bhai, this is a very challenging question and has to be answered with a lot of wisdom. this brother is seeking logical answers and has to be answered to his satisfaction.

IT HAS TAKEN ME ABOUT 2 ½ DAYS TO FORMULATE THIS ANSWER. I DO HOPE THAT YOU AND THE BROTHER WHO ASKED THESE QUESTIONS IS SATISFIED WITH THE ANSWERS. IN DOING THE RESEARCH FOR THESE ANSWERS, ALLAH SUBHANAH HAS OPENED MY HEART TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF MANY NEW ASPECTS . ALLAH SUBHANAH IS INDEED GREAT AND MERCIFUL BEYOND COMPREHENSION!

YOUR HUMBLE BROTHER IS ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES YOU AND THE ISLAMHELPLINE TEAM HAS CREATED FOR ME TO SERVE IN THIS NOBLE CAUSE. MAY ALLAH BLESS YOU ALL AND BESTOW UPON YOU ALL THE BEST AND THE HIGHEST GARDENS IN AL-FIRDAUS. AND ABOVE ALL, MAY ALLAH SUBHANAH BLESS MY TEACHER AND MY BROTHER SHAIKH HAFIZ SAHEB, WHO HAS NEVER EVER HESITATED TO SHARE HIS INVALUABLE TIME AND KNOWLEDGE AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY AND NIGHT! HIS DEDICATION TO THIS CAUSE NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME, AND HIS PATIENCE AND STEADFASTNESS TO THE CAUSE IS NOTHING BUT INSPIRING TO SAY THE LEAST!

OF ALL THE 2800+ ANSWERS I MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN IN THE PAST, I MUST ADMIT THAT THE WRITING OF NO ANSWER GAVE ME MORE PLEASURE THAN THIS ONE. ALLAH IS INDEED THE GREATEST WHO HAS MADE THIS HUMBLE EFFORT FAIR-SEAMING AND ALLURING IN OUR EYES, AND IN ABSOLUTE HUMILITY AND FEAR I BEG AND IMPLORE AND BESEECH THE MERCIFUL LORD NOT TO END OUR LIVES UNLESS WE ARE IN OUR BEST STATE OF EMAAN AND OBEDIENCE.

Burhan

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

AOA Brother,

I am really proud of u that ALLAH ALMIGHTY enabled u to serve humanity, muslims and Islam by this successful effort, may ALLAH keep on blessing u with wisdom, power of words to explain and best of life to keep on continuing this effort for Islam.
I already asked 2 questions more than 6 months ago of which i haven`t received any reply but ALLAH helped me i could find the answers of my questions through regular reading ur Q & A and other Islamic sites, Thanx to ALLAH my IMAAN has got stronger and stronger.
This time i am confused in few questions , and i would appreciate if u could answer me these questions at ur very earliest, before asking the q`s i would like to refer to ayah 30 to 35 of SURAH AL - BAQRA.

Reading those ayahs of quran the following q`s are arising in my mind.

Q.1 when ALLAH said to angels that "I will create a vicegerent on earth." so then why HAZRAT ADAM and BIBI HAWWA were sent to heaven first and then sent to earth?

Q.2 the angels replied They said "Wilt thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood " now the questions arises is that how the angels came to know in advance that the human being will shed blood and will make mischief coz its only ALLAH who knows whats going to happen in future and as ALLAH has said in Quran that it is he who only has the knowledge of the unseen then how the angels perceived that future action.

Q.3 arises from the same verse that when angels said that the human being will shed blood etc then how can they say it for the human being coz shedding blood is not the act of a human being but an act of shaitan and who wasn`t in existence untill the iblees didn`t followed ALLAH`s instructions and which happened after the conversation of ALLAH and the angels .i hope my point is clear.

Q.4 Plz refer to Ayah 31, 32 and 33 ALLAH himself told Adam the nature of all things and then brought ADAM i front of angels and asked the angels to tell the name of nature which they couldn`t and coz ALLAH didn`t told them and then O Adam! tell them their natures." When he had told them Allah said: "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth , i am finding it difficult to understand this situation coz at first sight it seems biased what r ur comments ?

