How did Iblis and the angels know the viceroy would do harm and shed blood on earth as sura 2
says?
From:
http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=showfatwa&Option=FatwaId&Id=84962
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Commentators of the Qur'an mentioned several interpretations of Allah's statement:
{And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth." They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, - while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You." He (Allâh) said: "I know that which you do not know."} [2: 30].
First, Angels said the above-stated in the verse after He, The Exalted, has informed them of the nature of the offspring of
Adam (
) whose nature is to shed blood and to make mischief on earth. This is narrated from
Ibn Abbas ,
Ibn Masoud , Ibn Juraij , Ibn Zaid and others as recorded by
al-Qurtubi and
Ibn Kathir . It is reported that Allah said to the Angels:
"I will Create a vicegerent on earth". The Angels said: 'What are the qualities and nature of that vicegerent?' Allah said: "His offspring will make mischief on earth, envy one another and kill one another" .
Qatada added:
'Allah, The Exalted, has informed the Angels that the coming creatures on earth will make mischief and shed blood. For such a reason they said: 'Will you place on earth those who will make mischief on earth?' .
Second, when the Angels heard the word Khalifa (vicegerent), they deduced that some of the offspring of
Adam will make mischief, since the Khalifa is meant for reform and giving-up corruption, establishing justice among people and deterring them from doing prohibitions.
Third,
al-Qurtubi (may Allah's Mercy be upon him) and other scholars reported that the Angels witnessed and knew the mischief and bloodshed done by the Jinn, who were living on earth before the creation of
Adam . Thus, He Sent the Devil, before becoming a disbeliever, and his followers against the Jinn, who resorted islands and edges of mountains. Then, He Created
Adam and placed him on earth. This narration is from
Ibn Abbas and
Abu al-Aliyah .
Then, it should be known that such a saying of the Angels, i.e. about the creation of
Adam and his being a Khalifa on earth, does not constitute an objection to Allah's Will. It, according to
Ibn Kathir (May Allah's Mercy be upon him) is a form of inquiry that aims at recognizing wisdom behind the act of Divine Order. In other words, the Angels say: 'What is the wisdom of creating such beings, although they make mischief and shed blood on earth?' Then, if the goal is to worship You, then we (Angels) glorify You with praises and thanks and sanctify You, i.e. pray to You and Obey You, why isn't Your choice limited to us?
Allah, The Exalted, has replied them with:
{"I know that which you do not know."} .
This verse indicates that Allah knows what His Creatures do not know, even the evil they mentioned (making mischief on earth and bloodshed). He knows that the creation of
Adam on earth constitutes a vital interest to life on earth, since He will send Prophets and Messengers from among the offspring of
Adam .
In addition, there will be the righteous, worshippers, scholars, lovers of Allah and followers of His Messengers (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam).
Allah knows best.
Roasted Cashew said:
If Allah ordered the angels to prostrate, why does it matter if Iblis didn't prostrate..He is not an angel. How did he then disobey the command. Please do clarify this for me.
Please note that the following are merely suggestions and not anything concrete, as I don't know how reliable the sources are.
I think this one is answering a slightly different question but may be relevant here also. It is attributed to Dr. Zakir Naik:
The English translation of the first part of the verse ‘We said to the angels bow down to Adam: they bowed down except Iblis’, gives us the impression that Iblis was an angel. The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic. In Arabic grammar there is a rule known as Tagleeb, according to which, if the majority is addressed, even the minority is included. If for example, I address a class containing 100 students of whom 99 are boys and one is a girl, and if I say in Arabic that the boys should stand up, it includes the girl as well. I need not mention her seperately.
Similarly in the Qur’an, when Allah addressed the angels, even Iblis was present, but it is not required that he be mentioned separately. Therefore according to that sentence Iblis may be an angel or may not be an angel, but we come to know from Surah Al Kahf chapter 18 verse 50 that Iblis was a Jinn. No where does the Qur’an say Iblis was an angel. Therefore there is no contradiction in the Qur’an.
Another explanation:
Allow us to relate an example to make the point clear. When the ruling authority or central government appoints a Governor to a certain district, it is normal protocol that all the Generals of the army located in that district would have to come and salute the civilian Governor appointed by the central government. And when the General of the army salutes the civilian governor, it is only obvious those who hold ranks which are junior to the ‘General’, all the Captains, Majors, and soldiers of the army would also have to salute whom their General is commanded to salute!
Similarly, when Allah Subhanah Commanded the Angels to bow down to Adam (a.s.), all of those present who were junior in rank to the Angels were automatically included in that Command of their Lord Creator.
A third explanation similar to above:
When Allah Most Exalted commanded angels to prostrate before Adam, Satan was also included in this command. For although he was not of their kind, he resembled them and performed their deeds. Therefore, Satan was also counted as addressee to this command which was directed to angels. And he was condemned because he did not fulfill the command.
And Allaah (swt) knows best.
