Draft:Qur'an 2:34
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-Baqara (Qur'an 2) |
| Verse | 34 |
| Juz' | 1 |
| Topic | Prostration of angels to Adam and disobedience of Iblis |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 15:29, Qur'an 38:72, Qur'an 7:11, Qur'an 7:12, Qur'an 18:50, Qur'an 17:61, Qur'an 15:31 |
Qur'an 2:34 recounts God's command to the angels to prostrate before Adam (a). While the angels unanimously complied with the divine order, Iblis refused. This act of disobedience was rooted in his arrogance and self-aggrandizement.[1][2]
In his interpretation of the phrase "wa kana min al-kafirin" (and he was one of the faithless), Allama Tabataba'i posits that the disbelief of Iblis was a concealed state which God exposed through this test.[3] Fundamentally, it was Iblis's underlying disbelief that precipitated his disobedience and rebellion, rather than the rebellion causing him to fall into disbelief.[4] Other scholars argue that if the verb "kana" indicates a continuous past state, it implies Iblis was a disbeliever from the outset and never intended to prostrate to Adam (a). However, if "kana" is interpreted as "sara" (became), the verse signifies that Iblis joined the ranks of the disbelievers subsequent to his rebellion.[5]
| “ | وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ
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” |
| “ | And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they prostrated, but not Iblis: he refused and acted arrogantly, and he was one of the faithless.
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” |
| — Qur'an 2:34 | ||
Exegetes maintain that Qur'an 2:34 highlights the nobility and exalted status of the human station, illustrating that upon the completion of creation, God commanded the angels to bow before humanity.[6] Adam possesses the potential to attain a station surpassing that of all angels, becoming the manifestation of all divine names;[7] conversely, Iblis perceived only Adam's corporeal form and failed to recognize the reality of his spiritual essence.[8] Commenting on this verse, Murtada Mutahhari asserts: "Whoever denies the human station is Iblis."[9]
Scholars clarify that the angels' prostration to Adam (a) was ultimately directed toward God, the Creator of such a being, rather than serving as an act of worship directed at Adam (a) himself. This prostration signified humility and deference;[10] it is also interpreted as a gesture of honor, acknowledging Adam's worthiness of divine vicegerency, distinct from ritual worship.[11]
Notes
- ↑ Qurashī Bunābī, Qāmūs-i Qur'ān, 1412 AH, vol. 1, p. 227.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Manshūr-i jāwīd, Qom, vol. 11, p. 63.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 1, p. 122.
- ↑ Ṭāliqānī, Partowī az Qur'ān, 1362 Sh, vol. 1, p. 125.
- ↑ Qurashī Bunābī, Tafsīr aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1375 Sh, vol. 1, p. 96.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 1, p. 182.
- ↑ Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, "Tafsīr-i Qur'ān-i Karīm, Sura Baqara, āyāt 30-40", p. 7.
- ↑ Mujtabā'ī, "Iblīs dar adab-i Fārsī wa 'irfān", vol. 2, under the entry.
- ↑ Muṭahharī, Walāhā wa wilāyathā, 1369 Sh, p. 68.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 1, p. 183.
- ↑ Qurashī Bunābī, Tafsīr aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1375 Sh, vol. 1, p. 95.
References
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir, Tafsīr-i nimūna, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1371 Sh.
- Maybudī, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, Kashf al-asrār wa 'uddat al-abrār, Effort: 'Ali Asghar Ḥikmat, Tehran, Amīr Kabīr, 1371 Sh.
- Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, Muḥammad Taqī, "Tafsīr-i Qur'ān-i Karīm, Sura Baqara, āyāt 30-40", No. 2, Year 3, Autumn and Winter 1389 Sh.
- Mujtabā'ī, Fatḥ Allāh, "Iblīs dar adab-i Fārsī wa 'irfān", Tehran, Dā'irat al-Ma'ārif-i Buzurg-i Islāmī, Markaz-i Dā'irat al-Ma'ārif-i Buzurg-i Islāmī, N.d.
- Muṭahharī, Murtaḍā, Walāhā wa wilāyathā, N.p, 1369 Sh.
- Qurashī Bunābī, Sayyid 'Alī Akbar, Qāmūs-i Qur'ān, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1412 AH.
- Qurashī Bunābī, Sayyid 'Alī Akbar, Tafsīr aḥsan al-ḥadīth, Tehran, Bunyād-i Bi'that, 1375 Sh.
- Subḥānī, Ja'far, Manshūr-i jāwīd, Qom, Mu'assisa-yi Imam Sadiq (a), N.d.
- Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn, Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān, Beirut, Mu'assisa al-A'lamī li-l-Maṭbū'āt, 1390 AH.
- Tahrānī, Mīrzā Jawād Āqā, "Tafsīr-i sūra-yi Baqara āya 34", Āfāq-i Nūr, No. 7, Spring and Summer, 1387 Sh.
- Ṭāliqānī, Maḥmūd, Partowī az Qur'ān, Tehran, Shirkat-i Sahāmī-yi Intishār, 1362 Sh.