VOLUME 1
From the Creation to the Flood
Translator's Foreword
According to Muhammad b. 'Amr [497• Muhammad b. 'Amr b. al-'Abbas al-Bahili died in 249 / 863. See TB, III, 127; Sezgin, GAS, I, 20, 29, 79; Horst, 297, n. 2.] -Abu 'Asim [498. Abu ' Aim al-Nabil, whose name was al-l?ahhak b. Makhlad and who lived from 122/740 to between 212 and 214/827-29, see Tahdhib, IV, 450-53; EI2, Suppl., I, 17 f., s. v. Abu 'Asim al-Nabil; Horst, 297, n. 4.] – Isa [499. 'Isa b. Maymun died around 170/786. See Tahdhib, VIII, 235 f.; Sezgin, GAS, 820b ( index ); Horst, 297, n. 6.] -Ibn Abi Najih [500.'Abdallah b. Al,! Najih died in 131 or 132/748-50. See Tahdhib, VI, 54 f.; Bukhari, Ta'rikh, 1II,1, 233; Horst, 297, n. 8] -Mujahid (commenting on): "And We have made the night and the day two signs": The night and the day. Thus, God created the two. Also (al-Tabari)-al-Harith [501. Al - Harith b. Muhammad b. Abi Usimah lived from 180/end of 796 to 282/end of 895 . See TB, VIII, 218 f.; Horst , 294, n. 4.]-al-Hasan [502. Al -Hasan b. Musa al-Ashyab died between 208 and 210/823-26. See TB, VII, 426-29; Tahdhib, II, 323; Horst, 297, n. 5.] -Warqa' [503. Warqa ' b. Umar b. Kulayb, reputedly the author of a Qur ' an commentary and, in any case , an important link in the transmission of Mujahid 's commentary, died ca. 160 / 776. See TB, III, 515-18; Tahdhib, XI, 113-15; Horst, 297, n . 7. In the published recension of Mujihid 's Ta/sir, Warqa' to Mujahid is the last three links of the six-link chain there , but the text contains no comment on Qur. 17:12. Cf. F. Leemhuis , " Ms. 1075 Tafsir"; G. Schoeler, Uberlieferung der Wissenschaften," 202, 210, referring to G. Stauth's dissertation on Mujahid (1969) and further literature.] -Ibn Abi Najih-Mujahid.
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: In our opinion, the correct statement on this subject is that God created the sun of the day and the moon of the night as two signs, then made the sign of the day, which is the sun, something to see by and blotted out the sign of the night, which is the moon, through the blackness in it.
It is permissible (to say) that God created them as two suns from the light of His Throne and then blotted out the light of the moon in the night, as stated by some we have mentioned. This was the reason for the difference of the condition of the sun and the moon.
It is (also) permissible (to say) that the sun receives its luminositythrough the wrap of luminosity of the Throne, with which it iscovered, and the moon receives its light from the wrap of light of the Footstool, with which it is covered. [504. See text above , I, 61 f]
If the chain of transmitters of one of the two reports I have mentioned were sound, we would adopt that report, but the chains of transmitters of both reports are disputed. Thus, we have not considered it permissible to decide on the soundness of the contents of the reports as regards the difference of condition between the sun and the moon. We know for certain, however, that God differentiated between their capacities for giving light because He knew through His superior knowledge that the difference was best for the well-being of His creation. Thus, He made a distinction between them and made the one something that gives light to see by, and the other something that has its luminosity blotted out.
In this book, we have refrained from mentioning (too) many reports and things about the sun and the moon, as we have also done in describing the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and the earth and by omitting all the many other things connected with God's creation. We have mentioned as much as we have in this book of ours only because it is our intention to fulfil the condition laid down by us in its beginning that we would mention time [505.A1-azminah " the times " here may refer to Tabari 's discussion of the concept of time or to time periods , as it does in the following sentence.] and the history of kings, prophets, and messengers. Dates and times are fixed as to their (precise) moments by the measurements of the hours indicated by the sun and the moon running in their spheres, as we have mentioned in the reports transmitted by us on the authority of the Messenger of God. Whatever took place before God created the sun and the moon, took place outside of moments and hours and night and day.
We have explained with testimony adduced by us from traditions and reports the duration, expressed in years and time periods, of this world from the first beginning of God's production of what He wanted to produce to the time He finished producting all His creatures. For the period of time extending from God's completion of all creation to the annihilation of all of it, we have brought proofs from reports, used by us to prove the soundness of our statements, coming from the Messenger of God, his companions, and other scholars of the Muslim nation. The stated purpose of this book of ours is to mention the history of kings and tyrants, those who disobeyed their Lord and those who were obedient to Him, as well as the times of the prophets and messengers . We have discussed how chronological dates can be soundly established and how information about moments and hours can be ascertained. (Moments and hours are established by) the sun and the moon. One makes it possible to learn about the hours and moments of the night, and the other, the hours and moments of the day.
