قَالَ أَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ 14
Translations
[Satan] said, "Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected."
Transliteration
Qala anzirnee ila yawmi yub'athoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah records Iblis's request to Allah for respite until the Day of Resurrection after being expelled from His mercy. Allah grants this request as a test and trial for mankind, as mentioned in the following ayah (7:15). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this demonstrates Allah's justice in giving Iblis the opportunity he demanded, while also serving as a profound warning about the reality of Satan's enmity toward humanity throughout this worldly life.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative in Surah Al-A'raf detailing the story of Iblis's disobedience and expulsion from Allah's grace. It follows immediately after Allah commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam (7:11-13), and Iblis refused out of arrogance. The context illustrates the cosmic struggle between obedience and rebellion, setting the stage for understanding Satan's role in human temptation until the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim (2844) where the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions that Iblis said: 'By Your might, O Lord, I will not cease to lead them astray as long as their souls are in their bodies.' This directly relates to Iblis's respite and his commitment to lead humanity astray during this period.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that Allah's permission for Satan to exist until the Day of Judgment is a test of our faith and obedience; we must recognize that our struggle against temptation is a divinely ordained trial, and our success lies in seeking Allah's protection through remembrance, obedience, and righteous deeds.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِىٓ أَعْمَىٰ وَقَدْ كُنتُ بَصِيرًا
He will say, "My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?"
وَلَوْلَآ أَن كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْجَلَآءَ لَعَذَّبَهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ عَذَابُ ٱلنَّارِ
And if not that Allāh had decreed for them evacuation, He would have punished them in [this] world, and for them in the Hereafter is the punishment of the Fire.
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Do you not know that to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and Allāh is over all things competent.
قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِى ٱلْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ جِئْتَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا۟ يَفْعَلُونَ
He said, "He says, 'It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot upon her.'" They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So they slaughtered her, but they could hardly do it.