Then, the Qur’an has pointed to another part of this story,...

Then, the Qur’an has pointed to another part of this story, when the verse says: “And when We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate to Adam’, they (all) prostrated except Iblis; he refused.” Here, by this statement, the great rank and position of Adam is made manifest, Adam whom all angels prostrated for. Moreover, the enmity of Iblis against him, from very beginning, is also manifested.

There is no doubt that prostration, in the sense of worship, is allocated to Allah (s.w.t.), and besides Allah no one and nothing can be worshipped. Thus, the prostration of angels was done before Allah (s.w.t.), but for the sake of the creation of this great creature, Adam, who was eligible of the praise of that Creator.

Surah Ta Ha – Verses 117 - 119 فَقُلْنَا يَآ ادَمُ إِنَّ هَذَا عَدُوٌّ لَكَ وَلِزَوْجِكَ فَلاَ يُخْرِجَنَّكُمَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَتَشْقَي إِنَّ لَكَ أَلاَّ تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلاَ تَعْرَي وَأَنَّكَ لاَ تَظْمَؤُا فِيهَا وَلاَ تَضْحَي 117. “Then We said: ‘O Adam! Verily this is an enemy to you and to your wife. Therefore let him not expel you both from the Garden so that you come to toil.” 118. “(For) verily you will be neither hungry therein, nor naked.” 119.

“And that you shall not be thirsty therein nor suffer (the beat of) the sun.” Here, Satan has been introduced as the enemy of Adam and Eve alone, but in some other occurrences of the Qur’an his enmity unto all humankind has been warned. For example, Surah Al-’Isra’, No.

17, verse 53 says: “…Verily the Satan is an open enemy to man.” The objective meaning of the word /tašqa/ (you come to toil), mentioned here, is the toils of the material life, which is understood from the next verses, where it says that there is not any hanger or thirst or nakedness in Heaven. This statement means that if you be sent out from Heaven, you will surely be involved with toil.

However, this verse indicates that Adam (as) was warned by Allah (s.w.t.) to be careful of the enmity of Satan. The holy verse says: “Then We said: ‘O Adam! Verily this is an enemy to you and to your wife.

Therefore let him not expel you both from the Garden so that you come to toil.” Then Allah explains for Adam the comfort of Heaven and the toil and pain of the outside of it, as follows: “(For) verily you will be neither hungry therein, nor naked.” “And that you shall not be thirsty therein nor suffer (the beat of) the sun.” In the abovementioned couple of verses, the Qur’an has pointed to four elementary and essential necessities of man, i.e.

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