(The Story of Iblis)
Now, let us speak about the one who was the first to be given royal authority and was shown favor by God but was ungrateful for it. Having denied God's divine Lordship, he was proud and overbearing toward his Lord and was therefore deprived by God of His divine favor and shamed and humiliated. We shall continue and mention those who adopted his ways and followed in his footsteps and were therefore subjected by God to His divine revenge. Counted among the partisans of Iblis, they were made to share in his shame and humiliation. There were also their counterparts and successors [506. Hardly : his (Satan's) opponents and those after him.] among kings and messengers and prophets who obeyed their Lord and left praiseworthy memories. God willing, we shall mention them, too.
First among the Ungrateful is Iblis, Their Guide
(Imam), Their Leader, and Their Chief May God Curse Him!
God had created Iblis beautiful. He had ennobled and honored him and reportedly made him ruler over the lower heaven and the earth. In addition, He had made him one of the keepers of Paradise. But he became overbearing toward his Lord and claimed divine lordship for himself and reportedly called on those under his control to worship him. Therefore, God transformed him into a stoned Satan.[ 507. Cf. Qur. 3: 36 and 19:98] He deformed him and deprived him of the benefits He had granted him. He cursed him and drove him out of His heavens in the fleeting present world and then gave to him and his followers and partisans the Fire of Hell as their place of residence in the other world. We take refuge in God for protection against His divine wrath and against whatever action brings a person close to His wrath and against getting into trouble. [508. The derivation of the idiom al-hawr bad al - kawr (" twisting after untwisting 11)") is debated by the lexicographers . The meaning adopted here is the most likely one, though it is by no means certain . It means approximately getting into a tight spot after having had it easy. See Lane, 665 c, and the references in Wbrterbuch, letter K, 428b.]
We shall begin with a summary of the reports that have come down to us from the early (scholars) about the honors given Iblis by God before he became overbearing toward Him and claimed what was not his to claim. We hope to continue with mentioning the events in the days of his rule and royal authority until all of that ceased to be his, and to mention the reason why the earlier favors and beautiful benefits and other things God had bestowed on him ceased to be his-all of this in an abridged form.
The Received Reports about the Control and Rule of Iblis over the Lower Heaven and the Earth and All in Between
According to al-Qasim b. al-Hasan-al-Husayn b. DawudHajjaj-Ibn Jurayj -Ibn Abbas : Iblis was one of the noblest angels and belonged to the most honored tribe among them. He was a keeper of Paradise. He had the authority to rule over the lower heaven as well as the earth. [509. See Tafsir, 1, 178 (ad Qur. 2:34), and XV, t69 f. (ad Qur. 18:50).]
According to al-Qasim-al-Husayn-Hajjaj-Ibn Jurayj-Salih, the mawla of al-Taw'amah [510. Silih b. Nabhin died around 125/791)2). See Tahdhib, IV, 405-7. Taw'amah ("Twin') was the daughter of Umayyah b. Khalaf, one of the Meccans killed at Badr] and Shank b. Abi Namir,[ 511. Sharik b. 'Abdallih b. Abi Namir died ca. 140/757. His grandfather participated in the battle of Badr on the side of the Meccans. See Tahdhib, IV, 337 f.; Bukhari, Tarikh, II, 2, 237 f.] either one or both of them Ibn 'Abbas: There was an angelic tribe of jinn, and Iblis belonged to it. He governed all in between the heaven and the earth. [512. This tradition , as well as the one at the end of this section , is part of a longer tradition quoted in Tafsir, XV, 169 (ad Qur 18:50). Cf. also Tafsir, 1, 178 f. (ad Qur. 2:34)]
According to Musa b. Harun al-Hamdani-`Amr b. HammadAsbat-al-Suddi -Abu Malik and Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas. Also (al-Suddi)-Murrah al-Hamdani-Ibn Masud and some (other) companions of the Prophet: Iblis was made ruler over the lower heaven. He belonged to a tribe of angels called jinn. They were called jinn because they were the keepers of Paradise (al-jannah). In addition to being ruler, Iblis was a keeper (of Paradise).[ 513. See Tafsir, I,16o and 178 (ad Qur. 2:3o and 34).]
According to 'Abdan al-Marwazi [514. See above , n. 399. In Tafsir, I, 178, his name is omitted] -al-Husayn b. al-Faraj Abu Mu'adh al-Fadl b. Khalid-'Ubaydallah [515. Tafsir, I, 178, has Ubayd. See above, n. 402.] b. Sulayman-alDahhak b. Muzahim, commenting on God's word: "They prostrated themselves, except Iblis. He was one of the jinn [516. Qur. 18:50] : Ibn 'Abbas used to say: Iblis was one of the noblest angels and belonged to their most honored tribe. He was a keeper of Paradise, and his was the rule over the lower heaven as well as the earth.
According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Abu al-Azhar al-Mubarak b. Mujahid [517. Died a year or two before al-Thawri , thus in 776171. See Bukhari, Ta'rikh, IV,1, 427; Ibn Abi Hatim , IV,1, 340 f .; Ibn Hajar, Lisnn, V, 12.] -Sharik b. 'Abdallah b. Abi Namir-Salih, the mawla of al-Taw'amah-Ibn 'Abbas: There is an angelic tribe called jinn. Iblis belonged to them. He used to rule all in between heaven and earth. Then he became disobedient, and God therefore transformed him into a stoned Satan. [518. See above, n. 512.]
