Surah 18

Surah 18:50

"(Remember) when We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam,’ and they prostrated themselves, except Iblīs. He was one of the jinn, and acted wickedly (against) the command of his Lord. Do you take him and his descendants as allies instead of Me, when they are your enemy? Evil is the exchange for the evildoers!"
The Story of Adam and Iblis Verses 18:50
Show Full Scripture Context (18:50) — 1 Verse
Verse 50

وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسۡجُدُواْ لِأٓدَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِبۡلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنۡ أَمۡرِ رَبِّهِۦٓۗ أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓ أَوۡلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِي وَهُمۡ لَكُمۡ عَدُوُّۢۚ بِئۡسَ لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ بَدَلٗا

(Remember) when We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam,’ and they prostrated themselves, except Iblīs. He was one of the jinn, and acted wickedly (against) the command of his Lord. Do you take him and his descendants as allies instead of Me, when they are your enemy? Evil is the exchange for the evildoers!

Allah points out to the Children of Adam the enmity of Iblis towards them and their father before them, and rebukes those who follow him and go against their Creator and Master. It is He who created them from nothing and sustains and nourishes them by His kindness, yet they still took Iblis as their friend and declared their enmity towards Allah. So Allah says:

iAnd (remember) when We said to the angels},

meaning all the angels, as was mentioned in the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah.W

iProstrate yourselves unto Adam} a prostration of respect and honour, as Allah says:

iAnd (remember) when your Lord said to the angels, “1 am going to create a human (Adam) from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud. So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him the soul which I created for him, then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him.} [15:28-29]

4So they prostrated themselves except Iblis . He was one of the Jinn;}

meaning, his original nature betrayed him. He had been created from smokeless fire, whereas the angels had been created from light, as is stated in Sahih Muslim where it is reported that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said that the Messenger of Allah sjg said:

«The angels were created from light, Iblis was created from smokeless fire, and Adam was created from that ivhich has been described to you .» [1 ' !

When matters are crucial, every vessel leaks that which it contains and is betrayed by its true nature. Iblis used to do what the angels did and resembled them in their devotion and worship, so he was included when they were addressed, but he disobeyed and went against what he was told to do. 'So Allah points out here that he was one of the Jinn, i.e., he was created from fire, as He says elsewhere:

$1 am better than he. You created me from fire, and Yowl created him from c/ay.^[38:76]

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “Iblis was not one of the angels, not even for a second. He was the origin of the Jinn just as Adajm, upon him be peace, was the origin of mankind.” This was narrated by Ibn Jaiir with a Sahih chain. 12 '

ihe disobeyed the command of his Lord .}
meaning by stepping beyond the bounds of obedience to Allah. Fisq (disobeying) implies going out or stepping beyond. When the date emerges from its flower, the verb used in Arabic^ is Fasaqat, the same verb is used to describe a mouse coming out of its hole when it comes out to do damage. Then Allah says, rebuking those who follow and obey Iblis:

iWill you then take him and his offspring as protectors am helpers rather than Me}

meaning, instead of Me. This is why Allah says:

iWhat an evil is the exchange for the wrongdoers.}

This is like the Ayah in Surah Yd Sin where, after mentioning

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.