who did, in his arrogance against prostrating to Adam out of envy and transgression toward him, the like of their deed in acting arrogantly against submitting to Muḥammad, the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and his prophethood, when he brought them the truth from their Lord out of envy and transgression.

Then He described Iblīs with the like of what He described those for whom He struck him as a parable regarding arrogance, envy, and disdain toward submitting to him whom Allah commanded him to submit to; so He, majestic be His praise, said: "And he was"—meaning Iblīs—"of the disbelievers"—of those who deny Allah's blessings upon him and His favors to him, by opposing Him in what He commanded him to do of prostrating to Adam, just as the Jews disbelieved in the blessings of their Lord which He gave them and their ancestors before: from Allah feeding their predecessors manna and quails, shading them with clouds, and countless blessings of His that they had, especially what He singled out those who reached Muḥammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, by their reaching him and witnessing Allah's proof against them, yet they denied his prophethood after knowing him and recognizing his prophethood out of envy and transgression. So Allah, majestic be His praise, attributed him to "the disbelievers," placing him among their number in religion and creed, even if he differed from them in species and lineage. Just as He made the people of hypocrisy part of one another, due to their gathering upon hypocrisy, even if their lineages and species differed, so He said: {The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are from one another} (Sūrat al-Tawba: 67), meaning thereby that some of them are from one another in hypocrisy and misguidance. Likewise His statement regarding Iblīs: "and he was of the disbelievers," he was among them in disbelief in Allah and opposing His command, even if his species differed from their species and his lineage from their lineage. And the meaning of His statement: "and he was of the disbelievers" is that he was—when he refused to prostrate—among the disbelievers at that time.

It has been narrated from al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, from Abū al-ʿĀliya that he used to say regarding the interpretation of His statement: "and he was of the disbelievers" in this context: and he was of the disobedient.

705 - Al-Muthannā ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to me, he said: Ādam al-ʿAsqalānī narrated to us, he said: Abū Jaʿfar narrated to us, from al-Rabīʿ, from Abū al-ʿĀliya, regarding His statement: "and he was of the disbelievers," meaning the disobedient (1).