The Ingratitude of the Enemy of God for His Lord's Favor, His Overbearance Toward God, and His Claiming Divine Lordship
According to al-Qasim-al-Husayn-Hajjaj-Ibn Jurayj, commenting on : " And whoever among them says : I am a god besides Him" [519. Qur. 21:29]: Whichever angel says: "I am a god besides Him" calls to worship of himself, and only Iblis said that. Thus, this verse was revealed with reference to Iblis.
According to Bishr b. Mu'adh-Yazid (b. Zuray')--Sa'Id (b. Abi 'Arubah)-Qatadah, commenting on: "And whoever among them says: I am a god besides Him, will have Hell as his recompense from Us. So do We recompense the wrongdoers."519 This verse (was revealed) specifically for Iblis, the enemy of God, when he said what he said, may God curse him and have him stoned! He thus continued: "will have Hell as his recompense from Us. So do We recompense the wrongdoers."
According to Muhammad b. 'Abd al - A'la-Muhammad b. Thawr-Ma'mar-Qatadah, commenting on: "And whoever among them says : I am a god besides Him, will have Hell as his recompense from Us ." This verse ( was revealed ) specifically for Iblis. [520.The entire section consists of material from Tafsir, XVII, 13 (ad Qur. 21:29).]
The Events That Took Place During the Days of the Royal Authority and Rule of the Accursed Iblis and the Reason Why He claimed Divine Authority and Perished
One of the events that took place during the rule of the enemy of God while he was ( still) obedient to God is what was mentioned to us on the authority of In 'Abbas in a report told us by Abu Kurayb-'Uthman b. Sa'id [521. In Abi Hatim, 111,1, 152, no. 832, lists a certain Uthman b. Said al-Zayyat as a transmitter from Bishr b. Umarah and an authority of Abu Kurayb. He would seem to be the individual meant here. Tahdhib, VII, 119, no. 255, indicates only zthat he is an authority of Abu Kurayb. A certain Uthmin b. Said al-Murri appears inTahdhib, VII, 119, no. 256, and Bukhari, Ta'rikh, III,2, 224, also as an authority of Abu Kurayb]-Bishr b. 'Umarah [522. Bishr b. Umirah appears to have been known mainly as a transmitter from Abu Rawq. See Tahdhib, I, 455; Bukhari, Ta'rikh, 1,2, 81, Ibn Abi Hatim, 1,1, 362.] –Abu Rawq-al-Dahhak-Ibn 'Abbas: Iblis belonged to a tribal group of angels called jinn . Among the angels it was they who were created from the fire of the simoom . [523. The wind known as simoom presumably received its name from the Qur'anic usage of samGm in connection with fire in Qur. 15:27. The passage appears in Tafsir, XIV, 21, on this verse.] He continued . His name was al-Harith . [524. The preceding three sentences in Tafsir, I,178 (ad Qur. 2:34)].
.
He continued . All the angels except this tribal group were created from light. He continue jinn mentioned in the Qur'an were created " from a bright flame ( marij) of fire"-(marij being) a tongue of fire blazing on its sides and top ). [525. Qur• 55:15. The sentence appears in Tafsir, XXVII, 74, on this verse. The tradition to this point is quoted in Tafsir, I, 178] He continued. And He created man from clay. The first to dwell on earth were the jinn. They caused corruption on it and shed blood [526. Cf. Qur. 2:30] He continued. He was one of the keepers of Paradise.He continued. He was one of the keepers of Paradise and killed each other. He continued. God sent Iblis to them with an army of angels . They were that tribal group called jinn . Iblis and those with him caused a bloodbath [527. According to the reading suggested in the Cairo edition.] among them and eventually banished them to the islands in the oceans and the mountainsides. [528. From "The first to dwell" to this point in Tafsir, 1, 156 f. (ad Qur. 2:30).] His success went to his head, and he said : I have done something nobody has ever done before . He continued . God was aware of how Iblis felt, but the angels who were with him were not. [529. The entire text of the tradition is to be found in Tafsir, 1, 155, where it continues commenting on Qur. 2:30.]
According to al-Muthanna Ishaq b . al-Hajjaj [530. He is mentioned as a transmitter of 'Abdallah b. Abi Ja'far in In Abi Hatim, 1,1, 217. His nisbah being al-Tahdni, he is listed in Sam 'ani, Ansab, IX, 2 f. See also Horst, 298, n.6] -'Abdallah b. Abi Ja'far [531. For 'Abdallah b. Abi Ja'far 'Isa b . Mahan, see Tahdhib, V, 176 f., and for his father, Tahdhib, XII, 56 f. See also Horst, 298, n . 7, and 299, n. II.]-his father-al-Rabi ' b. Anas [532. Al- Rabi' b. Anas died in 139 or 140/756-58 during the caliphate of alMansur, See Tahdhib, III, 238 f ., Sezgin, GAS, 1, 34, Horst, 299, n. 12. For the tradition , see Tafsir, I, 157 and 163 (ad Qur. 2:30).] : God created the angels on Wednesday. He created the jinn on Thursday, and He created Adam on Friday. He continued . Some jinn disbelieved, and the angels went down to them on earth to fight them . Thus, bloodshed and corruption came into being on earth.
