And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves unto Adam." They prostrated themselves except Iblis. He said: "Shall I prostrate myself to one whom You created from clay? (61)He said: "See this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely, seize and mislead his offspring, all but a few! (62)
Allah mentions here the enmity of Iblis, may the curse of Allah be upon him and his progeny. This is an ancient hatred, dating from the time that Allah created Adam, when He commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam, and all of them prostrated except Iblis, who was too arrogant and he haughtily refused to prostrate to him. He said in a tone indicating contempt:
قَالَ أَأَسْجُدُ لِمَنْ خَلَقْتَ طِينًا
(He said: "Shall I prostrate myself to one whom You created from clay?") According to another Ayah, he said:
أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
(I am better than he. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.)[7:12] He also said, speaking to the Lord with disbelief and insolence, but the Lord bore it patiently:
قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَكَ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كَرَّمْتَ عَلَيَّ
(He said: "See this one whom You have honored above me...") 'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "He is saying, 'I am going to dominate his offspring, all but a few.'" Mujahid said (it means), "I am going to surround them." Ibn Zayd said (it means), "I am going to lead them astray." All of them are close in meaning, and the meaning of the Ayah is, "Do You see this one whom You have honored and made greater than me? If You give me time, I will lead his descendants astray, all but a few of them."
