Surah 15 Al-Hijr — Ayah 32
قَالَ يَٰٓإِبْلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلَّا تَكُونَ مَعَ ٱلسَّٰجِدِينَ
[Allah] said, O Iblees, what is [the matter] with you that you are not with those who prostrate?"
qāla yāib'līsu mā laka allā takūna maʿa l-sājidīna
Word by word
- قَالَ qāla He said
- يَـٰٓإِبْلِيسُ yāib'līsu O Iblis
- مَا mā What
- لَكَ laka (is) for you
- أَلَّا allā that not
- تَكُونَ takūna you are
- مَعَ maʿa with
- ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ l-sājidīna those who prostrated
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The creation of Adam, the Command to the Angels to prostrate to Him, and the Rebellion of Iblis
Allah informs us of how He mentioned Adam to His angels before He created him, and how He honored him by commanding the angels to prostrate to him. He mentions how His enemy Iblis, amidst all the angels, refused to prostrate to him out of envy, disbelief, stubbornness, arrogance, and false pride. This is why Iblis said:
(I am not one to prostrate myself to a human, whom You created from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.) this is like when he said,
(I am better than him (Adam), You created me from Fire and him You created from clay.)(7:12) and
("Do you see this one whom You have honored above me...") 17:62