Q.5 ALLAH is the supreme , v all fear him and all prophets also knew well that he is the king of all the heavens and the earth and all between them and nothing is impossible for him, v can say it that IBLees should also b very well aware of ALLAHs unlimited powers and the only lord of everything then don`t u think it was very stupid of iblees to oppose ALLAH even knowing ALLAH very well, how can he even think of competing with ALLAH at the cost of hell , inspite of praying ALLAH to forgive him just like what ADAM did, coz ADAM knew very well about ALLAHS abilities then iblees who came into being before ADAM cannot realize the unlimited power of ALLAH and the result of not following ALLAHs instructions.

I would b waiting anxiously for ur reply. Thanx and ALLAH HaFIZ.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Significance of conversation between Allah and angels at the creation of Adam(a.s.)

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imraan verses 190-194:

190 Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day there are indeed Signs for men of understanding.

191 Men who celebrate the praises of Allah standing sitting and lying down on their sides and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth (with the thought): "Our Lord! Not for naught hast thou created (all) this! Glory to thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the fire.

192 "Our Lord! Any whom thou dost admit to the fire truly thou coverest with shame and never will wrong-doers find any helpers!.

193 "Our Lord! We have heard the call of one calling (us) to faith `Believe ye in the Lord' and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins blot out from us our iniquities and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous.

194 "Our Lord! Grant us what Thou didst promise unto us through thine Apostles and save us from shame on the Day of Judgment: for Thou never breakest Thy promise."

Dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, may Allah Subhanah bless you and increase your quest for seeking the Knowledge of Truth. Although the Glorious Quran will give guidance to those who simply read it with understanding; the real depth and beauty of the guidance can only be experienced by those who ponder and contemplate over each and every verse of this Divine Guidance, and strive to search for the wisdom and insight behind each commandment and incident related in this Glorious Book. When one goes into the depth of this Divine Guidance, and strives to understand when the exact verses were revealed, why they were revealed, under what circumstances were they revealed, and what was the wisdom behind the revelation of each command and/or incident; only then would one truly comprehend the beauty and magnificence of this Glorious and Majestic Book called the Al-Quran. From your your list of questions, it is evident that Allah Subhanah has indeed blessed you with this quest for seeking knowledge; and we pray that Allah Subhanah increase your quest and your efforts on this noble path. Ameen.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 30-35:

30 Behold thy Lord said to the Angels: "I will create a Vicegerent on earth." They said "Wilt thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy Holy (Name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not."

31 And He taught Adam the nature of all things; then He placed them before the Angels and said: "Tell Me the nature of these if ye are right."

32 They said: "Glory to Thee! Of knowledge we have none save that Thou hast taught us: in Truth it is Thou who art Perfect in Knowledge and Wisdom."

33 He said: "O Adam! Tell them their natures." When he had told them, Allah said: "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what ye reveal and what ye conceal?"

34 And behold We said to the Angels: "Bow down to Adam"; and they bowed down. Not so Iblis; he refused, and was haughty; he was of those who reject Faith.

35 We said: "O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the garden and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will, but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression."

Q-1: when ALLAH said to angels that "I will create a vicegerent on earth." so then why HAZRAT ADAM and BIBI HAWWA were sent to heaven first and then sent to earth?
Allah Subhanah made it absolutely clear that He intended to make man His Vicegerent on earth. But before He put man to the full test of living his life on earth; in His Supreme Mercy and Absolute Wisdom, Allah Subhanah put His created man through a small and simple test in Paradise; where everything good and legal was provided, except for the one specific tree, which was prohibited to man as a test. By putting man through this simple and single test before the main ‘exam’ of life on earth, Allah Subhanah Willed to teach and impart man with the knowledge of how his arch enemy, the Shaytaan, would beguile him with oaths and his false promises, and make the things which Allah has prohibited as good and fair-seeming to man. This eventful incident is described by Allah Subhanah in the Quran in Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verses 19-22:

19 O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden and enjoy (its good things) as ye wish: but approach not this tree or ye run into harm and transgression."

20 Then began Shaytaan to whisper suggestions to them bringing openly before their minds all their shame that was hidden from them (before): he said "Your Lord only forbade you this tree lest ye should become Angels, or such beings as live for ever."

21 And he swore to them both that he was their sincere adviser.

22 So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree their shame became manifest to them and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you that Shaytaan was an avowed enemy unto you?"

