Concerning the Angels, Adam, Satan, and the Quranic Term (Call)

Published in August 15, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

 We have received this question via email; we quote part of it here followed by our reply.

 (... May the Lord God's peace and mercy be with you, dear Dr. Mansour ... This is my second email message to you; I have just read your great article titled "Concerning Iblis, Satan, the Muhammadans, and the Phrase (God is the Greatest!)" (found in English on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=18748)... The more I read your great articles and books, the more I feel that the treasures of the Quran have not been fully discovered yet; one can still delve deeper within Quranist ponderings; I should like you  to comment – within a separate article – on these verses in light of the article I've referred to in my message here. God says in the Quran: "But Satan whispered to them, to reveal to them their nakedness, which was invisible to them. He said, "Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree, lest you become angels, or become immortals." And he swore to them, "I am a sincere advisor to you." So he guided them through deceit. And when they tasted the tree, their nakedness became evident to them, and they began covering themselves with the leaves of the Garden. And their Lord called out to them, "Did I not forbid you from this tree, and say to you that Satan is a sworn enemy to you?"" (7:20-22) ... Thank you in advance ...).

OUR REPLY:

Firstly: we thank the sender of this message and we pose more questions derived from his message:

1- Why did Satan tell Adam and his wife that they may became angels and immortal? Why did Adam have liked to be an angels though the angels prostrated before him?

2- What is meant by the phrase (...he guided them through deceit...)? Does this mean that Satan lured and deceived them through evil whispering? What about guidance mentioned positively in other verses such as "O you who believe! Shall I guide you to a trade that will save you from a painful torment?" (61:10); about Moses: "When your sister walked along, and said, 'Shall I guide you to someone who will take care of him?..." (20:40)? For more information about the term (guidance) in the Quran, we refer readers to this English article of ours found on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=17380

3- What about the term (call) in the Quranic terminology? The Lord God has called upon Adam directly without mediators/angels; we know from the Quran that the call is done either loudly (among people) or softly in whispers (e.g., when Zachariah supplicated to the Lord to grant him a son); the term (call) is mentioned many times in the Quran in relation to people calling/addressing one another in this world and in the Hereafter and people calling/invoking or supplicating to the Lord God.

4- Are Gabriel and Michael among the Lord God's angels or not? Are they special, high-rank angels or arch-angels? Did they prostrate to Adam like the other angels? Will they stand in rows before the Lord God on the Last Day as per this verse: "And your Lord comes, with the angels, row after row." (89:22)? What about the angels who carry/guard the Throne (or the universe)? Did Adam and his wife desired to be like angels (as this might be inferred from the verse 7:20)? Did Satan knew about this desire since he was Iblis one of the arch-angels in the Upper Realm and he used this desire to lure and deceit Adam and his wife within this temptation?  

Secondly: about Satan and how he tempted Adam:

1- We have mentioned previously in our writings that Adam (and this applies to his progeny of all human beings) had the desire/instinct of seeking immortality and ownership/kingship; Satan the Devil and his devils know this and use this desire/instinct to tempt human beings into committing grave sins. Until now, we see human beings struggling for transient, temporary possessions of this world and to control other countries, etc. Satan deceives human beings by making them forget they are mortals who are bound to die and leave the earth, though they see others around them die. Hence, Adam and his wife felt the desire for immortality and for being kings who possess Paradise forever and this is why they were tempted to disobey God by following the 'advice' of Satan and they ate from the fruit of the Forbidden Tree; they both descended upon the surface of the earth while knowing that Satan is their enemy and the arch-enemy of all human beings (i.e., the progeny of Adam and his wife); thus, the deceitful love of possessions or ownership and the deceitful sense of being immortal lead to sin and disobedience; Satan and his devils until now deceive most human beings within the same ways of deceit. 

2- We never know what occurred to Adam's mind when he saw the angels prostrating before him; we cannot talk about things of the metaphysical realm of the past never mentioned in the Quran.

