سورة الكهف

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Jamil ibn Darraj said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Was Iblis one of the angels, or did he manage some affair of the heavens?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "He was neither of the angels, nor did he manage any affair, nor did he have any honor or dignity."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Dawud ibn Farqad narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "The angels supposed that Satan was one of them, and Allah knew that he was not of them, so He drew out what was in his soul by means of zeal [and anger], when he said: 'You created me from fire and You created him from clay.'"

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): It was said to the Imam (peace be upon him): "So then Iblis was also not an angel?" He said: "No, rather he was of the jinn. Have you not heard Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, say: وَ إِذْ قُلْنا لِلْمَلائِکَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدم فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِیسَ کانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ [And when We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam; they made obeisance but Iblis (did it not). He was of the jinn]."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The angels were engaged in battle with the jinn, and Iblis, while he was small, was taken captive and was with the angels, and along with them he was made to worship by the command to prostrate before Adam (peace be upon him). So the angels prostrated and Iblis refused. For this reason Allah the Exalted said: إِلَّا إِبْلِیسَ کانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ [Except Iblis; he was of the jinn].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah commanded Iblis verbally to prostrate before Adam. Iblis said: "By Your Might! If You exempt me from this act, I will worship You in such a manner that none of Your creatures has ever worshipped You in this way before."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah revealed in Medina the verses concerning fornication: الزَّانِی لا یَنْکِحُ إِلَّا زانِیَةً أَوْ مُشْرِکَةً وَ الزَّانِیَةُ لا یَنْکِحُها إِلَّا زانٍ أَوْ مُشْرِکٌ وَ حُرِّمَ ذلِکَ عَلَی الْمُؤْمِنِینَ [The fornicating man marries none but a fornicating or a polytheist woman, and the fornicating woman — none marries her but a fornicating or a polytheist man; and this has been forbidden to the believers] (al-Nur/3). So Allah did not name the fornicating man or the fornicating woman as a believer. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) — regarding whom none of the people of knowledge has any doubt that he said so — said: 'When the fornicator commits fornication, he is not a believer, and when the thief lays his hand on theft, he is not a believer, because when he commits this sin, faith is stripped from him just as a garment is stripped from the body.' And Allah revealed in Medina thus: وَ الَّذِینَ یَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَناتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ یَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَداءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمانِینَ جَلْدَةً وَ لا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهادَةً أَبَداً وَ أُولئِکَ هُمُ الْفاسِقُونَ إِلَّا الَّذِینَ تابُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ ذلِکَ وَ أَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِیمٌ [And those who accuse chaste women and then do not bring four witnesses [for their claim], flog them with eighty lashes and never accept their testimony, and they are the transgressors — except those who repent after that and make amends [for Allah forgives them], for indeed Allah is Forgiving, Merciful] (al-Nur/54). So as long as he persists in his slander, Allah has kept him far from being ascribed to faith. Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: أَ فَمَنْ کانَ مُؤْمِناً کَمَنْ کانَ فاسِقاً لا یَسْتَوُونَ [Is one who is a believer like one who is a transgressor? No, they are never equal] (al-Sajdah/18). And Allah has made him a hypocrite. Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: إِنَّ الْمُنافِقِینَ هُمُ الْفاسِقُونَ [Indeed the hypocrites — they are the transgressors] (al-Tawbah/67). And Allah the Mighty and Majestic has made him one of the followers of Iblis, and has said: إِلَّا إِبْلِیسَ کانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ [except Iblis; he was of the jinn, so he transgressed the commandment of his Lord]. And He made him accursed and said: إِنَّ الَّذِینَ یَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَناتِ الْغافِلاتِ الْمُؤْمِناتِ لُعِنُوا فِی الدُّنْیا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ لَهُمْ عَذابٌ عَظِیمٌ یَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَیْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَ أَیْدِیهِمْ وَ أَرْجُلُهُمْ بِما کانُوا یَعْمَلُونَ [Indeed those who accuse chaste, unaware, believing women are far from divine mercy in this world and the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment. On the day when their tongues, hands and feet bear witness against them concerning what they used to do] (al-Nur/23-24).