The Reason Why the Enemy of God Was Enticed to be Overbearing Toward His Lord and Thereby Perished
The early ( scholars ) among the Companions and Followers differed on this subject . We just mentioned one of the statements transmitted on the authority of In 'Abbas by al- Dahhak, namely, that when Iblis caused a bloodbath among the jinn who disobeyed God and caused corruption on earth , and expelled them, he was pleased with himself and on account of it considered himself more excellent than anybody else.
The second statement on the subject transmitted on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas is that Iblis was the ruler and governor of the lower heaven as well as the governor of all in between the lower heaven and the earth and the keeper of Paradise and also zealously worshiped God, but then he became pleased with himself and therefore thought that he was superior . So he became overearing toward his Lord.
The transmission of the report on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas
According to Musa b. Harun al-Hamdani-'Amr b. HammadAsbat-al-Suddi-Abu Malik and Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas. Also (al- Suddi)-Murrah al-Hamdani-Ibn Masud and some (other) companions of the Prophet: When God finished with the creation of whatever He liked, He sat straight upon the Throne. He made Iblis ruler over the lower heaven. Iblis belonged to a tribe of angels called jinn. They were called jinn because they were the keepers of Paradise. In addition to being ruler (of the lower heaven), Iblis was a keeper (of Paradise). Then haughtiness affected him, and he said: God gave all that to me only because of some distinctive quality. So I was told by Musa b. Harun. I was (also) told this by Ahmad b. Abi Khaythamah [533. The historian Ahmad b. Abi Khaythamah died ninety-four years old in 279/872. See E12, III, 687, s.v. Ibn Abi Khaythama; Sezgin, GAS, I, 319 f.] -'Amr b. Hammad who commented: because of some distinctive quality of mine making me superior to the angels. When that haughtiness affected him, God was aware of it. He said to the angels: "I am placing on earth a vicegerent." [534. Qur. 2:3o. The tradition is quoted in Tafsir, 1, 16o, on this verse]
According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah b. al-Fadl-Ibn Ishaq Khallad b. 'Ata' [535. See Bukhiri, Ta'rikh, II, 1, 170 f.; Ibn Abi Hitim, I, 2, 366. Tafsir, 1, 178, has the apparent mistake Khallid -'Ata'.] –Tawus [536. Died about 106/724[5]. See Tahdhib, V, 8-10.] -Ibn 'Abbas: Before committing disobedience, Iblis was one of the angels . His name was 'Azazil.
He was one of the dwellers on earth. He was one of the most zealous and knowledgeable of the angels . That led him to haughtiness. He belonged to a tribal group called jinn. [537. This and the following tradition are quoted in Tafsir I, 178 (ad Qur. 2:34).]
Ibn Humayd gave us about the same account again, reporting from Salamah-Ibn Ishaq-Khallad b. 'Ata'-Tawus or Abu alI Iajjaj Mujahid-Ibn 'Abbas, and others. However, he said: (Iblis) was an angel named 'Azazil. He was one of the dwellers and cultivators on earth. The dwellers on earth from among the angels used to be called jinn.
According to Ibn al-Muthanna-Shayban [538. Apparently, Shaybin b. Farrukh b. Abi Shaybah who lived from ca. 140/757[8] to 235 or 236/849-51. See Tahdhib, IV, 374 f.] -Sallam b. Miskin [539• Died between 164 and 167/780-84. See Tahdhib, IV, 286 f.] -Qatadah-Sa'id b. al-Musayyab [540. Depending on the age he is said to have reached, Ibn al-Musayyab was born between 634 and 639. He died about 93 or 94/711-13. See Tahdhib, IV, 84-88; Khalifah, Tabagat, 244; Bukhari, Ta'rikh, II, 1, 467 f.; Sezgin, GAS, 1, 276.] : Iblis was the chief of the angels of the lower heaven.[ 541. See Tafsir, I, 178 (ad Qur. 2:34).]
The third statement transmitted on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas is that he used to say: The reason for (what happened) is that Iblis belonged to a remnant of creatures created by God. He commanded them to do something , but they refused to be obedient to Him.
The transmission of the report ozn the authority of Ibn 'Abbas
According to Muhammad b. Sinan al-Qazzaz-Abu 'Asim (alNabil)-Shabib [542. For Shabib b. Bishr, see Tahdhib, IV, 306. Tafsir, I, 180 (ad Qur. 2:34), hasSharik) !!-someone -'Ikrimah]-'Ikrimah-Ibn 'Abbas: God created some creatures and said : "Prostrate yourselves before Adam!" [543. Qur. 2:34, etc. The entire tradition appears in Tafsir, 1, 180.] They replied: We shall not do that. He continued. He sent a fire to consume them . He then created other creatures and said: "I am creating a human being from clay," [544. Qur. 38:7] so prostrate yourselves before Adam! They refused, and God sent a fire to consume them. Then He created these and said: Will you not prostrate yourselves before Adam? They replied: Yes! Iblis belonged to those who refused to prostrate themselves before Adam.
Others said : Rather, the reason is that he belonged to the remnant of the jinn who were on earth. They shed blood and caused corruption on it. They were disobedient to their Lord. Therefore, the angels fought against them.