Thirdly: about devilish whispering and guiding through deceit:

  God says in the Quran: "But Satan whispered to them, to reveal to them their nakedness, which was invisible to them. He said, "Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree, lest you become angels, or become immortals." And he swore to them, "I am a sincere advisor to you." So he guided them through deceit. And when they tasted the tree, their nakedness became evident to them, and they began covering themselves with the leaves of the Garden. And their Lord called out to them, "Did I not forbid you from this tree, and say to you that Satan is a sworn enemy to you?" They said, "Our Lord, we have done wrong to ourselves. Unless You forgive us, and have mercy on us, we will be among the losers." He said, "Fall, some of you enemies to one another. On earth you will have residence and livelihood for a while." He said, "In it you will live, and in it you will die, and from it you will be brought out." O children of Adam! We have provided you with clothing to cover your bodies, and for luxury. But the clothing of piety - that is best. These are some of God's revelations, so that they may take heed. O children of Adam! Do not let Satan seduce you, as he drove your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their garments, to show them their nakedness. He sees you, him and his clan, from where you cannot see them. We have made the devils friends of those who do not believe." (7:20-27); "But Satan whispered to him. He said, "O Adam, shall I show you the Tree of Immortality, and a kingdom that never decays?" And so they ate from it; whereupon their bodies became visible to them, and they started covering themselves with the leaves of the Garden. Thus Adam disobeyed his Lord, and fell." (20:120-121). We infer from these verses that devilish whispers of Satan to Adam and his wife is linked to his walking along with them in order to accompany them and to guide them to the Forbidden Tree so that they would consume its fruit; Satan aimed to convince them falsely that he cared about them within his advice to them; Satan was present while Adam and his wife lost their Barsakh-light clothes and when they were naked and as they saw their earthly bodies for the first time; in fact, we infer that Satan participated in removing their Barsakh-light clothes while he felt schadenfreude as he managed to deceive Adam and his wife!

Fourthly: Gabriel, Michael, and the rest of the angels:

 We refer readers to our article, in English, titled "The Living Creatures inside the Metaphysical Realm of the Barsakh Levels", which is about the living creatures in Barsakh and we have tackled angels in this world and the Hereafter: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=18694). We add the following points.

1- The arch-angel Gabriel is the Holy Spirit, and he is distinguished among all God's angels; this is why he is often mentioned distinctively apart from them in many of the Quranic verses.

1/1: Within the angels carrying/guarding the universe now and managing its affairs within God's commands carried out by them until the Last Day: "Unto Him the angels and the Spirit ascend on a Day the duration of which is fifty thousand years." (70:4).

1/2: Within carrying Divine Revelation to prophets/messengers: "He sends down the angels with the Spirit by His command, upon whom He wills of His servants: "Give warning that there is no god but Me, and fear Me."" (16:2); "...He conveys the Spirit, by His command, upon whomever He wills of His servants, to warn of the Day of Encounter." (40:15); the Quran is the Last Message from God to humanity within His Religion; Gabriel carried the Quran to Muhammad: "Say, "Whoever is hostile to Gabriel-it is he who revealed it to your heart by God's leave, confirming what preceded it, and guidance and good news for the believers."" (2:97); "Say, "The Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord, truthfully, in order to stabilize those who believe, and as guidance and good news for those who submit."" (16:102); "It is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. The Honest Spirit came down with it. Upon your heart, that you may be one of the warners." (26:192-194).

1/3: The angels, alongside with Gabriel, carry fates preordained on living human beings by the Lord God within the Night of Decree: "The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. In it descend the angels and the Spirit, by the leave of their Lord, with every command." (97:3-4).

1/4: All angels will stand in rows before the Lord God on the Last Day: "On the Day when the Spirit and the angels stand in row. They will not speak, unless it be one permitted by the Dominant Lord, and he will say what is right." (78:38).

1/5: The arch-angel Gabriel, or the Holy Spirit, carried the Divine Command (Be) within the creation of Adam and Jesus: ""When I have formed him, and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down prostrating before him."" (15:29); "She screened herself away from them, and We sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as a complete human being." (19:17); "The likeness of Jesus in God's sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, "Be," and he was." (3:59).

2- The arch-angel Michael is mentioned along with the arch-angel Gabriel in this verse: "Whoever is an enemy of God, and His angels, and His messengers, and Gabriel, and Michael - God is the Enemy of the disbelievers" (2:98).

3- We know from the Quran about the missions of the arch-angel Gabriel, a.k.a. the Holy Spirit, and not about those of the arch-angel Michael; we infer that both arch-angels are very near and special to the Lord God.

Fifthly: the types of (call) in the Quran:

1- The Divine Revelation is sometimes referred to as (calling) in the Quran, as per the examples quoted in the points below.

1/1: The Divine Revelation granted to Moses: "And mention in the Scripture Moses. He was dedicated. He was a messenger and a prophet. And We called him from the right side of Mount Al-Tur..." (19:51-52); "Your Lord called to Moses, "Go to the unjust people." (26:10); "Nor were you by the side of the Mount when We called..." (28:46); "Has the story of Moses reached you? When His Lord called out to him..." (79:15-16).

1/2: The Divine Revelation granted to Abraham: "We called out to him, "O Abraham! You have fulfilled the vision." Thus We reward the doers of good." (37:104-105).

1/3: The Lord God's call in the Hereafter is exemplified here: "On the Day when He will say, "Call on My partners whom you have claimed." They will call on them, but they will not answer them. And We will place between them a barrier." (18:52).

2- Revelation from the angels to prophets; e.g., God mentions the following about Zachariah in the Quran: "Then the angels called out to him, as he stood praying in the sanctuary: "God gives you good news of John; confirming a Word from God, and honorable, and moral, and a prophet; one of the upright."" (3:39).

3- When human beings (esp. prophets) call upon their Lord God; i.e., to pray/supplicate to Him, as per the examples quoted in the points below.

3/1: The call/prayers of Noah: "And Noah, when he called before. So We answered him, and delivered him and his family from the great disaster." (21:76); "And Noah called to his Lord. He said, "O My Lord, my son is of my family, and Your promise is true, and You are the Wisest of the wise."" (11:45).

3/2: The call/prayers of Job: "And Job, when he called upon his Lord: "Great harm has afflicted me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful."" (21:83).

3/3: The call/prayers of Jonah: "And Jonah, when he stormed out in fury, thinking We had no power over him. But then He called out in the darkness, "There is no God but You! Glory to You! I was among the unjust ones!" (21:87); "So wait patiently for the Decision of your Lord, and do not be like the Fellow of the Whale who called in despair." (68:48).

3/4: When prophets call upon God and pray/supplicate to Him, they do so within low voices within piety and fear as per God's Law; this is mentioned about Zachariah: "A mention of the mercy of your Lord towards His servant Zachariah. When he called on his Lord, a call in whisper." (19:2-3).

4- Human beings call upon one another in this world in loud voices in most cases within the examples quoted in the points below.

4/1: When Noah called upon his disbelieving son: "...And Noah called to his son, who had kept away, "O my son! Embark with us, and do not be with the disbelievers."" (11:42).

4/2: When Moses' Pharaoh addressed his people in conferences and he called upon them: "Pharaoh called among his people, saying, "O my people, do I not own the Kingdom of Egypt, and these rivers flow beneath me? Do you not see?" (43:51); "And gathered and called. He said, "I am your Lord, the most high."" (79:23-24).

4/3: The Azan or the call to prayers was ridiculed by the disbelievers among the People of the Book in Arabia at the time: "When you call to the prayer, they take it as a joke and a trifle. That is because they are people who do not reason." (5:58).

4/4: The Desert-Arabs who called upon Muhammad with loud voices: "Those who call you from behind the chambers-most of them do not understand." (49:4).

5- Human beings will call one another in the Hereafter:

5/1: Paradise-dwellers and Hell-dwellers will address/call one another: "And the inhabitants of Paradise will call out to the inmates of the Fire, "We found what our Lord promised us to be true; did you find what your Lord promised you to be true?" They will say, "Yes." Thereupon a caller will announce in their midst, "The curse of God is upon the unjust ones."" (7:44); "The inmates of the Fire will call on the inhabitants of Paradise, "Pour some water over us, or some of what God has provided for you." They will say, "God has forbidden them for the disbelievers."" (7:50).

5/2: Hell-dwellers will call the angel named Malik who is the guardian of Hell: "And they will cry, "O Malik, let your Lord finish us off." He will say, "You are staying."" (43:77).