s departure from Paradise before commanding him to enter it, through His words:

“I will place a successor on earth.”

After this, He said:

“And We said, ‘Go down, as enemies to one another. On earth you will have a place to dwell and provision for a time.’”