Those who said this
According to Ibn Humayd-Yahya b. Wadih-Abu Sa'id alYahmadi Ismail b. Ibrahim [545• Tafsir, 1, 179, has an unlikely Abu Sa'id al-Yahmadi-Ismail b. Ibrahim. However, no identification seems possible.] -Sawwar b. al-ja'd al –Yahmadi [546. Briefly listed in Bukhari, Ta'rikh,11, 2,170; Ibn Abi Hatim,11, 1, 270, without al-Yahmadi] -Shahr b. Hawshab, [547. Died early In the second century/ca. 719-29. See Tahdhib, IV, 369-72.] commenting on God's word: "He was one of the jinn , [548. Qur. 18:50] : Iblis was one of the jinn whom the angels drove away. One of the angels captured him and took him to heaven. [549. See Tafsir, I, 179 (ad Qur. 2:34).]
According to 'Ali b . al-Hasan [550. His identity seems to be established by the fact that Muslim al- Jarmi is one of his authorities ( see below, n. 632), and 'Ali b. al-Hasan b . 'Abdawayh al-Khazzaz appears among Muslim al-Jarmi's transmitters in TB, XIII, too . According to TB, XI, 374 f., that 'Ali b. al-Hasan died in 277/ 98718 1. Tafsir, 1, 179, has 'Ali b. alHusayn] -Abu Nasr Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Khallal [551. He could possibly be identical with the Abu Nasr mentioned above , n. 128.]-Sunayd b. Dawud-Hushaym [552. Born in 104 or 105/722- 24, Hushaym b. Bashir died in 183 /799. See TB, XIV, 85-94; Tahdhib, XI, 59-64; Sezgin , GAS, I, 38] -'Abd alRahman b. Yahya [553. It is doubtful whether he could be identified with the individual listed in Tahdhib, IV, 294.] -Musa b. Numayr and 'Uthman b. Said b. Kamil [554. Both Musa and'Uthman are unidentified] -Sa'd b. Mas'ud [555• He may possibly be the obscure Sad b. Masud briefly listed as a transmitter from Ibn 'Abbas . See Bukhari, Ta'rikh, II, 2, 64, Ibn Abi Hatim ,1I,1, 94.] : The angels used to fight the jinn, and Iblis was taken captive. He was young and used to worship together with the angels. When they were commanded to prostrate themselves before Adam and Iblis refused, God said: "Except Iblis. He was one of the jinn. " [556. Qur. 18:50 . The tradition is quoted in Tafsir, I, 179 (ad Qur. 2:34)]
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: In my opinion, the statement most likely to be correct is one that agrees with God's word: "We said to the angels: Prostrate yourselves before Adam!, and they did, except Iblis. He was one of the jinn. He wickedly disobeyed the command of his Lord." [ 557. Qur. 18:50] It is possible that his wickedness in disobeying the command of his Lord resulted from his being one of the jinn. It is (further) possible that it resulted from his being pleased with himself because he worshiped his Lord so zealously, possessed great knowledge, and had been entrusted with the rule over the lower heaven and the earth as well as the post of keeper of Paradise . ( But) it is ( also) possible that there was some other reason. Knowledge of this subject can be attained only through a report that provides valid proof, but we have no such report, and the differences with respect to the matter are as indicated by the reports transmitted by us.
It was (also) said that the reason why Iblis perished was that before Adam, the jinn were on earth. God sent Iblis to act among them as judge . He did so conscientiously (bi-al-haqq) for a thousand years, so that he eventually was called " arbiter " (hakam). God called him thus and revealed to him his name . At that, he became filled with haughtiness. He became self-important and caused terror, hostility, and hatred among those to whom God had sent him as arbiter . This is assumed to have caused them to fight so bitterly on earth for two thousand years that their horses waded in the blood of (those killed ). They continued. This is ( meant by) God's word : " Were We wearied by the first creation ? No! Rather they are in uncertainty about a new creation ( at the end of the world )," [558. Qur.50:15] and (by ) the statement of the angels : " Will You place on (earth ) one who will cause corruption on it and shed blood?" [559. Qur. 2:30.]At that, God sent a fire that consumed them . They continued. When Iblis saw the punishment that had descended upon his people, he ascended to heaven . He stayed with the angels worshiping God in heaven as zealously as did no other creature . He continued to do so , until God created Adam and that well-known episode of Iblis ' disobedience to his Lord occurred.
(The Story of Adam)
One of the events that took place in the days of the rule and royal authority of Iblis was God 's creation of our father Adam , the father of mankind . That was as follows : As the angels did not know about Iblis ' involvement with haughtiness , God wanted to make them aware of it and to show them what had gone wrong with Iblis when he was about . to be ruined and lose his royal authority and rule . In this connection , God said to the angels : " I am placing on earth a vicegerent ." They replied : " Will You place on it one who will cause corruption on it and shed blood ?" [560. Qur. 2:30.] It has been transmitted on the authority of Ibn `Abbas that the angels said exactly that, noticing what the jinn , who were dwellers on earth before, were doing . When their Lord said to the angels : " I am placing on earth a vicegerent ," they asked : Will You place on it one who will behave like the jinn who, when on earth , shed blood there and caused corruption and were disobedient to You, "whereas we praise and sanctify You"? The Lord now said to them: "I know what you do not know." [561. Qur. 2:30.] He (means to) say: I know about Iblis' involvement with overbearance which you do not know. I know that he intends to oppose my command and that he has been enticed to wrongdoing and futile self-deception. I am going to show you this attitude of his, so that you can see it with your own eyes.