Allow us to relate an example to clarify the wisdom behind giving a small test before the main test. Just before a student is to give a full board exam, the good schools normally give a small but similar test as a pre-curser to the board exam, to clarify and impart some experience on the student of what to expect when he actually gives the full exam. The intention of the schools is never to reward or punish a student who gives the simple pre-curser test; but their intention is only to prepare the student so that he may do well in his final board exams.

Similarly, in His Sublime and Infinite Mercy, Allah Subhanah involved His vicegerent through a simple and sample test, where only one thing was forbidden; to show him how his avowed and arch enemy, the Shaytaan, would beguile him to disobey the Merciful Lord by making all evil and forbidden things fair-seeming to man.

Q-2: the angels replied They said "Wilt thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood " now the questions arises is that how the angels came to know in advance that the human being will shed blood and will make mischief coz its only ALLAH who knows whats going to happen in future and as ALLAH has said in Quran that it is he who only has the knowledge of the unseen then how the angels perceived that future action.
The Angels very well understood the connotations and the implications of the term ‘Khalifah’, whereby they understood that the created being was going to be bestowed with some powers of doing good or evil, obedience or disobedience, etc.; but they could not fully comprehend how an autonomous creature with a free will to do good or evil could fit in the totalitarian and absolutely submissive system of the universe. One must also understand that the Angels did not put forth this question, Allah forbid, as a challenge or to raise an objection to the Will of Allah Subhanah; they merely and humbly meant to clarify and seek more information about the matter.

Their seeking clarification and more information about the matter does in no way mean that they had any knowledge of the ‘unseen’; for indeed, the knowledge of the unseen is known to none save Allah Subhanah Alone. Through their comprehension of the term ‘Khalifah’, they simply assumed the worst aspect of what would happen if one was given the autonomy and power to choose of his own free will.

Allow us again to relate a simple example which would clarify the matter. Suppose a loving and doting father gives his son more money than his needs, a sincere friend and well-wisher of the family would immediately assume the worst and tell the father that the son will get spoilt! This does not in any way mean that the friend or well-wisher has any knowledge of the unseen; but it is a manifestation of his concern of the powers that the extra money would bring in the hands of an inexperienced child.

Similarly, the Angels meant nothing but concern that the vicegerent who would be given the power and free will to choose, would transgress the boundaries of Allah Subhanah; and thus they humbly sought clarification from the Lord of the Worlds.

Some scholars who pondered over the wisdom of the statements of the Angels have said that maybe the Angels had prior knowledge from their experience of what happened with the community of the Jinns (who were created before mankind), when they were entrusted with similar powers, and a free will to choose between the good and the evil. It may be that the community of Jinns might have misused their bestowed powers, created mischief and caused blood-shed amongst themselves; and thus the Angels humbly declared their concern. Because nothing has been mentioned regarding the lives and events of the Jinn community before the creation of man in the Quran and Sunnah, one cannot say with conviction what exactly did transpire in the Jinn communities. Allah Alone Knows Best.

Q-3: arises from the same verse that when angels said that the human being will shed blood etc then how can they say it for the human being coz shedding blood is not the act of a human being but an act of shaitan and who wasn`t in existence untill the iblees didn`t followed ALLAH`s instructions and which happened after the conversation of ALLAH and the angels .i hope my point is clear.
Because ‘Khalifah’ meant that one would be bestowed with autonomy and the power and free will to choose between good and evil, the Angels assumed the worst and feared that the ‘Khalifah’ would be inclined towards evil and thus spread mischief and shed blood amongst themselves, rather than obey and worship and praise their Lord which was the mission of everything that the Lord had created.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 91 Surah Shams verses 7-8:

7 By the ‘Naffs’ and the proportion and order given to it;

8 And its enlightenment as to its (doing) evil, and its (doing) good;

One thing the Angels did comprehend by the term ‘Khalifah’ was that the created being would be bestowed with automous powers, and a free will to choose between good and evil. Secondly, it is not entirely true that evils like shedding blood is an act of the Shaytaan, and not the human beings! The truth of the matter is that Shaytaan only invites, instigates, and inspires to do evil; the act would be carried out by the human being himself; and thus the responsibility of the act would rest with the being that actually did the evil; ie. the human being!

