[30:8] Why do they not reflect on themselves? God did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them, except for a specific purpose, and for a specific life span. However, most people, with regard to meeting their Lord, are disbelievers.
[46:3] We have not created the heavens and the earth, and also what is between them except with the truth and for an appointed term. And those who have disbelieved from what they have been warned are those who are turning away.
[67:2] The One who created death and life for the purpose of distinguishing those among you who would do better. He is the Almighty, the Forgiving.
God created the planet earth as Satan’s dominion and created human beings as Satan’s constituents. God gave human beings free will and they could, therefore, choose Satan as their master, if this was their will. We can either join in Satan’s point of view which is that God alone is not enough, or choose the only true point of view which is that God alone is enough.
[2:30] Recall that your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a representative (a temporary god) on Earth.” They said, “Will You place therein one who will spread evil therein and shed blood, while we sing Your praises, glorify You, and uphold Your absolute authority?” He said, “I know what you do not know.”
This verse includes 1 important Arabic word and 2 phrases that we need to reflect to interpret the real message in the verse are as follows:
- khalifatan – a ‘representative’ (who exercises his power granted by a Supreme Command). In other words, the Satan has been sent down to act as a temporary god on earth in testing purpose as well as to expose more evidences on his desperateness and arrogance on earth to ensure his due punishment.
- a-taj’alu feehaa man yuf’sidu feehaa wa-yasfikul- dimaa-a – Will You place therein one who will spread evil therein and shed blood?
- qaala innee a’lamu maa laa ta’lamun – He said,”I know what you do not know.”
This verse indicates a discussion of God with angels who were aware that the Satan was evil but they were not aware what is not shared with them. However, the Arabic word “Khalifatan” translated to ‘human’ instead of ‘Satan’ by many translators is a misinterpretation as they fail to understand that God’s rebels both humans and jinns exposed through tests in the High Society were sent down to the earth for their final chance to redeem their sins. God knew that both groups deserve a chance to be redeemed, even the angels had a different view (51:56):
[51:56] And I have not created the jinn and the human except that they worship Me.
A certain number of humans believes in the existence of God while a lesser number believes in the existence of Satan. However, they both differ in their concept and understanding of God as well as their concept of Satan. All of us who claim to believe in God should examine whether our beliefs conform to God’s commandments and laws or Satan’s corrupted religious teachings and decrees.
Belief in God dictates that we must readily believe in God and obey His commandments as given in His Scripture. The majority of humans, however, while professing to believe in God, have given themselves over to Satan, and the majority follows religious regulations, laws, commandments and rituals, which originate from Satan, not from God. In failing to follow the commandments of God, while adhering to laws of other than God, they effectively believe and practice what Satan advocates and dictates. Satan has not only claimed but he has possessed the majority of the humans despite clear warning given by God (7:27):
[7:27] O children of Adam, do not let the devil dupe you as he did when he caused the eviction of your parents from Paradise, and the removal of their garments to expose their bodies. He and his tribe see you, while you do not see them. We appoint the devils as companions of those who do not believe.
[17:62] He (Satan) said, “Do You (God) see this whom You have honored him (Adam) over me? If You respite me till the Day of Resurrection, I (Satan) will surely ruin (all) his descendants, except a few.”
[12:103] Most people, no matter what you do, will not believe.
[12:106] The majority of those who believe in God do not do so without committing idol worship.
God has also warned us that the Satan is our ardent enemy (7:22) who has been respite until the Day of Judgment to continue his villainous activities on earth for testing purpose. However, the Satan, a temporary god on earth has not given any opportunity to be redeemed except to respite him until the Day of Judgment.
[7:14-15] He said, “Grant me a respite, until the Day of Resurrection.”He said, “You are granted a respite.”
[15:36-37] He said, “My Lord, respite me until the day they are resurrected.”He said, “You are respited.”
[38:79-80] He said, “My Lord, respite me till the Day of Resurrection.” He said, “You are respited.”
Satan’s wish to lead us all astray and God has taught us to seek refuge in Him to be protected from him when he conspires us any evil:
[23:97-98] Say, “My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the whispers of the devils. And I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they come near me.”
Our salvation is attained by knowing God’s message to us, the Quran, and Satan will do his utmost to prevent us from understanding His message to keep us from being redeemed. Hence, our sincerity is the precondition to grasp God’s laws and teachings:
[16:98] When you read the Quran, you shall seek refuge in God from Satan the rejected.
[56:79] None can grasp it except the sincere.
The angels are the most faithful servants of God, who serve the Throne 24 hours. When the angels were commanded to prostrate Adam, they all obeyed God’s command and accepted God’s absolute authority except Iblees. Thus, Iblees failed to keep his covenant with God as an angel and became a Satan. His God given power made him proud and arrogant. He was identified as the number 1 rebel of God’s kingdom and was included with the jinn as their leader since the Jinn had already been exposed as God’s rebels in the earlier test:
[7:11] We created you, then we shaped you, then we said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam.” They fell prostrate, except Iblees (Satan); he was not with the prostrators.
[7:12] He said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?” He said, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and created him from mud.”
[18:50] And when we said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam,” so they fell prostrate, except Satan. He became a jinn as he disobeyed the order of his Lord. Will you then choose him and his descendants as protectors other than Me, while they are enemies to you all? Miserable for the wicked is the substitute!
There is a purpose behind everything God created but we may or may not understand the purpose (2:216) because of our limited knowledge or lack of our sincere intention and efforts. God made Satan a temporary god on earth. The God given power made him proud, arrogant and disobedient in the High Society. He believed that his God-given powers qualified him to serve as an independent god. When such innermost thought of Satan was exposed through test (7:12), he was sent down with other rebels of God to expose him to be an incompetent god. As evidenced by the prevalence of misery, chaos, corruptions, disease, accidents, and war in his dominion, we now know that Satan is an incompetent god.God’s rebels both humans and jinns are given opportunity on earth to redeem their sins but Satan, a temporary god on earth has not given any opportunity to be redeemed except to respite him until the Day of Judgment. Thus, Satan and his allies have to face their miserable consequences on the Day of Judgment (7:18, 17:63). However, we can avoid these miserable consequences not being allies of Satan just to follow His guidance as decreed for us at the time of our descent from Paradise to earth.
[2:38] We said, “Go down from here, all of you. So when guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever has followed My guidance (scripture or any other forms),is there no fear for them, nor will they grieve.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (4/3/2015)