The Story of Iblis – A Test of Obedience, Arrogance, and Envy

[Fusion]

Dear Folks,
I have been reflecting on the story of Iblis’ refusal to prostrate to Adam, and I find that it opens up many deep discussions, both theological and philosophical. I am sharing my thoughts here, not as a conclusion but as an open discussion, and I would love to hear what others think about this matter.

1. Did Iblis Have a Justification for His Disobedience?

From Iblis’ own point of view, he believed he had a valid reason to reject the command. His argument was

“I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” (Surah Al-A’raf 712)

This tells us a few things about his mindset

• He saw himself as superior due to his nature, believing that fire was more refined than clay.

• He did not see prostration as a command from Allah but as a humiliation.

• He believed he deserved a higher status than Adam and saw this command as unjust.

This reasoning sounds familiar. Imagine a workplace where a senior employee is told to acknowledge a newcomer in a position of authority. The senior employee refuses, believing he is more experienced and deserving. This is a human reaction, but in this case, it wasn’t just about rank—it was about obeying Allah’s command without arrogance.

This raises a question Was Iblis rejecting Adam, or was he actually rejecting Allah’s wisdom?

2. Was Iblis Set Up to Fail?

Some might ask If Allah already knew what Iblis would do, was he destined to fail?

The answer is both yes and no.

Yes, because nothing happens outside Allah’s knowledge and will.
No, because Iblis had free will and made a conscious choice.

This is the same question as “Why does Allah allow humans to sin?”

A teacher gives an exam knowing that some students will pass and some will fail. Does that mean the teacher forced them to fail? No. The students still had free will to study or not.

Similarly, Allah knew what Iblis would choose, but Iblis still had the power to choose.

But this also brings up another issue Was Iblis actually an angel?

3. Free Will and the Iblis Exception – Was He Really an Angel?

The Quran tells us that angels do not disobey Allah

“They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.” (Surah At-Tahrim 666)

So, if angels never disobey, but Iblis did, was he truly an angel? Or was he a unique case?

Some say Iblis was from among the Jinn, but others argue that Jinn is a status, not a separate creation. This leads to some interesting theories

• Was Iblis originally an angel but given free will as a test?

• Was he a high-ranking being among the angels but not exactly one of them?

• Was he simply an exception, and that’s why this whole story is so significant?

There are still many open discussions on this topic, and I think it adds another layer of depth to this whole event.

4. The Oath of Iblis – Acknowledging Allah While Rebelling

One of the most intriguing aspects of this story is that even after rebelling, Iblis takes an oath by Allah Himself

“ said, ‘By Your Might! I will surely mislead them all, except Your chosen servants among them.’” (Surah Sad 3882-83)

This is quite strange when you think about it. Even in his rebellion, Iblis still swears by Allah’s might—meaning he never denied Allah’s existence or power. This shows that Iblis was not a disbeliever in the conventional sense.

Another key observation Iblis knew he could not mislead everyone. He admits that Allah’s chosen ones will remain protected. This suggests that despite his arrogance, Iblis understood his own limits. He knew he could not overpower Allah’s will.

This raises another profound question Does Allah choose certain individuals to be immune from the influence of Iblis? Is this predetermined, or does Allah make this choice based on people's actions?
Say When Allah selects prophets, such as Jesus (peace be upon him), He declares them blessed from the day they are born. This suggests that Allah's selection is not solely based on taqwa (piety) or as a test, but rather, He chooses whom He wills out of His divine wisdom and will. Since Allah does whatever He wills, none can question His decree. Is this understanding correct?

5. The Immortality of Iblis – Is He Still Alive?

Iblis was given a respite until the Day of Judgment

“ said, ‘Grant me respite until the Day they are resurrected.’ said, ‘Indeed, you are of those who are reprieved.’” (Surah Al-Hijr 1536-37)

This means that the original Iblis is still alive today. He is not like ordinary Jinn or humans who die—he has been granted time until the end of this world.