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Among the conversations between Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) and Harun al-Rashid is this: ... Harun said: 'Does Iblis then have offspring and descendants?' He said: 'Yes! Have you not heard this verse: إِلَّا إِبْلِیسَ کانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ أَ فَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَ ذُرِّیَّتَهُ أَوْلِیاءَ مِنْ دُونِی وَ هُمْ لَکُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِئْسَ لِلظَّالِمِینَ بَدَلًا، ما أَشْهَدْتُهُمْ خَلْقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ لا خَلْقَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ ما کُنْتُ مُتَّخِذَ الْمُضِلِّینَ عَضُداً [Except Iblis; he was of the jinn, so he transgressed the commandment of his Lord. Will you then take him and his offspring as guardians rather than Me, while they are enemies to you? Evil is this exchange for the wrongdoers. I did not make them witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor the creation of themselves, nor would I take those who lead astray as helpers]; for they lead the children of Adam (peace be upon him) astray through the adornments of gold and finery and the lies they tell.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jibra'il descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in the house of Umm Salamah and said: 'O Muhammad! A dispute has broken out among the nobles of the angels of the fourth heaven — they are of the jinn, of the people of Iblis, concerning whom Allah has said in His Book: إِلَّا إِبْلِیسَ کانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ [except Iblis; he was of the jinn, so he transgressed the commandment of his Lord].'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When Ali (peace be upon him) intended to march towards Nahrawan, he summoned the people of Kufa and ordered them to encamp at Mada'in. Shabath ibn Rib'i, Amr ibn Hurayth, al-Ash'ath ibn Qays and Jarir ibn Abdullah delayed and said: "Grant us a few days to stay behind for some of our needs, and then we will join you." He said to them: "You have already done it. Shame upon you, O elders! By Allah, you have no need for which you are staying behind. I know what is in your hearts and I will make it plain to you: you wish to hold people back from me. It is as if I see you at al-Khawarnaq, having spread out your dining cloth for a meal, when a lizard passes by you; you order your boys and they hunt it, then you depose me and pledge allegiance to it." Then he set out towards Mada'in, and that group went out to al-Khawarnaq and prepared food, and while they were at their spread-out cloth, a lizard passed by them. They ordered their boys and they caught it and tied it up and wiped their hands on its paw, just as Ali (peace be upon him) had foretold, and then they came to Mada'in. So the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said to them: "Evil is (this) change; Allah on the Day of Resurrection will raise you together with your imam, the lizard to whom you pledged allegiance. It is as if I am looking at you on the Day of Resurrection with your imam, and he is driving you towards the Fire."

Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him): Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him) wrote to Sa'd al-Khayr: Allah takes away the knowledge of the Book from every community that casts His Book aside, and when they turn away from Him, He sets their enemy in authority over them. One form of casting the Qur'an aside is that they recite its letters and words and know them and spread them, but distort its limits and ordinances — they narrate it but do not observe it. The ignorant are pleased with the memorising of narration, while the scholars grieve over the abandoning of its observance. Another form of casting the Qur'an aside is that they place it under the charge and guardianship of those who do not know it, and these guardians drag them into the following of desires and lead them to destruction and alter the bonds of religion, and then make the leadership of religion hereditary until they hand it over to the foolish and to children. So this Muslim community, after Allah commanded them, follows the command and order of people and rejects the command of Allah. Evil is (this) change for the unjust! The guardianship of people after the guardianship of Allah, and the reward of people after the reward of Allah, and the pleasure of people after the pleasure of Allah. And the community became like that, while among them there were people who exerted themselves in worship and servitude to Allah, but they were caught in misguidance and error — seeing only themselves and being sowers of discord, for their worship is a trial for them and for those who follow them.