قالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغوِيَنَّهُم أَجمَعينَ
He said: ‘By Your might, I will surely pervert them.
EXEGESIS
Bi-ʿizzatika (by your might) comes from ʿizzah, which we discussed on the commentary of verse 2. The word harkens back to the theme of conceit and reminds us that the Meccan elite were foolish to think they could defy God’s might. The prefix bi (by) here is for swearing an oath.
La-ughwiyannahum (I will surely pervert them) comes from ighwāʾ, meaning to stop someone from reaching their goal. Iblīs perverts people by making evil things seem desirable and encouraging them to engage in those acts. The meaning of this is understood by comparing it to its sister verses: my Lord! As You have consigned me to perversity, I will surely glamorise [evil] for them (15:39), and I will surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path (7:16). Hence, as we said, the way Iblīs wishes to pervert people is by making evil seem good and by inciting them to leave the straight path. His power is no more than this.
The oath as well as the lām and nūn of emphasis used in the verb all underline that Iblīs was determined in the course he had chosen for himself.
EXPOSITION
Once again we are reminded that Iblīs’ faithlessness was not one of denying God completely. Here he swears to God By Your might. Despite his defiance, he still realised that everything is under God’s control and there is no power except by Allah (18:39). Indeed, this type of faithlessness is even worse, as someone who has knowledge of God and turns away is the true definition of kufr. However, as is to be expected, Iblīs’ understanding of this lofty concept was perverted; for more on this see the Review of Tafsīr Literature section.
This verse tells us the reason why Iblīs wished to be given respite, and that was to prove God wrong and to try to show that all of Adam’s (a) progeny would follow in his footsteps.
For more, see the commentary on verse 7:16.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Rāzī argues that in this verse Iblīs is displaying a belief in free will, by attributing his role in misguidance of people to himself. In another verse he says: my Lord! As You have consigned me to perversity, I will surely glamorise [evil] for them (15:39), which indicates he subscribes to jabr (determinism). According to Rāzī, this is contradictory and that is due to Iblīs being confused.
This may not be the best understanding of the verses though. The apparent meanings of the two verses are not contradictory (and attributing this supposed contradiction to Iblīs is not a good solution here in any case, as it is, in reality, claiming that the Quran is giving two contradictory accounts). Firstly, we may note that in Sūrat al-Ḥijr Iblīs blames God for misguiding him, and then promises to also misguide people because of that. Looking at this verse more closely, we realise it is no different to that, except that instead of mentioning as You have consigned me to perversity (aghwaytanī) we are told that he swears by God’s might. Both are in reality saying the same thing. When Iblīs swears that he will misguide by God’s might, he in fact means that God is to blame for all misguidance. Hence, in reality, he is subscribing to a deterministic view in both verses; this latter is more general though and includes other than himself. In other words, combining the two verses, he is saying: ‘God, You have misguided me, and by Your power I will misguide them, so You are in fact to blame for my misguidance and theirs, because it is all happening by Your leave.’
One might be surprised as to why Iblīs would hold a deterministic attitude, but in fact it is a most natural outcome of conceit. The proud never wish to admit their own mistakes, always seeking to blame others for any failures. In this case Iblīs found God to be a convenient scapegoat to justify his doomed fate. This is a perversion of the concept of God’s might, and an excuse used by the sinful to do away with their own responsibility. It is a satanic ploy that unfortunately some religious people fall prey to.
Looking at it from another angle, Iblīs is seeking to blame all that happened on God. God misled him by creating him the way He did. By making him from fire and making him powerful and then telling him to prostrate to the weak man, God had – in Iblīs’ mind – set him up for misguidance. He thus blamed God for his damnation. When he swore to misguide all of mankind, he is building on this same concept. Again, God had in his mind created man poorly as well, making him weak and prone to follow his desires. So Iblīs blames mankind’s misguidance on God as well, saying he will mislead them By Your might. God’s might created the deficient man, and Iblīs decided he was going to prove that supposed deficiency.
Finally, Makārim Shīrāzī raises the question as to the philosophy of the existence of Iblīs. He answers that it is part of mankind’s spiritual development and growth. Just like we must be tested in this world, Satan also tests a believer’s determination. Like the soldier who gains experience on the battlefield, or the athlete who trains in competition, true greatness is achieved when one is tested and pushed to their limits. If bacteria and other assailants did not train our body’s immune system it would wilt and wither. Satan is one such means of testing mankind. Unlike what Iblīs argues though, this was not a duty thrust upon him, rather he was created sinless and with great potential, enough to rise to the position of the supernal elite. God does not create anything inherently evil. However Satan, in his pride and conceit, chose to abandon all of that and set himself on the path of damnation. So too will be the end of anyone who chooses to follow him, for they are not forced by anyone either.
[1] Mizan, 17/227; Alusi, 12/218.
[2] Tibyan, 8/584.
[3] Razi, 26/415.
[4] Nemuneh, 19/347.