Many statements have been made on this subject. We have reported a number of them in our book entitled The Complete Clarification of the Interpretation of the Verses of the Qur'an. [562. This is the formal title of Tabari's Tafsir, which is the source for the material used her] We hate to add to the length of our book by mentioning (all of) that here.
When God wanted to create Adam, He commanded that the soil from which Adam was to be made be taken from the earth, as we were told by Abu Kurayb-`Uthman b. Sa'id-Bishr b. 'Umarah-Abu Rawq-al-Dahhak-Ibn'Abbas: He-meaning the Lord-then commanded to lift up Adam's soil. God created Adam "from sticky (lazib) clay" [563. Qur. 17:11.] lazib ("sticky") meaning viscous and sweet smelling- "from masnun slime [564. Qur. 15:26, 28, and 33] -masnun being "stinking." He continued. It became stinking slime after (having been compact) soil. [565. The suggestion of the Leiden edition, here and text below, 1, go, 1. 2, to read iltizab "after having become sticky," for "after ... soil," is hardly possible, as one would expect the definite article and 1-z-b VIII is not listed in the dictionaries. "After ... soil" is also the reading of Tafsir.] He continued. God created Adam with His own hand. [566. See Tafsir, I, 158 f. (ad Qur. 2:34).]
According to Musa b. Harun-'Amr b. Hammad-Asbat-alSuddi-Abu Malik and Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas. Also (al-Suddi)-Murrah al-Hamdani-Ibn Masud and some (other) companions of the Prophet, commenting on the angels saying: "Will You place on it one who will cause corruption on it and shed blood, whereas we praise and sanctify You ? and (God) replied: I know what you do not know" [567. Qur. 2:30] -that is, of the affair of Iblis. God then sent Gabriel to the earth to bring Him some of its clay. The earth said: I take refuge in God against your taking something away from me and mutilating me. So Gabriel returned without having taken (any clay) and said: My Lord, the earth took refuge in You, and I granted it its wish. God then sent Michael, and exactly the same thing happened. Then He sent the angel of death. When the earth took refuge in God against him, he said: I take refuge in God against returning without having executed His command. So he took (some soil) from the face of the earth and made a mixture. He did not take the soil from a single place but took red, white, and black soil.[ 568. Cf. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan ad Genesis 2:7, and, without reference to color, Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, 38a-b. See also Tafsir, I, 169 (ad Qur. 2:31).] Therefore, the children of Adam came out different. He went up with the soil, then moistened it so it would become "sticky clay" lazib ("sticky") means something that adheres (1-z-q) to something else. Then (the moistened soil) was left to change and become stinking (muntin). That is where God says: "From masnun slime." He commented: stinking. [569. The tradition is found in Tafsir,1,16o, and, in part, 1,169 (ad Qur. 2:29 and 31).]
According to Ibn Humayd-Ya'qub al-Qummi-Ja'far b. Abi alMughirah-Sa'id b. Jubayr-Ibn 'Abbas: The Lord Almighty sent Iblis [570. Tafsir, I, 169, has "angel of death." According to the tradition's concluding words, this cannot be meant here.] to take some skin (adim) from the earth, both sweet and salty, and God created Adam from it. For this reason he was named Adam-that is, because he was created from the skin (adim) of the earth. For the same reason Iblis asked: "Shall I prostrate myself before one whom You have created from clay?" [571.Qur. 17:61] that is, that clay brought by myself.
According to Ibn al-Muthanna-Abu Dawud [572. Abu Diwud Sulaymin b. Diwud al-Tayilisi lived from 133/750[1] to 203 or 204/818-20. See TB, IX, 24-29; Tahdhib, IV, 182-87; Brockelmann, GAL, Suppl., I, 2571 Speight, in The Muslim World, 63 (19731, 249-68.] -Shu'bahAbu IHasin-Sa'id b. Jubayr: He was named Adam just because he was created from the skin (adim) of the earth. [573. This, and the following two traditions, appear in reverse order in Tafsir, I, 169 (ad Qur. 2:31)]
According to Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Ahwazi [574. Died in 250/864. See Tahdhib, I, 14 f.] -Abu Ahmad [575. Aba Ahmad Muhammad b. 'Abdallih al-Zubayri died in 203/818. See TB, V, 402-4) Tahdhib, IX, 254-56.] - Mis'ar [576. Mis'arb. Kidam died between 153 and 155/770-72. See Tahdhib, X, 113-15.] -Abu Hasin--Said b. Jubayr: Adam was created from the skin (adim) of the earth and therefore called Adam.
According to Ahmad b. Ishaq-Abu Ahmad-'Amr b. Thabit [577.'Amr b. Thibit b. Abi Khilid Hurmuz al-Wilibi died in 172/788191; his father is listed in Tahdhib. See Tahdhib, VIII, 9 f., and II, 16 f. For his grandfather Hurmuz, who is said to have transmitted from ' Ali indirectly, see above, n. 81] -his father-his grandfather-'Ali: Adam was created from the skin (adim) of the earth, containing something pleasant (tayyib) and something good and something bad. All this can be seen in Adam's children, (who are) good and bad.
