This year’s MIST theme is Honor of Humility, and I thought what better way to talk about it than the biggest role of the opposite of Honor of Humility known in Islam. We all know the story of Iblees, because it’s been all told to us when we were young. Iblees’s story was revealed in the Quran, in Surat Al Araf. Allah starts by telling us to be a follower of Allah and only Allah. He then starts talking about Iblees’s story by saying:
And We have certainly created you, [O Mankind], and given you [human] form. Then We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam"; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was not of those who prostrated. (11)
He starts off by telling us right away what he asked Iblees to do and his reaction. When Allah created Adam, he commanded everyone to prostrate to Adam, the first human. Iblees was upon those who did not prostrate, but we do not know why from this ayah.
[ Allah ] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" [Satan] said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay." (12)
In this ayah, we learn why Iblees did not prostrate to Adam. Allah asks Iblees why he did not prostrate, and Iblees says he is better than him, because he is made out of fire and Adam is made out of clay.
[ Allah ] said, "Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased.
After Iblees showed his arrogance, Allah commands him to leave Paradise, and tells him there is no room for his arrogance in it.
This is an example of the opposite of honor of humility because of the arrogance and hubris he showed after Allah asked him to do something. He was not humble and thought he was above Adam because of what he was made of. We are taught in Islam to be humble because in the Day of Judgement, we will all return to Allah as one, without any of our materialistic things. He will judge us solely on our Iman.
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