Surah 34:20
Show Full Scripture Context (34:20-21) — 2 Verses
وَلَقَدۡ صَدَّقَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ إِبۡلِيسُ ظَنَّهُۥ فَٱتَّبَعُوهُ إِلَّا فَرِيقٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ
Certainly Iblīs confirmed his conjecture about them, and they followed him, except for a group of the believers.
وَمَا كَانَ لَهُۥ عَلَيۡهِم مِّن سُلۡطَٰنٍ إِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَن يُؤۡمِنُ بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ مِمَّنۡ هُوَ مِنۡهَا فِي شَكّٖۗ وَرَبُّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٍ حَفِيظٞ
But he had no authority over them, except that We might know the one who believed in the Hereafter from the one who was in doubt about it. Your Lord is a watcher over everything.
Having mentioned Saba’ and how they followed their desires, and the Shay tan, Allah tells us about their counterparts among those who follow Iblls and their own desires, and who go against wisdom and true guidance. Allah says:
Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others said that this Ayah is like the Ayah where Allah tells us about how Iblis refused to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him, then said:
{See this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring all but a few!} (17:62)
{Then I will come to them from before than and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of than as thankful ones.} (7:17)
And there are many Ayat which refer to this matter.
Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said, “This means, he had no proof.”
means, “We gave him power over them only to show who believes in the Hereafter and that it will come to pass.’ The people will be brought to account and rewarded or punished accordingly, so that he will worship his Lord properly in this world - and to distinguish these believers from those who are in doubt about the Hereafter.
means, despite His watching, those who follow Iblis go astray, but by His watching and care, the believers who follow the Messengers are saved.