According to Ya'qub b. Ibrahim [578. Born in 166/782(31, Ya'qub b. Ibrahim b. Kathir al-Dawraqi died in 252/866. See TB, XIV, 277-80; Tahdhib, XI, 381 f. For his brother Ahmad, see Sezgin, GAS, 1,112.] -Ibn 'Ulayyah [579.Ibn Ulayyah Ismail b. Ibrahim b. Migsam lived from 110/728(91 to 193 or 194/808-10. See TB, VI, 229-40; Tahdhib, I, 275-79; Rosenthal, Muslim Historiography2 , 366, it. 4] -'Awf. [580. 'Awf b. Abi Jamilah al-Arabi lived from 59/678(91 to 146 or 147/763-64. See Tahdhib, VIII, 166 f.] Also Muhammad b. Bashshar and 'Umar b. Shabbah [581. The historian Abu Zayd Umar b. Shabbah was born in 173/789 and died in 262/876. See TB, XI, 208-1o; Tahdhib, VII, 460; Sezgin, GAS, I, 345] –Yahya b. Said-'Awf. Also In Bashshar-Ibn Abi 'Adi and Muhammad b. Ja'far (Ghundar) and 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi [582. Born about 1 o8-10/726-29, 'Abd al-Wahhab b. 'Abd al- Majid al-Thagafi died in 194/809-10. See TB, XI, 18-21; Tahdhib, VI, 449 f.] -Awf.
Also Muhammad b. 'Umarah al-Asadi [583. He occurs frequently in History and Tafsir as well as lkhtilaf, ed. Schacht, 227] -Ismail b. Aban [584. He may be either al-Warraq (d. 216/831) or al-Ghanawi (d. 210/825[6]) who are both mentioned in Tahdhib, 1, 269-71.] -'Anbasah [585. He is probably identical with ' Anbasah, mentioned above, n. 393] -Awf al-Arabi- Qasamah b. Zuhayr [586. Died around 700. See Tahdhib, VIII, 378.] -Abu Musa al-Ash'ari [587. The famous Abu Masi al-Ash 'ad supposedly died at the age of sixty-three between 42 and 53/662-73. See Tahdhib, V, 362 f.; EI2, 1, 695 f., s. v. al-Ash'ari, Abu Musa.] -the Messenger of God: God created Adam from a handful (of soil) which He took from the entire earth. Thus, the children of Adam came to correspond to the earth in being red, black, white, or (colors) in between, and in being plain or rugged, unpleasant or pleasant. [588. The tradition is quoted to this point in Tafsir, I, 169 f. (ad Qur. 2:31). Ibn Khuzaymah, 64, refers to Adam's creation from clay of various colors] The clay from which Adam was made was moistened until it became "sticky clay," then was left to become stinking slime, and then salsal ("dry clay" or "potter's clay"), as God says: "We created man from dry clay from stinking slime ." [589. Qur. 15:26, etc.]
According to Ibn Bashshar-Yahya b. Said and 'Abd alRahman b. Mahdi-Sufyan-al-A'mash-Muslim al-Batin [590. For Muslim b. (Abi) 'Imran al-Batin, see Tahdhib, X, 134.] -Sa'id b. jubayr-Ibn 'Abbas: Adam was created from three (kinds of clay): dry clay (salsal), slime (hama'), and sticky clay. The "sticky" clay (lazib) is the good clay. Hama' is hami'ah, [591. The reading in Tafsir ( see n . 5921 of ham'ah makes it even clearer that the Qur'anic word is considered by Ibn 'Abbas as belonging to the root h-m-' and not, as suggested by others, to the root h-m-y.] and salsal is finely pounded soil. God means by "from salsal" : from dry clay which has salsalah, that is, makes sounds.[ 592. See the slightly different versions in Tafsir, XIV, 19 (ad Qur. 15:26), and XXIV, 73 (ad Qur. 55:14-16).]
It has been mentioned that God caused Adam's clay to ferment.
He left it lying around as a body (jasad) for forty nights, or, according to another statement, forty years.
Those who said this
According to Abu Kurayb-`Uthman b. Said-Bishr b. 'Umarah-Abu Rawq-l ahhak-Ibn 'Abbas: God commanded to lift up the soil from which Adam was to be made. He created Adam from sticky clay from stinking slime. He continued. It became stinking slime only after (having been compact) soil.[ 593. See above, n. 565.] He continued. He created Adam from it with His own hand. He continued. It remained lying around as a body (jasad) for forty nights. Iblis used to come to it and kick it with his foot, whereupon it made sounds. He continued. This is (meant by) God's word: "From salsdl like potter's clay." [594. Qur. 15:26, etc.] He means: like something separated that is not compact. He continued. Then (Iblis) entered Adam's mouth and left from his posterior, and he entered his posterior and left from his mouth. Then he said: You are not something for making sounds (salsalah). What, then, were you created for? If I am given authority over you, I shall ruin you, and if you are given authority over me, I shall disobey you. [595. The tradition appears in Tafsir, I, 158 f. (ad Qur. 2:30) and, in part , XXIV, 73 (ad Qur. 55:14-16).]
