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Fatwa CenterThe sin of the Satan when he refused to prostrate himself to Aadam
Question
my question is : WHAT CRIME/SIN DID SATAN COMMIT WHEN THE COMMAND WAS NOT DIRECTED AT HIM? 18:50 Behold! We said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam": They bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! Evil would be the exchange for the wrong-doers! acording to the above verse the command was not directed at satan but at the angels only. satan was not an angel but ajinn So he never broke any command. it is like: THE TEACHER CAME TO THE CLASS AND SAID: I WANT ALL THE BOYS TO STAND UP. ALL THE BOYS STOOD UP EXCEPT FATUMA.SHE WAS ONE OF THE GIRLS AND SHE BROKE THE COMMAND OF THE TEACHER. now what command has fatuma broken? Can the teacher punish fatuma for not standing up? so in the same way what command has SATAN broken when the command was not directed at him. And how can he be punished ? Thanks
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Iblees (i.e. Satan, the devil) is definitely not one of the angels; rather he is from the jinn. However, he was included by the order of Allaah to prostrate to Aadam 
. Allaah Says (what means): {(Allaah) said: "What prevented you (O Iblees) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you?" Iblees said: "I am better than him (Aadam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay."}[Quran 7:12]. Therefore, Allaah confirmed that Iblees was also meant by His order to prostrate to Aadam as Allaah would not punish him for something which He did not order him to do. Moreover, Iblees did not deny that he was meant by the Order, rather he gave an invalid excuse. Ibn Katheer 
when he interpreted the above verse, said: "The purpose is that when Allaah ordered the angels to prostrate to Aadam Iblees was included in the Order, because even though he was not an angel like them, yet he resembled them and was doing the actions of worship exactly like them, it is for this reason that the address included him and he was blamed for not abiding by the Order."
Finally, it should be noted that a Muslim should believe in and accept as true whatever Allaah informed us about and believe in His Ruling even if the purpose of such an Order or Ruling was not clear to him or that he found them ambiguous to him, because the Words of Allaah are the Truth and all that Allaah has legislated is just. Allaah Says (what means): {And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice.}[Quran 6:115]. Then, he may try to find out the truth about such an ambiguity by asking the scholars 
.
Allaah Knows best.
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