Why is Allah holding Iblis to a different standard than the other Jinn?

[Sheed1980]

I'm also wondering if Iblis is a Jinn or not. The Quran seems confused on this.

Quran 18:50 says that Ibilis is a Jinn: Behold! We said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam": They bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! Evil would be the exchange for the wrong-doers!

Or is Quran 2:34, which says Iblis is an angel right?

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.

Quran 15:30 - 31 also claims Iblis is an angel: So the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together: (30) Not so Iblis: he refused to be among those who prostrated themselves.(31)


I can't find where it says other Jinn refused to bow to Adam. If such an Iyaht is in the Quran then that creates more problems than it solves. Here are a few that I can see:

1. Why are the other Jinn not banished?
2. All Jiinn are make of this "smokeless fire" stuff so why is Iblis any different?
3. Again, why is Allah hold Iblis to a different standard to the other Jiinn (or angels)?
4. And, while we're at it, how can something be made from fire when fire is a chemical reaction taking place?
5. Smokeless fire is impossible?
6. And let's not forget the angels, of which Iblis may or not have been one of. How can something be made of only photons?

Quran 7:11 - 12 seems to say that Iblis is an Angel made of fire even though it's the Jinn who are made of fire, not the angels: It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels prostrate to Adam, and they prostrate; not so Iblis; He refused to be of those who prostrate. (10) (Allah) said: "What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay."

And don't the Iyaht saying Iblis refused to bow to Adam contradict Qutan 16:50 - 51 which say angels have no free will:
And to Allah doth obeisance all that is in the heavens and on earth, whether moving (living) creatures or the angels: for none are arrogant (before their Lord). (49) They all revere their Lord, high above them, and they do all that they are commanded. (50)

Why is the Quran so confusing?

Well to start off my friend, studies show that just as Adam pbuh was the first human or father of all mankind Iblis was the first jinn. He was a believing, good, worshiper of his Lord Allah and was placed among the angels in Paradise being he was a believing being who was higher in status than they because of him being created with free-will. So jinn like humans have free-will to obey and disobey God at their own discretion which is what makes them higher in status than angels. Angels are created without free-will. The reason angels can't disobey God, just as a human can't naturally breathe underwater or fly, is because it's not encoded so to say "in their DNA". Humans and jinn also differ from angels by having genders of male and females to mate and reproduce. Angels are only males and they do not reproduce they are simply created by God.
So Iblis being a good, believing, servant of his Lord who at the time was God's greatest creation was blessed to dwell among the righteous servants of God (angels) in Paradise. Because of his stature and so to say being number 1 on God's list of free-willed favorites, he became proud and haughty to an extent. Which would soon increase.

God told the angels, before He even created Adam pbuh, that He was going to create a vicegerent TO LIVE ON EARTH. The angels not questioning His authority or disrespecting their Lord, asked Him basically "what is the point in that"? The angels saw how the free-willed jinn that dwelled on Earth shed blood and caused destruction between each other and assumed another free-willed creature would do the same or worse. God told the angels "I know what you do not know" making them realize He is God Almighty in control and knows the outcomes of every situation to happen. So He sent the angels to Earth to grab piles of dirt. Black, and white, and brown , and red, and yellow (the reason we as Adam's children have so many different colors). They mixed all the dirt with water and made a sticky clay. The clay was then moulded into a statue.

The statue stood for a while and was a dark hollow shell, so much that if u thumped it would make a ringing sound which is from where the term in the Qur'an "sounding clay" comes. Iblis saw this new creation before it was brought to life and despised it due to his arrogance and pride. He felt another creature of God was about to be created and he thought to himself "If it's better than me I won't be the best anymore". When God breathed into the statue of His spirit, His greatest creation, mankind, was brought to life. God then taught Adam the names of all things on Earth. Then God asked the angels "tell Me the names of all these things I have created on Earth if you are truthful". The angels all said "Praise be to you our Lord. We have no knowledge except as that which You give us". Then God told Adam pbuh to tell the angels the names of all the created things and he told them. God then said to the angels "Did I not tell you that I know what you know not"? Then He commanded all beings in Paradise to prostrate to, not in worship, but in honor of His greatest creation Adam pbuh. ALL OF THE ANGELS obeyed their Lord and prostrated. But Iblis stood there with arrogance and refused to prostrate. God asked him "what prevents u from prostrating to Adam, My greatest creation I have created with My own hands"? Iblis said "My Lord, I am better than he. You created me from fire and him from clay". God told him it was not for him to be haughty. Since he disobeyed God's command he was evicted from Paradise and named Satan (despised and rejected). Satan then vowed as a vengeance for God's evicting him, a solemn promise in God's mighty name that he(Satan) would lead all of the children of God's greatest creation astray. Satan said this to God like he was posing a threat to God or something. God simply told him "Whoever I guide you will not be able to misguide. And You and any who follow you I will fill Hell with indeed". Satan then asked God for respite until the day the dead are raised, to have time to work his evil plan against mankind. And God out of His mercy granted him respite.