The Shaytaan made it his mission to make evil fair-seeming to man, and thus invite and inspire man towards doing the evil with his own hands; and in His Sublime Grace and Mercy, Allah Subhanah sent His Messengers and revealed His Books to warn man of the ploys of the Shaytaan, and to make the good fair-seeming to them. Regardless of whether man chooses to follow the Prophets or follow the Shayateen, the ultimate responsibility of the deeds lies on the shoulders of the one who committed the deeds; ie. man himself.

Q-4: Plz refer to Ayah 31, 32 and 33 ALLAH himself told Adam the nature of all things and then brought ADAM i front of angels and asked the angels to tell the name of nature which they couldn`t and coz ALLAH didn`t told them and then O Adam! tell them their natures." When he had told them Allah said: "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth , i am finding it difficult to understand this situation coz at first sight it seems biased what r ur comments ?
From the term ‘Khalifah’, the Angels knew it meant that man would be given powers and a free will to choose between good and evil; thus they assumed the worst and showed concern that man would succumb and be inclined towards evil and thus the disobedience of the All-Mighty and All-Powerful Lord. They apparently only commented on what they saw and assumed the worst with their given knowledge; but Allah Subhanah relieved their concern by bestowing some of His knowledge on man.

In the opinion of some scholars, Allah Subhanah taught Adam the names of all the Prophets that were to come from his loins, as a means of guiding man to the Straight and approved path of Allah Subhanah; as if to say to the Angels that ‘it is not that I will create man and leave him alone, but I have made arrangements to send My Messengers with My Books to invite and guide them towards the doing of good.’ The Angels obviously had no knowledge of the future Plans of Allah Subhanah, and thus upon hearing the arrangements made by Allah Subhanah for the guidance of man, their fears that man would succumb to evil alone were allayed. Thus through the knowledge taught by Allah Subhanah to Adam, the Angels learnt that as much as man could be inclined towards evil, arrangements were also made by Allah Subhanah to guide man towards the doing of good.

When one sees only one aspect of a matter, then it is obvious that one will have only a limited view of the truth or plan. But when the person is confronted with new information regarding the same matter which allays and relieves his concerns, it is only natural that the wise would submit to the plan in light of the new information.

Thus once Adam (as taught by Allah) revealed the names and natures of the things which were unknown to the Angels, they realized that they possessed only a very limited knowledge of the full Plans of Allah Subhanah; and subsequently their fears were allayed regarding their concerns that man would be inclined only towards the evil.

Q-5: ALLAH is the supreme , v all fear him and all prophets also knew well that he is the king of all the heavens and the earth and all between them and nothing is impossible for him, v can say it that IBLees should also b very well aware of ALLAHs unlimited powers and the only lord of everything then don`t u think it was very stupid of iblees to oppose ALLAH even knowing ALLAH very well, how can he even think of competing with ALLAH at the cost of hell , inspite of praying ALLAH to forgive him just like what ADAM did, coz ADAM knew very well about ALLAHS abilities then iblees who came into being before ADAM cannot realize the unlimited power of ALLAH and the result of not following ALLAHs instructions.
Iblees indeed knew the Truth regarding the Power and Might of the Lord; but he was blinded by two things when commanded to bow down, and thus co-operate with the being which the Lord had made from clay!

Arrogance

Jealousy

Iblees, being a Jinn, had also been given the free will to choose between good and evil, obedience and disobedience; and blinded by arrogance and jealousy to the exalted station Allah was about to bestow upon man, Iblees chose to disobey the Lord of the Worlds; and instead of seeking forgiveness for his temporary lapse, he became obstinate in his transgression and challenged the Plan of the Lord. Instead of realizing his own grave error, he started to blame Allah Subhanah for his own transgression, and swore to mislead man from the Straight Path of the Lord in his effort to prove his point that this being, created of clay, was not the correct choice for the exalted station the Lord has chosen for them!

He became so blinded by his arrogance and jealousy, that he sought time and reprieve until the Day of Judgment to prove his point. The All-Knowing, All-Wise Lord granted Iblees the time he requested, and seeing and knowing his obstinate and pig-headed condition, Allah sealed his heart from ever turning back to the Forgiveness and Mercy of the All-Mighty Lord.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verses 12-18:

12 (Allah) said: "what prevented thee (O Iblees) from bowing down when I commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: thou didst create me from fire and him from clay."

