particular issue recently sparked my curiosity when it was presented
to me by a person I know. If he is an angel, then how is it he
disobeyed Allah, when Angels have no will of their own and follow only
Allah's command. If he is really a jinn, then itwould better explain
his disobedience as then he actually had the choice to obey or disobey
Allah.I would appreciate a response, even if it is a brief one.
Praise be to Allaah.
Ibless - may Allaah curse him - is one of the jinn. He was not an
angel for a single day, not even for an instant. The angels were
created noble; they never disobey Allaah when He commands them to do
something and they do what they are commanded. This is clearly stated
in the Qur'aanic texts which indicate that Iblees is one of the jinn
and not one of the angels. These texts include the following:
1. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves unto
Adam." So they prostrated themselves except Iblees (Satan). He was one
of the jinn; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord. Will you then take
him (Iblees) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than
Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for the
Zaalimoon (polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc)." [al-Kahf 18:50]
2. Allaah stated that He created the jinn from
fire, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire"
[al-Hijr 15:27]
"And the jinn He created from a smokeless flame of fire" [al-Rahmaan 55:15]
And it was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth that 'Aa'ishah said: the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from
smokeless fire and Adamwas created from that which has been described
to you." (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, no. 2996; also narrated by
Ahmad, no. 24668; by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra, no.18207 and by
Ibn Hibbaan, no. 6155).
One of the attributes of the angels is that they were created from
light, and the jinn were created from fire. It was mentioned in the
Qur'aan that Iblees - may Allaah curse him - was created from fire.
This is what Iblees himself said when Allaah, may He be glorified and
exalted, asked him the reason forhis refusal to prostrate to Adam when
Allaah commanded him to do so. He - may Allaah cursehim - said:
" 'I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You
created from clay'" [al-A'raaf 7:12; Saad 38:76 - interpretation of
the meaning]. This indicates that he was one of the jinn.
3. Allaah has described the angels in His Book,
where He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a
Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed)
angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not,(from executing) the
Commands they receive from Allâh, but do that which they are
commanded" [al-Tahreem 66:6]
"And they say: 'The Most Gracious (Allaah) has begotten a son (or
children).' Glory to Him! They [whom they call children of Allaah i.e.
theangels, 'Eesaa (Jesus) sonof Maryam (Mary), 'Uzair (Ezra)], are but
honoured slaves. They speak not until He has spoken, and they act on
His Command" [al-Anbiyaa' 21:26-27]
"And to Allaah prostrate all that is in the heavens and all that is in
the earth, of the moving (living) creatures and the angels, and they
are not proud [i.e. they worship their Lord (Allâh) with humility].
They fear their Lord above them, and they dowhat they are commanded"
[al-Nahl 16:49-50]
So it is not possbile forthe angels to disobey their Lord, because
they are protected from sin and they are naturally inclined to obey
Allaah.
4. The fact that Iblees is not one of the angels
means that heis not compelled to obey Allaah. He has freedom of will
just as we humans do. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);
"Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful"
[al-Insaan 76:3]
There are also Muslims and kaafirs among the jinn. It says in Soorat
al-Jinn (interpretation ofthe meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): 'It has been revealed to me that a group (from
threeto ten in number) of jinnlistened (to this Qur'aan). They said:
'Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recitation (this Qur'aan)! It
guides to the Right Path, and we have believed therein, and we shall
never join (in worship) anything with our Lord (Allaah).'" [al-Jinn
72;1-2]
In the same soorah, it states that the jinn said:
"'And indeed when we heard the Guidance (this Qur'aan), we believed
therein (IslamicMonotheism), and whosoever believes in his Lord shall
have no fear, either of a decreasein the reward of his good deeds or
an increase in the punishment for his sins. And of us some are
Muslims (who have submitted to Allaah, after listening to this
Qur'aan), and of us someare Al-Qaasitoon (disbelievers those who have
deviated from the Right Path)'..." [al-Jinn 72:13-14]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer:
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: Iblees was not one of the angels, not even
for a single moment. He is the father of the jinn, just as Adam (peace
be upon him) is the father of mankind. This was narrated by al-Tabari
with a saheeh isnaad (part 3/89).
Some of the scholars said that Iblees was one of the angels, that he
was the peacock of the angels, that he was the one among the angels
who strove the hardest in worship... and other reports, most of which
come from the Israa'eeliyyaat (stories and reports from Jewish
sources), and some of which contradict the clear texts of the Qur'aan.
Ibn Katheer said, explaining this:
A lot of these reports were transmitted from the Salaf, and most of
them come from the Israa'eeliyyaat, which may be been transmittedin
order to be examined [i.e., as opposed to being accepted as is].
Allaah knows best about the veracity or otherwise of many of them.
Some of them are definitely to be rejected,because they go against the
truth which we hold in our hands. In the Qur'aan we have sufficient so
that we have no need of previous reports, because hardly any of them
are free of distortions, with things added or taken away. Many things
have been fabricated in them, for they did not have peoplewho had
memorized things precisely by heart (huffaaz) who could eliminate the
distortionscreated by extremists and fabricators, unlike this ummah
which has its imaams, scholars, masters, pious and righteous people,
brilliant critics and men of excellent memory who recorded the
hadeeths and classified them, stating whether they were saheeh
(sound), hasan (good), da'eef (weak), mawdoo' (fabricated), matrook
(tobe ignored). They identified the fabricators and liars, andthose
about whom nothing was known, andother kinds of men (i.e., narrators).
All of this afforded protection to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), the Seal of the Messengers and the Leader of
Mankind, so that nothing would be attributed to him falsely and
nothing would be transmitted from him that he did not say or do. May
Allaah be pleased with them and make them pleased [by rewarding them],
and make the Paradise of al-Firdaws their eternal abode. (Tafseer
al-Qur'aan il-'Azeem, 3/90).
And Allaah knows best.
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