The Harmony of the Verses

The apparent sequence of the verses shows that this verse, like the three preceding ones, illustrates the greatness of Adam (a.s.) and his worthiness for the position of God’s vicegerency. In essence, the first three verses consider the knowledge of the vicegerent of God, while this verse highlights his dignity and sanctity. The second aspect is a natural consequence of the first; once it is established that Adam, the perfect human being, is God’s vicegerent across all realms of existence and has comprehensive knowledge through God’s permission, the angels are then commanded to honor and respect him through prostration.

However, when considering verse 29 of Sūrah al-Ḥijr and verse 72 of Sūrah Ṣād, which indicate that the prostration occurred after the spirit was breathed into Adam, a different sequence emerges. This suggests that the angels’ prostration preceded the teaching of the names. This discrepancy raises the question: why was this verse not placed immediately after the verse concerning vicegerency? This is a matter that warrants further investigation in future research.

In any case, in this verse, God the Exalted addresses the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.): “And remember when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam!’ So they all prostrated, except Iblīs who refused, was arrogant, and was already among the disbelievers.”

The trait of arrogance, inherited from the leader of the defiant ones,(4) Iblīs, and passed down to the misguided followers of devilry, highlights the link between the verses under discussion and the upcoming verses concerning the Israelites’ refusal to accept the prophethood of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.). Just as Iblīs, upon witnessing the exaltation of the perfect human being—one who possesses the knowledge of God’s beautiful names, serves as the teacher of the angels, and has the ability to convey these names to them—arrogantly refused to prostrate before him, the Israelites similarly refused to humble themselves before the revelation brought by the Seal of the Prophets and to believe in his prophethood. Their disobedience was not due to ignorance or a valid excuse; it was an act of tyrannical defiance and deceit. Such individuals are truly considered among the human devils (shayāṭīn al-ins).