قالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرني إِلىٰ يَومِ يُبعَثونَ
He said: ‘My Lord! Respite me till the day they will be resurrected.’
EXPOSITION
Blinded by his arrogance and faithlessness, Iblīs did not reply to God’s curse by seeking forgiveness, but rather asked for respite; not respite to repent and make up for his sins, but to further continue his misdeeds. It is interesting to note that despite all this, he still referred to God as My Lord. This shows that faithlessness (kufr) does not necessitate completely denying God or all of His attributes, but it is rebellion against Him and denying even some of His attributes. In the case of Iblīs, this was denying God’s wisdom and sovereignty as we mentioned.
Asking for respite here should mean that he wished to not die until the Day of Resurrection, when the trumpet would be blown a second time, so that he could carry out his plan of misguiding Prophet Adam (a) and his progeny, and to feel victorious when he leads them to hell.
The fact that Iblīs knew about the Day of Resurrection and many other things is a sign that he possessed good knowledge of such things, as would be expected of someone allowed access to the supernal elite.
[1] Nemuneh, 19/342.
[2] Razi, 26/415; Qurtubi, 15/229; Alusi, 12/218.