457 Page Notes

38 Surah Sad (continued)

Page 457 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 457 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 457 of the Quran contains the final part of Surah Sad, specifically verses 62 through 83. This section details the deep regret of the companions of Hellfire, underscores the core message of monotheism, and features the dramatic dialogue between Allah and Iblis (Satan) regarding the creation of Adam and the origin of arrogance.

Classical exegetical works (Tafsir), such as those by Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, explicitly link these verses to major authentic Hadiths that illuminate the unseen realities described on this page.

1. The Regret of Tyrants in Hellfire (Verses 62–64)

"And they will say, 'Why do we not see men whom we used to count among the worst? Were we wrong in mocking them [in the world], or do our eyes [just] fail to see them?' Indeed, that is the truth—the dispute of the people of the Fire." (Surah Sad 38:62-64)

The Context of the Verse

In these verses, the arrogant leaders of polytheism look around Hellfire and realize that the vulnerable, pious Muslims they used to mock, persecute, and consider "the worst/lowly of society" (such as Ammar ibn Yasir, Bilal ibn Rabah, Salman al-Farisi, and Suhayb al-Rumi) are missing from Hell. Instead, those believers have been elevated to Paradise.

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ consistently warned his companions against looking down on the disenfranchised, explaining that the standards of worldly status are inverted in the sight of Allah.

• The Status of the Weak: The Prophet ﷺ stated:
  “Shall I not inform you about the people of Paradise? They are every person who is modest and looked down upon as weak, but if he were to take an oath by Allah, Allah would fulfill it. Shall I not inform you about the people of Hellfire? They are every cruel, arrogant, and proud person.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 4918; Sahih Muslim, 2853).

• The Ultimate Inversion: In another narration, a wealthy man passed by the Prophet ﷺ, and he asked a companion what he thought of him. The companion praised his status. Then a poor Muslim passed by, and the companion noted his lack of status. The Prophet ﷺ replied:
  “This [poor] one is better than an earth full of [the likes of] the other.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5091).

2. The Dispute of the High Council/Highest Assembly (Verse 69)

" [Say, O Muhammad], 'I had no knowledge of the highest assembly [of angels] when they were disputing.'" (Surah Sad 38:69)

The Great Hadith of the Night Vision (Hadith Al-Man’aam)

This specific verse is the direct Quranic anchor for one of the most famous long Hadiths in Islamic literature, known textually as Hadith Ikhtisam al-Mala' al-A'la (The Hadith of the Dispute of the High Council).

Mu'adh ibn Jabal reported that the Prophet ﷺ was delayed one morning from Fajr prayer. When he emerged, he explained that he had fallen into a deep state of spiritual vision where he was granted an interactive audience with Allah.

• The Narrative:
  My Lord asked: 'O Muhammad, do you know what the highest assembly [of angels] is disputing over?' I said: 'I do not know, my Lord.' Then He placed His palm between my shoulders until I felt the coldness of His fingers over my breast, and everything in the heavens and the earth became manifest to me.
  He asked again: 'O Muhammad, what is the highest assembly disputing over?' I replied: 'Regarding the expiations of sins and the elevation of ranks.'
  He asked: 'And what are the expiations?' I said: 'Walking on foot to join congregational prayers, sitting in the mosques after prayers, and performing complete ablution (Wudu) under difficult circumstances.'
  He asked: 'And what are the elevations of ranks?' I said: 'Feeding others, speaking softly/spreading peace, and praying at night while people are asleep.' (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, 3235, graded Hasan-Sahih; Musnad Ahmad, 5/243).

Hafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali wrote an entire classical text (Ikhtiyar al-Awla) dedicated solely to explaining how this specific Hadith expands upon Surah Sad's mention of the angels' discussions.

3. The Creation of Adam and the Prostration (Verses 71–74)

"[So mention] when your Lord said to the angels, 'Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and blown into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.' So the angels prostrated—all of them entirely. Except Iblis; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers." (Surah Sad 38:71-74)

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

The process of Adam’s creation and the physical reality of the clay mentioned in these verses are detailed heavily across the Sunnah.

• The Soil of the Earth: The Prophet ﷺ explained how the varying traits of mankind correspond directly to the clay mentioned in Surah Sad:
  “Allah created Adam from a handful [of soil] which He gathered from all over the earth. Thus, the children of Adam came forth in accordance with the composition of the earth: some are red, some white, some black, and some a mixture of those; some are smooth/easy-going, some are rough/hard, and some are evil and some are good.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, 2955; Sunan Abi Dawud, 4693).

• The Prostration of the Believer: The Sunnah establishes that when a Muslim performs a prostration of recitation (Sajdah al-Tilawah) upon reading or hearing this narrative, it causes agony to Iblis because it reminds him of his failure on this page. The Prophet ﷺ said:
  “When the son of Adam recites a verse of prostration and prostrates, Satan withdraws weeping, saying: 'Woe to me! The son of Adam was commanded to prostrate and he prostrated, so for him is Paradise. I was commanded to prostrate but I refused, so for me is the Fire.'” (Sahih Muslim, 81).