13 (Allah) said: "Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant here: get out for thou art of the meanest (of creatures)."

14 He said: "give me respite till the day they are raised up."

15 (Allah) said: "be thou among those who have respite."

16 He said: "because Thou hast thrown me out of the way lo! I will lie in wait for them on Thy straight way.

17 "Then will I assault them from before them and behind them from their right and their left: nor wilt Thou find in most of them gratitude (for Thy mercies).

18 (Allah) said: "Get out from this, disgraced and expelled. If any of them follow thee, hell will I fill with you all.

When Allah Subhanah granted Man and Jinn the power to choose between good and evil as a test, it was never ever intended that they would always choose good over evil! The thing that differentiates the Righteous from the Rebellious, or the followers of Adam from the followers of Iblees is that when the Righteous makes an error, he admits his mistake, and immediately seeks to turn back to his Lord seeking forgiveness. But when the Rebellious make an error, they blame everyone and everything else except themselves for their mistakes, become obstinate and steadfast on their evil deed, and never ever even think of turning back to the Lord of the Worlds in forgiveness!

The Righteous ones around the Rebellious can clearly see the error and mistake of the evil deeds of the Rebellious and the consequences his evil will bring upon him; but the Rebellious one himself, because of his pride, or arrogance, or jealousy or pig-headedness is never able to understand his folly, and he continues in his obstinate transgression until his time appointed!

If one just studies the style and the actions of the Shayaateen amongst mankind in history; be they Pharoah, or Karoon, or Hamaan, or Abu Jahl, or even Hitler, or Sharoon, or Saddaam, or George Bush….one can clearly see their evil and the effects of their evil!!! But these rebellious and obstinate Shayaateen amongst the human beings, blinded by their power, or arrogance, or wealth, or jealousy can never ever see it themselves, and they continue doing their evil until their appointed time, when Allah Subhanah Decrees to Grasp them!

Similarly, and to an even much larger extent than the Shayaateen amongst mankind named above, the Iblees remains obstinate in his transgression blinded by his arrogance and his jealousy; and it is the Sunnah of Allah Subhanah that He seals the hearts of such obstinate rebellious creatures from ever turning back unto His Mercy.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 6-7:

6 As to those who reject Faith it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.

7 Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur).

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 40 Surah Mumin verse 35:

35 "(Such) as dispute about the Signs of Allah without any authority that hath reached them. Grievous and odious (is such conduct) in the sight of Allah and of the Believers. Thus doth Allah seal up every heart of arrogant and obstinate transgressors."

Thus one may call it stupidity, or one may call it obstinate transgression; but it is evident that Iblees and the Shayaateen amongst the Jinn and Men who follow him become so blinded and pig-headed in their transgression that they put themselves and their followers on a path of no-return! In their false confidence of their power and arrogance and wealth, they become so blinded to the results of their evil, that they continue to do evil until they transgress beyond all bounds and deserve the seal that Allah Subhanah puts on their hearts!

And therein lies the main and probably only difference between the Righteous and the Rebellious! Adam and his Righteous followers will err; but they soon realize their error and immediately turn to their Lord in seeking repentance and forgiveness. But when the Rebellious Iblees and his followers err; they never realize or admit their error, and in their arrogance they thus become obstinate and continue doing their transgression, until they take the path of no-return!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 135-136: Allah likes such good people very much, who, if ever they commit a base deed or wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their shortcomings. For who, but Allah, can forgive sins? (And Allah loves those) who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from Allah, and with Gardens beneath which canals flow, and they will reside therein forever! How excellent is the reward of those who do good deeds!

Thus the rebellious Iblees remains obstinate in his transgression, and is so blinded by his false arrogance and jealousy, that he will continue being in that state till the time appointed to him and his mission comes to an end! Because of his obstinate transgression, he has earned and deserved the seal Allah has put on his heart; and never will he be able to see and return to the path of Allah’s Forgiveness and Mercy.

We do hope that we have been able to clarify some of your queries to your satisfaction. If, due to our own shortcoming in knowledge and speech, we have been unable to clarify your questions to your full satisfaction, we humbly and sincerely seek your forgiveness and the forgiveness of Allah Subhanah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan