ADAM, IBLEES, SATAN & JANNAH

ADAM, IBLEES, SATAN & JANNAH

The verses of the the book Quran are explained with the help of vibrant and living symbols or signs or illustrations termed as Ayaat (آيَاتٌ) in the Arabic language. These ayaats help us in decoding the parables [misaal] of the book Quran. The basic purpose of any ayaat, sign or symbol or language is to show direction, to guide on the basis of which a person or a thing can be known or understood. Ayaat or signs must always be clear and tangible. An important point to be noted about an ‘ayaat’ is that the ayaat [signs] are only understood the person of knowledge or those with information. The principle of sign [ayaat] in Quranic context is that they are always valid, clear, present or can be easily understood by any individuals with the basic knowledge of self. For example fever is the sign [ayaat] of illness of body. 

Ya / يا is a vocative particle and is one of the derivatives of word Ayaat آيَاتٌ - It is used for calling those who are near and alive- Ayaat are living signs or symbols in any language that are meant to be studied or observed diligently so that it can act like a guide and it is not meant to be sung as rote.

The notable point is that the ayaats [signs] always appeal to those who are near or close by, they are not distant or far because the basic purpose of ayaat is that it should be precisely studied to be clearly understood. If they are far or intangible then how can we study or understand them? An ayaat or a sign that is intangible has no appeal or value to the person to whom it is addressed.

Quran the book does not discuss or give any clues about the life or birth place of any of the “Prophets” and their progeny. Neither does it talk about any event; nor about any science, geography or history. Neither does it glorify “God” by praising its attribute; nor does it encourage any rituals to please “God”. The main theme of the entire book Quran is mankind and his script, i.e Kitab in Arabic (21:10) and how he must manage his / her affairs and extract benefits from the wisdom of his inherent book.

If the book Quran does not increase your wisdom then it means you do not understand its signs and the symbolic meanings embedded in them. Instead of focusing on the message which demonstrate emitting signs (Ayaat), we are either concentrating more on the nuance of pronunciations of the language; or we are busy in comparing the biblical stories with the the parables of the Quran rather than understanding it independently on the basis of the contextual language alone.

The powerful message of Quran on human psychology is totally ignored and sadly the followers of this magnificent book are the ones who are suffering the most with the problem of psychological disorder. The glorious message of the Quran is the only remedy for them but sadly its prescription has gone in vain.

The term Adam is the symbol which represents mankind; similarly Allah, Rabb, Rehman, Iblees, Satan, Malaikah, Noah, Ibrahim, Musa, Firaun, Marium, Isa, etc are all Ayaats (Symbols). These simple demonstrative symbols combined with parables represent a deep meaningful message, confine in a simple symbols and narrated with the help of personified parables. The respected author of the 114 chapter book Quran explains the magnificent message in a theophany format by personifying the characters to illustrate different roles of the various characteristics in humans. 

IBLEES is one of the important traits of mankind (Adam). Adam is basically a homogeneous mixture of many characters arranged in a single body of species Adam. Iblees is termed as the enemy of mankind in the book Quran. Hope or faith / safety / security (Iman) is termed as the greatest gift bestowed upon mankind. Those who cannot see the right path suffer from depression, low spirit or despair, such thoughts are called are called Iblees in Arabic. To be in the state of Iblees is the highest form of dejection and primarily the main cause of all malfunctions in life. The state of Iblees is the breeding ground or favorable ground for Satan to emerge and this type of condition can be experienced by anyone in life.

In short Iblees represents a state of hopelessness, dejection, despair, depression or under some grief or who have lost all hopes from the Rabb [Consciousness].

The root word of Iblees is ب ل س -  The word Iblees is a verbal noun (Form IV) just like the word Islam – This pattern is similar to form II in that it makes intransitive verbs transitive, and transitive verbs doubly so.  This verb form IV indicates that the word Iblees is a state of desperation; low spirit, affliction , sulking nature, if adapted or transformed into that state one becomes hopeless or dejected and is not able to follow the commandments of his / her Consciousness (Rabb).

2:34 وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ


And when We said to the Malaikah [signifies a mechanism that possess power to command / exercise authority / dictate] "Be humble [asajudu] for Adam." So they became humble [fasjadu] except Iblees [unable to see the right course], he refused and became arrogant / proud, and he was from the Al-Kafireen [who covers the knowledge with ignorance] – 2:34

إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ اسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنْ الْكَافِرِينَ

Not so Iblis: he was arrogant, and is ever one of those who conceal the fact (Al-Kafireen) – 38:74

The word Iblees and its derivatives are mentioned 16 times in the entire “Quran”. To deduce the right meaning of any word of the Quran we must go through all the verses where the word Iblees and its derivatives are mentioned. Apart from the lexicon meaning, the contextual meaning of the word also plays a very important role in understanding the right application of the word. The basic meaning of Iblees is a state of desperation or despair of any person; it is an inherent quality of every human being which one must keep in control. Please check in verses (6:44, 23:77, 30:12, 30:49, and 43:75)

The act of suicide is the highest form of dejection or desperation. Losing all hopes or all apprehensions of all kind can also be termed as the state of Iblees. The condition of Iblees (dejection) rejects all types of positivism. In other words it’s a failure of our consciousness or awareness to act in the right direction. The state of Iblees is the lower form of Satan because it has no energy or power to act, as though the person has given up or surrendered completely to fear. Satan is a powerful force, whereas Iblees is a depressed form or a fertile ground for the growth of satanic allies.

It was not Iblees who tempted Adam (Mankind) to go near the “tree of dispute” (Shajrah). One of the characters present in Adam is the state of dejection (Iblees) that caused Satan to breed and raise its head. The state of despair (Iblees) is the fertile ground for the Satan to grow and develop false desires in Adam. This false desire compels him to disobey the command of his consciousness (Rabb). In the state of desperation (Iblees) man looks for immediate relief did not allow him to obey the commandment of his Rabb.  But it was Satan who was responsible for the degradation of Adam; from the position of security and hidden garden of knowledge (Jannah), where enlightenment flows to the position of blockage and stagnation of thoughts or the state of Jahannum.

EFFECTS OF IBLEES:

To understand Iblees first we should understand what does Kafir mean, as we know that Iblees is described as one of the Kafireen in Quran – 2:34 – WHO ARE KAFIRS?

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Indeed, those who chose to cover / hide or be ignorant [their own script]  - it is all the same upon them whether you warn them or you warn them not - they will not trust in themselves [their script] (2:6)

خَتَمَ اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ وَّلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

The Allah [system of Consciousness] has set a seal [blockage] over their heart / mind and over their understanding, and over their insights is a layers of covering. And for them is a great chastisement [Azaab].(2:7) 

Iblees is the state where our vital abilities (intellect, understanding and insight) stop working and this condition is a great punishment in itself (2:6-7). This happens when the ego, ignorance and arrogance rules us and our consciousness [Rabb] is leaves us in the hands of untruthfulness and vanity [Shaitaan]. The basic rule of the System of Consciousness [Allah] is “As you sow, so shall you reap”.

One of the major causes for such plight is the habit of being secretive or concealing of facts (Kafir). When one starts concealing or hiding facts and pretends to be normal the habit of denying the facts develops gradually. Such state is termed as Kafir in Arabic. Slowly the person begins to feel the gravity of hiding and concealing the facts. Living on the basis of lies leads him to the life of fear.

The second stage of Kafir is Iblees where the person is in the state of depression and hopelessness.

The last and final stage is Satan, a powerful force who dictates his terms and condition on the person until he is confronted by truth or facts.

The individuals deceive themselves by not obeying the system of consciousness (Allah) but they don’t realize (2:9). In their intellect is disease, so Allah has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they used to lie (2:10). They spread corruption in the lower consciousness and they themselves are corrupted due to that but they realize not (2:11-12). And it is told to them to trust but they think others as unwise, and they don’t know that they themselves are deprived of wisdom (2:13). And when they are with those who trust they will say we are with you but when they are alone with their Shaitaan they would say we were just mockers (2:14).

The reason of discussing the initial verses of surah Baqra is to make the readers aware that how the book Quran must be understood in the right perspective. From the beginning of the surah to the last verse the subject must not drift into different segments. The sign of a good script is that the theme and the plot run parallel to the story. The script of the Quran is the masterpiece in the Arabic language, how can it discuss thing irrelevant to the topic. All the characters of the Quran must be relevant and interconnected to the entire topic, then only the message will make sense. But our translators have messed up the Quran into various tales.  To understand Iblees we cannot directly jump to verse 2:34. We have to understand all the preceding and following verses in sequence and also understand the connection between them, prior to understanding any context and its vocabularies.

We need to understand each and every word according to the theme of the subject in order to extract the right message. The signs or Ayaats of the Quran have to be relatively applicable in our present day lives. The Quran is invariably or universally applicable in today’s times and it’s definitely alive, but to restrict it to ancient Biblical interpretation is an act of grave injustice to this marvelous message.  

SHAITAAN / IBLEES

IBLEES is the dejected thought of human beings. In such a state man fails to recognize the facts and gets inspired by the whims of Satan (Shaitaan). Here the word Shaitaan is an adjective which indicates - one of the evil qualities of a human being that seduce man away from the truth or fact.

The root word of Shaitaan is shīn ṭā nūn (ش ط ن). The word Shaitaan (الشَّيْطَانُ) and its derivatives are mentioned 88 times in the entire “Quran”.

The basic meaning of  ش ط ن  is – Distant, remote far from the truth, turn away from the direction, penetrating, concealed, firmly fixed, bound him…

WHAT IS JANNAH IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BOOK QURAN?

2:35 وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَـٰذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

And We said, "O Adam, calm down / remain still, you and your pair is Al-Jannah, [the garden of hidden knowledge underneath which river of enlightenment flow is  Al-Jannah, the real mate or companion of Adam] and both consume intelligence from it freely whenever you both desire. But do not come near such / differences / disputes, lest you be from the unjust [or in darkness]."

 كُلَا - second person dual imperative verb is a derivative of اكيل which means intelligent, it does not means eat or to devour as perceived by the traditionalist. 

Man is inseparable from whatever knowledge he possess [Al-Jannah] - thus Al-Jannah is termed as companion - زَوْجُكَ 20:117 because man cannot be separated from the knowledge he possessed. ZAUJ here is a masculine nominative noun, so how it can be termed as wife by the traditional translators, however the following sentence is making it very clear that Al-Jannah or the latent knowledge is data storage device which is a 24x7 companion [ZAUJ / PAIR] of man. Al-Jannah is feminine noun - Man and the data storage device both have to share the knowledge covered with guidance. Al-Jannah is the get-way to the state of bliss but if we gets embroiled in unnecessary arguments and disputes then he/she loses Al-Jannah.

2:36 فَأَزَلَّهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ عَنْهَا فَأَخْرَجَهُمَا مِمَّا كَانَا فِيهِ ۖ وَقُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ

Then both [the hidden garden of knowledge & Adam] let Satan [falsehood] to slip themselves concerning it [the garden of hidden knowledge covered with guidance] and he himself removed from what they were in it [cover of guidance]. And We said, "Degrade yourselves all of you, as rivals to one another, and you will have in the lower consciousness an ongoing desire for settlement and an advantage leading towards the time of reaping." 

فَأَزَلَّهُمَا - form IV perfect verb

فَأَخْرَجَهُمَا - form IV perfect verb

I am emphasizing more on the use of FORM IV verb, only because if it is correctly interpreted it will completely change the dimension of the Quranic message. Form IV indicates that we are responsible for our own action.

Satan + Malaikah are part of Al-Jannah [the process to tap the hidden knowledge which is covered with guidance] and Al-Jannah is the part of Adam [Mankind]. Only through latent knowledge which is covered with guidance [Al-Jannah], one can enter the state of bliss. If the cover of knowledge with guidance is removed then we are out from Jannah, the state of bliss. In Jannah flows the four rivers of enlightenment from which one can gather light of knowledge and guidance. Knowledge is paradise, without the light of knowledge is the state of stagnation which is in Quranic terminology is Jahannum [Hell]


2:37 فَتَلَقَّىٰ آدَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

Then Adam encountered from his Consciousness some propositions / words, then he turned / retrospect upon it. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the extremely Merciful.

فَتَلَقَّىٰ - form V perfect verb

2:38 قُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًا ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّي هُدًى فَمَن تَبِعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

We said, "Degrade from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance - there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve.

The above verse prove that guidance itself is Jannah and separation from guidance is Jahannum

LET’S ANALYZE SOME VERSES TO UNDERSTAND THE EXACT ROLE OF SATAN IN OUR LIVES:

2:36 - Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden), and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said: "Get you down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood - for a time."

2:168 - O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, Lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the evil one, for he is to you an avowed enemy.

2:268 - The Evil one threatens you with poverty and bids you to conduct unseemly. Allah promises you His forgiveness and bounties. And Allah cares for all and He knoweth all things.

3:175 - It is only the Evil One that suggests to you the fear of his votaries: Be ye not afraid of them, but fear Me, if ye have Faith.

4:119 - "I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah." Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes Satan for a friend, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest.

4:120 - Satan makes them promises, and creates in them false desires; but satan's promises are nothing but deception.

6:43 - When the suffering reached them from us, why then did they not learn humility? On the contrary their hearts became hardened, and Satan made their (sinful) acts seem alluring to them.

7:20 – So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?"

7:22 - So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?"

7:27 - O ye Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you, in the same manner as He got your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their raiment, to expose their shame: for he and his tribe watch you from a position where ye cannot see them: We made the evil ones friends (only) to those without faith.

7:175 - Relate to them the story of the man to whom We sent Our signs, but he passed them by: so Satan followed him up, and he went astray.

8:11 - Remember He covered you with a sort of drowsiness, to give you calm as from Himself, and he caused rain to descend on you from heaven, to clean you therewith, to remove from you the stain of Satan, to strengthen your hearts, and to plant your feet firmly therewith.

8:48 - Remember Satan made their (sinful) acts seem alluring to them, and said: "No one among men can overcome you this day, while I am near to you": But when the two forces came in sight of each other, he turned on his heels, and said: "Lo! I am clear of you; lo! I see what ye see not; Lo! I fear Allah: for Allah is strict in punishment."

12:5 - Said (the father): "My (dear) little son! Relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they concoct a plot against thee: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy!

12:42 - And of the two, to that one whom he considers about to be saved, he said: "Mention me to thy lord." But Satan made him forget to mention him to his lord: and (Joseph) lingered in prison a few (more) years.

14:22 - And Satan will say when the matter is decided: "It was Allah Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised, but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you but ye listened to me: then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot listen to your cries, nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act in associating me with Allah. For wrong-doers there must be a grievous penalty."

16:63 - By Allah, We (also) sent (Our messengers) to Peoples before thee; but Satan made, (to the wicked), their own acts seem alluring: He is also their patron today, but they shall have a most grievous penalty.

17:27 - Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord (himself) ungrateful.

17:53 - Say to My servants that they should (only) say those things that are best: for Satan doth sow dissensions among them: For Satan is to man an avowed enemy.

17:64 - "Lead to destruction those whom thou canst among them, with thy (seductive) voice; make assaults on them with thy cavalry and thy infantry; mutually share with them wealth and children; and make promises to them." But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.

19:44 - "O my father! Serve not Satan: for Satan is a rebel against (Allah) Most Gracious.

20:120 - But Satan whispered evil to him: he said, "O Adam! Shall I lead thee to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?"

22:52 - Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before thee, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and Allah will confirm (and establish) His Signs: for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom:

22:53 - That He may make the suggestions thrown in by Satan, but a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and who are hardened of heart: verily the wrong-doers are in a schism far (from the Truth)

24:21 - O ye who believe! Follow not Satan's footsteps: if any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong: and were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: but Allah doth purify whom He pleases: and Allah is One Who hears and knows (all things).

25:29 - "He did lead me astray from the Message (of Allah) after it had come to me! Ah! The Evil One is but a traitor to man!"

28:15 - And he entered the city at a time when its people were not watching: and he found there two men fighting,- one of his own religion, and the other, of his foes. Now the man of his own religion appealed to him against his foe, and Moses struck him with his fist and made an end of him. He said: "This is a work of Evil (Satan): for he is an enemy that manifestly misleads!"

35:6 - Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his adherents that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire.

36:60 - "Did I not enjoin on you, O ye Children of Adam, that ye should not worship Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?