So as Adam pbuh dwelled in Paradise he became lonely, so God created of him his mate Eve. God told both to dwell in Paradise (Eden)and have everything that they could possibly desire. Except for this specific tree. This tree will bring u harm and transgression. He also told them beware of Satan he is an enemy to u, so treat him as an enemy. So they dwelled and as time went Satan began to whisper into their souls, increasing their curiosity about the forbidden tree. He then swore to them as their sincere advisor that God forbade them the tree so they would not be immortals. Both Adam and Eve, of their own free-will, neither one seduced by the other, both disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden tree. Their shameful parts became known to them and they covered themselves in embarrassment with the leaves of the garden. God told them did I not tell to beware of Satan and to not eat of this tree? They fell in repentance and sought God's forgiveness. Out of His mercy He forgave them, but told them they would leave Paradise and dwell on Earth for a time. There they would live, die, and be raised from it on the Day of Judgment.

So as many people say we are born into sin and cursed from Paradise because of our parents Adam and Eve. But what God's original plan here was to show Adam and Eve and all mankind that Satan will try to trick u on Earth just as he tricked Adam and Eve in Paradise. God knew this would happen. This was a lesson for mankind. Remember, God told the angels before He even created Adam that He planned for Adam to live on Earth.

So this was the story of mankind in the beginning. Now to answer ur questions by number as best as I can my friend:
(1)The jinn were placed upon Earth to live.
(2)and (3)Iblis as the father of the jinn was a good believing jinn, or to say the best of them before his downfall. Just as Adam pbuh mankind's father dwelled in Paradise as God's best creation, Iblis was God's best creation at one point as well.
(4)When something feeds fire it causes smoke to burn (wood, gas, etc.). God Almighty All-Powerful created this fire. Who is to say to God that something has to burn smoke in order for Him to make fire burn itself?
(5)With God NOTHING HE WILLS IS IMPOSSIBLE. When He determines a matter He only says to it "Be" and it is. Ur trying u use our finite human intelligence and raise up to the level of God's creation power. These are 2 innumerably distant measurements of separation on a so called playing field. We can't compare with God in any shape fashion or form
(6)Again ur trying to demote God's power down to human standard of understanding. No Iblis was not an angel he was a jinn. This is proven because 1)He disobeyed God. Angels CANNOT DISOBEY GOD. and 2)Iblis said I AM MADE FROM FIRE. Angels are made from light. Simple. U keep trying to say God CAN'T DO such and such because we as people can't do such and such. The words God and CAN'T Do, do not go together. God can do anything and everything He wills. Tell me how oxygen that u can see or hold in ur hand and hydrogen that u can't see or hold in ur hand can mix together and make water that u can see and hold in ur hand? It's the power and will of God. So if God can make this happen who are u or anybody else to say that He can't create a angel from light, or a jinn from smokeless fire. Or better yet how did a hollow statute of lifeless clay with no center come to life and suddenly have skin, muscles, bones, organs, blood, hair, nails and all other parts of the human body? This again my friend is due to the power of God Allah. When He determines exactly how He wants something to function and look and act and respond to other things He only says to it "Be" and it is.


With ur next question. U have understand that just because Allah gives us free-will to obey Him or to disobey Him, doesn't mean He doesn't have absolute control. Just like with the angels God created them without free-will so they obey His command because He willed it that way. Same with human beings. Yes we can do what we want to an extent with our free-will. But we still follow the laws of God's will and have to deal with it because that's what He wills. So we can willfully obey or disobey Him, but we DEFINITELY HAVE TO OBEY. For example. No human being on this planet can fly on their natural will. This is because the will of God has put in place with gravity and our bodies that we have been created with cannot naturally fly away. This is God's will. Now He has created airplanes and hangliders and rocketships to help us fly, great. That is His will as well. But with His we can't do a single thing that He won't will us to do. We can't lift mountains, or live forever, or breathe in outer space without oxygen........and the list goes on. Bottom line whatever God Allah GIVES US FREE-WILL TO DO AND NOT DO that is because of HIS WILL TO ALLOW US TO DECIDE ONWHAT WE WANT TO DO OR NOT DO. And on the same side of the token whatever God Allah WILLS HIMSELF FOR US TO DO OR NOT DO that is because of HIS WILL TO DECIDE TO ALLOW US TO DO OR NOT TO DO SOMETHING. Long story short......It's whatever God wills.

This is a verse of the Qur'an that u might wanna read to God-willing give u some clarity on what u call confusing.

Chapter 3 Al-'Imran (The family of 'Imran)verse 7:
He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.