This raises another interesting point

• Iblis is one being, the same one from Adam’s time.

• But there are other Shayateen (devils) that work with him.

• Are these other devils from Jinn? Or are they humans influenced by him?

6. Are Shayateen (Devils) Jinn or Humans?

In the last surah of the Quran, Allah mentions

“From among the devils, from the Jinn and mankind.” (Surah An-Nas 1146)

This means that Shayateen (evil ones) are not only from Jinn but also from humans.

This raises another question

If Jinn were originally angels, why are they mentioned separately from humans?
Does this mean Jinn actually have free will, unlike angels?
If so, what exactly makes a Jinn different from an angel in status?
Again, this is another deep question that might not have a simple answer.

7. The Ultimate Lesson – A Warning for Us

The story of Iblis is not just about an angel (or Jinn) disobeying Allah. It is a direct warning for us, humans.

Iblis was a true believer—he knew Allah, he worshipped Allah, and he spoke directly to Allah. But despite this, his arrogance (Takabbur) and envy (Hasad) led him to Hell.

If this could happen to Iblis, then we humans should be very, very careful.

Takabbur (Arrogance) is dangerous.
Hasad (Envy) is destructive.
Rejecting truth due to pride can destroy faith.

8. Final Thoughts – Should Iblis Have Been Given Another Chance?

Iblis’ downfall wasn’t just about one sin—it was about his attitude.

He refused to accept Allah’s decision.
He didn’t repent, but instead challenged Allah.
He let arrogance (takabbur) and envy (hasad) control him.

This makes me wonder
What if Iblis had repented? Would he have been forgiven like Adam?

Or was his fate sealed because he never even considered apologizing?

And the deeper question—was Iblis’ refusal really about Adam, or was it about rejecting Allah’s command?

Looking forward to your insights.

[good_logic]

Hi Fusion.

All the stuff you wrote is very interesting and the strongest lesson about GOD s authority, kingdom and His creations role /purpose of why they exist.

Iblis is many things, represents many things that are disobedience to GOD s way/ system.

You see brother, billions of people , just in our generation, say they believe in GOD. Among them most of those who claim the Abrahamic religions- Jews, Christians, Traditional Muslims...-Yet they act /do the Opposite of what GOD s message asks of them to do.

That is exactly what Iblis did/ does. Iblis was/is certain GOD exist, yet made the decision to oppose GOD s way/system.

Same as multitudes of folks who are making decisions that are from other gods/systems and are following Iblis and their egos and deliberately or blindly opposing the one religion"Islam/submission" to GOD s system.

Their "ego" does not accept surrender to an all knowing .all powerful and Merciful GOD, the Creator and sustainer of all the realms and domains of existence. Yet they easily surrender to lesser human beings/systems of lying devils and false hope.
They refuse to "hear and obey" the strongest and only power/GOD their creator and are hell bent on living their own choices and decisions that will lead to their own demise and destruction.

They live in a delusion that they are special and in a false security and ignore all the lessons and warnings from the Creator that they are on borrowed time awaiting a final judgement on what they do and how they fared in this life experiment.

Yes brother, it comes down to only two choices for us humans.
1- Iblis system - opposing GOD- and living according to our own whims and desires , following the "Taghout/Iblis way.
2- Surrender to GOD Alone and lead our life following the straight path ,the best way indicated to us in GOD s message and accepting accountability and responsibility in our life. Being certain our meeting with GOD will happen after our death.

This is what our freedom of choice amounts to in the end.
GOD bless you.
Peace.

[Emre_1974tr]

1- "Satan" is a descriptive name given to the wicked among jinn and humans.

2- Jinn are biological beings like humans, but they have some different physical characteristics and abilities.

3- I have explained the topic of destiny and free will in detail in this article https//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9612698.msg444702#msg444702

4- Iblis is a jinn.

5- Iblis is a narcissist, and I have explained this narcissism topic in this articlehttps//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9612021.0