47:25 - Those who turn back as apostates after Guidance was clearly shown to them, - the Evil One has instigated them and busied them up with false hopes.

58:19 - The Evil One has got the better of them: so he has made them lose the remembrance of Allah. They are the Party of the Evil One. Truly, it is the Party of the Evil One that will perish!

59:16 - (Their allies deceived them), like the Evil One, when he says to man, "Deny Allah": but when (man) denies Allah, (the Evil One) says, "I am free of thee: I do fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!"

The above translations are taken from Esq. Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

WHO IS SATAN?

1) The one who is your avowed enemy – 2:168, 7: 20-22, 12:5, 36:60

2) The one who inspires / instigates false hope or desire – 22:52, 47:25

3) The one who deceives you with wrong suggestions – 22:53, 59:16

4) The one who affects your memory and remembrance – 12:42, 58:19

5) The one who misleads – 7:175, 28:15

6) The one who betrays – 25:29

7) The one who commands shameful and wrong acts – 24:21

8) The one who whispers evil – 20:120

9) The one who is the rebel against the Rehman (Teacher of Quran) – 19:44

10) Commits false promises, has no authority – 4:119-120, 14:22, 17:64

11) The one who sows dissensions – 17:53

12) Spendthrift is the brothers of Satan – 17:27

13) The one who makes own acts seem alluring – 8:48, 16:63

14) The One who gives false assurances – 8:48

15) The one who seduces you to follow what is wrong – 7:27

16) The one who inculcates fear- 3:175

17) The one who threatens you with insecurities / poverty – 2:268

18) The one who makes you slip from the state of bliss and protection – 2:36

19) The one who runs away when the facts confront it –

HOW TO SAVE YOURSELVES FROM SATAN:

1) Don’t ever live in the state of contentment it leads to heedlessness (10:7)

2) Always guard yourselves from wrong and lewd acts (19:59-60) (29:45)

3) Never hide the facts as this leads to fear which will ultimately take you to the state of depression and guilt.

4) The state of depression (Iblees) is the fertile ground for the birth of Satan and its allies.

5) The most important book (مكتب) is your brain; protect it from evil imprints of the Satan.

BE CAUTIOUS FROM THE SATAN THAT LIES WITHIN:

There are ideally more than three stages of evolution of becoming a full-fledged Satan but we will discuss three of them.

*The first stage being Kafir – when one starts to be secretive or lies to the colleagues / companions / caretakers and knows that he is wrong and has guilt feelings. This continuous feeling of fear and guilt weighs him down to the next stage – Iblees.

*The second stage is Iblees – At this stage the person has lost all hopes and becomes weak by telling lies and living a life of falsehood. He does not have the courage to come out of the fear and delves deeper into the problems thus not sharing with the colleagues and eventually surrenders and gives up on hope. At this stage one rejects all positivism.

*The third one is the final that is Satan – The weakened morale helps Satan to easily capture or control the person at the Iblees stage. It’s an easy target for Satan to cultivate or breed on the ground that is already fertile through Iblees. Satan can easily control the affected person and make him do any vices (to lie, steal, to cheat, conceal the truth) thus blocking his ability to reason or think. He is not aware about himself at what state of mind he is and much he is actually suffering.

With the help of this explanation let us take heed and stop ourselves at the first stage itself. The moment we realize that we are at the first or maybe second stage; we need to be cautious and take help and discuss with the ones we are close to. Do not wait until Satan overpowers you. Pay attention to the demonstrative signs [Ayaats] around and within you as they come to you as messengers and guidance from the Knowledgeable Rabb. Do not ignore them giving Satan a chance to sneak in.

The actual Satan is inside US, take precaution, and don’t wait to travel to Mecca to throw stones at him. Satan is not made of concrete and cement pillars but he is made up of false notions. The Satan within is far more dangerous than what we can imagine, if Satan can provoke the person to commit suicide we better beware. Refrain from letting negativity taking control of you. Your body is a sacred place; don’t let any wrong thoughts enter into it. Keep it pure.

Conclusion: The book Quran instruct us that all the powerful forces like Malaikah, Jinn, Ibless, Shaitaan are inside us. We should make them humble [sajda] to Adam in order to live a blissful life.

Editing pending