Detailed Exegesis

Fa’azallahumā (“Caused them to slip”): The term zalāl from zallat (slip) refers to leading someone astray or causing them to slip, which is described as temptation (waswasa) elsewhere: “Then Satan whispered to them” (7:20). How this slipping through temptation occurred, and the ways in which Satan deceives and causes humans to slip, will be discussed in the section on subtleties and allusions.

Fa akhrajahumā (“And removed them”): Although the verb ikhrāj (expulsion/removal) is attributed to Satan, it was ultimately God who expelled Adam and Eve from their previous status. However, Satan is attributed as the cause because the expulsion occurred through his temptation.

Mimmā (“From that…”): The term mā in mimmā kānā fīhi (“From that which they had been in”) refers to the blessing and status that Adam and Eve enjoyed, implying greatness and elevation. The verb kānā indicates their established position in that status and blessing. The warning embedded in this phrase is that if Satan could lead astray those firmly established in Paradise, he can more easily mislead those who are not firmly rooted. If even someone whose virtue has become a firmly established trait (malaka) is not safe from slipping, then someone whose virtue is only a temporary state (ḥāl) is even more vulnerable to such harm.

Enemy (ʿadū): The root of enmity derives from transgression and encroachment, with ʿadw (running) symbolizing the transgression of boundaries. An individual who crosses their own limits and violates another’s rights is deemed their enemy. This nature of transgression epitomizes Iblīs’s relationship with humans. As previously mentioned, any form of transgression among Adam’s descendants stems from Satan’s temptations. Such enmity leads to a rejected, blameworthy descent, while honesty, the opposite of enmity, causes a praiseworthy ascent. The impacts of these ascents and descents will be evident on the sāhira of the Day of Judgment, which will bring some down and raise others up.