On Iblis: Could he have kept silent?

Abstract

This paper addresses an issue raised by many Qurʾānic verses which assert that the Divine command for the prostration of Adam (pbuh) was issued to the angels only, and also by the verse which clearly states that Iblis is from the Jinn (i.e. not an angel), as well as by the verse which explicitly states that Allah had commanded Iblis to prostrate to Adam. The reference to this command in this last verse explains why, though not directly addressed with the command, Iblis had to react to the command (he rejected to prostrate, showed arrogance, and vowed to mislead Adam and his offspring). We review some of the available accounts of this issue and provide an account according to which Iblis had to either prostrate or reject the command, that is, he could not have kept silent, and this is because a Divine command, by nature, includes those directly addressed as well as those present where the command is issued, and probably everyone else in the universe.