Who IS Satan ?
The first chapter of “ who is satan ? ” : In contrast to the vulgar belief that satan an angel , Quran says , “ They (angels) bowed themselves , save satan ( Iblis ) ; he was one of the jinn , and committed ungodliness against his lord’s command :
فسجدوا الا ابليس ” ( The Cave : 50 ) . But why was he amonge angels ? According to Islamic narratives , it was because of his numerous worships that he not only deserved to be amonge angels , but also became their teacher . One narrative states that Satan was not an angel ; however , the angel saw him as an angel . ( safinah al –Bahar ; vol. : I , p. : 98 ) .
According to another narrative , such an advantage and honour was due to the satan’s long , continued worships – about six thousand years which they might have been like the Resurrection Day years ; hence , it would count to million years , according to our years . ( Nahj al – Balaghah : Speech 192 ) . “ Learn from what God did to Satan , and ruined all his worships . And it was because of Satan’s disobdiency and vanity ” , said Imam al – Ali concerning satan’s worships and his ending ( Nahj al – Balaghah : speech 192 ) .
Why did Satan disobey God ? Before answering the question , we had better discuss if God is conscious of people’s inner intention disposition and characteristic or not . God is well aware of people’s mind ; hence , he knew that Satan’s worships were superficial and not rooted in his conscience , and that he would finally disobey God .
However , since God is just and never punish anyone before doing a sin [ punishing because God knows s/he will commit that sin in future ] , and that God never hurries to pass a Judgement about sinfuls in order to give them an opportunity to repent . God who knew Satan is an evil creature , and finally would fait one of God’s ordeals , rewarded him at the very moment of worshipping ; hence , he would not have claim on God for any reward in the Judgement Day . Satan is the first person who preferred selfworship to God – worship , and selfishness to obedience .
God tries his seteemed angles by his special divinity and power to distinguish the humbles and obdients from the disobdients and unrulies . God said , “ I created a human made of old clay ( soil ) , then , blew from my own spirit . Now , bow down to him ”. All the angels bowed down except Satan whose self – conceit made him be proud of his own creation , proud of his nature – fire . Therefore , he became God’s enemy , pattern of fanatics , and the old leader of haughties satan is one who founded the baseless , illogical fanaticism . He wanted to compete with God in divinity grab ; he took off humbleness grab and wore power seeking grab . ( Nahj al – Balagh : speech 192 ) . We can deduce from Imam al – Ali’s statements that God was well – aware of Satan’s inner characteristics and qualities , but did not announce ordeal time . God gave him the opportunity , so that he might reform his inner faults and improve his short comings . We even consider Satan’s magnificence and rank as an ordeal and test for him which he failed it [ A test to show if he takes advantages of it to in crease his obedience and devotion , or he misuses it and rebles against God ] , an ordeal through which Satan revealed his real personality , and disputed with God and said , “ He said , what do you think of this whom you have honored above me ”, ( The Night Journey : 62 ) Satan’s disobedience was not because of the difference between their quality ( one made of soil , and one made of fire ) , but it was his vanity and insolence which did not let him see anyone superior to himself .
Also, Satan’s disobedience was not due to his being fond of God , or that he could not imagin any rival for God [ a justification said by somme people ] . He thought God is indeed of his worships and if another creature – superior to him – had existed , he no longer could have considered God needing his prayers . Consequently , not only did he not bow down to Adam and disobeyed God , but also he initiated a long term hostility to God . Satan protested to God because of creating a higher ranking creature than him , and expressed his objection by saying , “ I am superior to him since you created me from fire , and made him out of soil :
" قَـالَ اَنَا خَيرٌٌ مِنهُ خَلقتَني مِن نّارٍِِِِِ و خَلَقتَهُ مِن طينٍ " ( suad : 76 )
Was it necessary to bow down to Adam ? was it not a kind of worshipping Adam [ instead of God ] ?
When God orders somebody ( a creature ) , his order is an obligation and disobedience is a sin . According to Imam al – Ali’s statement in Nahj al Balaghah , first speech , God asked the angels for his trust which was bowing down to Adam and showing humility to Adam’s superiority and greatness . The angels did bow down to Adam , not as a God , but as a sign of God’s almighty and power . Is not it the case that when we see a beautiful , wonderful creature or discover one of the surprising secrets of galaxies , and admire and worship God’s almighty by saying “ God is greater [ than to be described ] ( Allah Akbar ) : الله اكبر ” or “ There is no God , but Allah ( La Allah Ela Allah ) : لا اله الا الله ” ?
At time of Adam’s creation , bowing down to Adam was a kind of worshipping GOD , TOO . “ Angels’ bowing was not because of their obedience to Adam , but an acknowledgement of Adam’s superiority which was a commiseration donated by God’s , said Imam al – Kazim ( Tafsir al – Mizan ; vol. : II; p. : 124 ) . Also, as what Imam al – Ali said bowing to Adam was a mean by which God distinguished devouted , obedient angels from the disobedient , hypocrite ones . The angels’ bowing was actually God’s servitude and obdiency , and not worshipping Adam . Adam was not angels’ creature so that we compare their deed to idolators who create something and then worship it . Besides , their bowing was neither according to their desire , nor was it because of worshipping Adam . Moreover , Satan’s disobedience was not because he did not want to worship anyone except God , but because he considered Adam inferior to himself since bowing down to Adam was obedience to God , thus , Satan’s rejecting to bow was disobeying God . this is why God sent him out of his court – “ Get out of here , because we severely deported you ” Regarding the mentioned verses ( also, the verse 13 of the Battlement : “ So go you forth , you are among the humbled ” , we conclude that bowing down to Adam was an important worship which angels’ rejecting to do it , would lead to their being deported from God’s court . In the next chapter , we will disuss Stan’s dialogue with God and God’s order concerning him .