According to Masi b. Har in-Amr b. Hammad-Asbat-alSuddi-Abu Milik and Abu Silih-Ibn 'Abbas. Also (al-Suddi)-Murrah al-Hamdini-Ibn Masud and some (other) companions of the Prophet : God said to the angels : " I am creating a human being from clay. When I have fashioned him and blown some of My spirit into him, fall down in prostration before him!" [596. Qur. 38:71 f.] God created him with His own hands, lest Iblis become overbearing toward (Adam), so that (God) could say to (Iblis): You are overbearing toward something I have made with My own hand(s), which I Myself was not too haughty to make!? So God created Adam as a human being. He was a body of clay for forty years the extent of Friday(?) [597. That is, the forty years were no longer than the hour on Friday during which Adam was created?] When the angels passed by him, they were frightened by what they saw. The angel most frightened was Iblis. He would pass by him, kick him, and thus make the body produce a sound as potter's clay does. That is (meant) where God says: "From salsal like potter's clay." [598. Qur. 15:26, etc] Then he would say: What were you created for? He entered his mouth and left from his posterior . Then he said to the angels : Don't be afraid of that one, for your Lord is solid, whereas this one is hollow. [599. This refers to an interpretation given al-samad in Qur. 112:2, which, incidentally, is not the one preferred by Tabari in Taft r, XXX, 224, on this verse.] When I am given authority over him , I shall ruin him. [600. See Tafsir, I, 160]
We were told on the authority of al-Hasan b. Bilal [601. See Tahdhib II, 258 . Elsewhere, 'Ali b. Sahl is mentioned as the transmitter between al-Hasan b. Bilal and Tabari . Both ' Ali and al- Hasan were from alRamlah.]-Hammad b. Salamah-Sulaymin al-Taymi [602. See above, n. 102] -Abu Uthmin al-Nahd [603. One of the legendary longevous men of early Islamic times who was said to have lived 130 or 140 years, Abu 'Uthmin al-Nahdi supposedly died in 95 /713[4] or, using a round figure suggesting a mere guess, in 100/718[9). See Tahdhib, VI, 277 f.; Sam'ini, Ansdb, XIII, 217; Rosenthal, Sweeter than Hope, 82.] -Salmin al-Firisi [604. A famous legendary figure of early Islam, Salman al-Farisi may have died in the thirties/650s. See Tahdhib, IV, 137-39, Massignon, Salmon Pik.] : God caused Adam's clay to ferment for forty days and then put him together with His own hands. His pleasant part came out in God's right hand, and his unpleasant part in God's left. God then wiped His hands one with the other and so mixed both ( pleasant and unpleasant ). That is why pleasant comes forthfrom unpleasant, and unpleasant from pleasant ( in man 's constitution).
According to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq: ReportedlyGod knows best!-God created Adam, then put him down and looked at him for forty days before blowing the spirit into him, until he became salsal like potter's clay untouched by fire. He continued. When, after that period during which Adam was salsal like potter's clay, God wanted to blow the spirit into him, He went to the angels and said to them: "When I ... have blown some of My spirit into him, fall down in prostration before him!" [605. Qur. 38:72.]
When God blew the spirit into him, the spirit came to Adam by way of his head, as the early (scholars) are reported to have said.
Those who said this
According to Musa b. Harun-Amr b. IHammad-Asbat-alSuddi -Abu Malik and Abu Salih-Ibn 'Abbas. Also (al-Suddi)-Murrah al-Hamdani-Ibn Masud and some (other) companions of the Prophet: At the time God wanted to blow the spirit into Adam,He said to the angels: When I blow some of My spirit into him, prostrate yourselves before him! Now, when He blew the spirit into him and the spirit entered his head, Adam sneezed. The angels said: Say: "Praise be to God!, " [606. Qur. 1:1] and he did. Whereupon God said to him: May your Lord show mercy into you! When the spirit entered his eyes, he looked at the fruits of Paradise, and when it entered his belly, he craved food. So he jumped up, before the spirit reached his feet, in his haste to get at the fruits of Paradise. This is (meant) where God says: "Man was created of haste. " [607. Our. 21:37. "Of haste" is one of the interpretations given by the commenmentators . See also the following tradition . "In haste" is also recognized as possible.] So all the angels together prostrated themselves, "except Iblis. He refused to be with those prostrating themselves. ,[ 608. Qur. 15:30 f.] "He refused and was overbearing, being one of the unbelievers." [609. Qur. 2:34.] When God said to Iblis: "What prevented you from prostrating yourself, as I commanded you? "-before what I have created with My own hands-"(Iblis) said: I am better than he. ,[ 610. Qur. 7:12] I am not one to prostrate myself before a human being You have created from clay. Whereupon God said to him: "Fall down [611. The Leiden edition has "Leave" as against the Qur' anic text which may have been restored by the editor of the Cairo edition or some earlier copyist.] from (Paradise)! It is not yours tomeaning, you must not--be overbearing in it . So leave! You are one of the mean beings. , [612. Qur. 7:13. The tradition appears in Tafsir, I, 16o (ad Qur. 2:30), and also in part in Tafsir, XVII, 19 (ad Qur. 21:37).] "Meanness" is humility.
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