4. The Origin of Arrogance and Racism (Verses 75–76)

"[Allah] said, 'O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My two hands? Were you arrogant then, or were you [already] among the haughty?' He said, 'I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.'" (Surah Sad 38:75-76)

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

Iblis introduced the concept of Kibr (arrogance/pride) and false visual hierarchy into creation. The Sunnah strictly defines this trait and warns that even an atom's weight of it bars entry to Paradise.

• The Definition of Pride: The Prophet ﷺ explicitly defined pride using the exact psychology Iblis displays in verse 76:
  “He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of arrogance shall not enter Paradise.” A man asked, “What if a person likes his clothes and shoes to look good?” The Prophet replied: “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is refusing to accept the truth (Batar al-Haqq) and looking down upon people (Ghamt an-Nas).” (Sahih Muslim, 91).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. (d. 870). Sahih al-Bukhari.

• Al-Hanbali, Ibn Rajab (d. 1393). Ikhtiyar al-Awla fi Sharh Ikhtisam al-Mala' al-A'la (The Heavenly Dispute).

• Al-Sijistani, Abu Dawud (d. 889). Sunan Abi Dawud.

• At-Tirmidhi, Abu 'Isa (d. 892). Jami` at-Tirmidhi.

• Ibn Kathir, Isma'il bin 'Umar (d. 1373). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-A'zim.

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 875). Sahih Muslim.

Verses 77 through 83 of Surah Sad mark the climax of the cosmic dialogue between Allah and Iblis (Satan) following his refusal to prostrate to Adam. In this specific passage, Iblis is cast out of heaven, cursed until the Day of Judgment, and makes his desperate, ultimate vow to mislead mankind using his reprieve.

Classical works of exegesis, including Tafsir Ibn Kathir, connect these verses to core Hadiths that clarify the nature of Satanic whispers (Waswas), the protection methods taught in the Sunnah, and the theological boundaries of Iblis's influence.

1. The Expulsion and The Reprieve (Verses 77–81)

"[Allah] said, 'Then get out of it, for indeed, you are expelled. And indeed, upon you is My curse until the Day of Recompense.' He said, 'My Lord, then reprive me until the Day they are resurrected.' [Allah] said, 'So indeed, you are of those reprieved until the Day of the time well-known.'" (Surah Sad 38:77-81)

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

Though Iblis was cursed and expelled, Allah granted his request for a reprieve until the "time well-known" (the blowing of the First Trumpet). The Sunnah provides context on how Iblis utilizes this reprieve to establish his own counter-kingdom on Earth to orchestrate misguidance.

• The Throne of Iblis: The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ revealed that Iblis uses his granted time to set up a base of operations to mirror divine authority falsely:
  “Indeed, Iblis places his throne upon the water; then he sends his detachments [for trials]. The closest of them to him in rank is the one who causes the greatest fitnah (tribulation).” (Sahih Muslim, 2813).

• The Inevitability of Death: Islamic scholars note via the Sunnah that while Iblis is reprieved from standard death during this worldly timeline, he is not immortal; he will experience the agony of death when the universe resets. The Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate:
  “I seek refuge in Your power... You are the Living Who does not die, while the jinn and mankind die.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 7383; Sahih Muslim, 2717).

2. Satan's Ultimate Vow and His Strategic Pathways (Verse 82)

"[Iblis] said, 'By Your might, I will surely mislead them all.'" (Surah Sad 38:82)

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

By swearing an oath by Allah's own ‘Izzah (Might), Iblis locked himself into a permanent campaign against humanity. The Sunnah maps out exactly how he attempts to fulfill this vow, noting that he flows through human psychology.

• Circulating Within the Body: The Prophet ﷺ gave a physical analogy of how intimately Satan targets humans to fulfill his vow of misguidance:
  “Satan circulates in the human being as blood circulates in the body.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3281; Sahih Muslim, 2175).

• Targeting Every Newborn: The enmity sworn in verse 82 begins the literal second a human is born. The Prophet ﷺ stated:
  “No child is born but that Satan touches him at the moment of its birth, and the child starts crying loudly because of Satan’s touch, except Mary and her son [Jesus].” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3431; Sahih Muslim, 2366).

• The Counter-Hadith on Allah’s Mercy: In a profound Qudsi Hadith (divine saying narrated by the Prophet), Allah responds directly to the vow made by Iblis in this verse:
  “Satan said: 'By Your Might, O Lord, I will continue to mislead Your servants as long as their souls are in their bodies.' The Lord replied: 'By My Might and Majesty, I will continue to forgive them as long as they seek My forgiveness.'” (Musnad Ahmad, 11004; Mustadrak al-Hakim, graded Sahih by Al-Dhahabi).

3. The Exception: The Sincere Servants (Al-Mukhlasin) (Verse 83)

"'Except, among them, Your chosen, sincere servants.'" (Surah Sad 38:83)

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

Iblis himself admits in this verse that he has zero power over the Mukhlasin—those whose hearts are completely purified and sincere in their devotion to Allah. The Sunnah details how a believer can attain this protection and become functionally untouchable to Satanic ruin.

• The Protection of Sincerity and Remembrance: The Prophet ﷺ used an analogy of a fortress to explain how sincerity protects a servant:
  “Allah commanded John, son of Zechariah, with five commandments... [the fifth is] 'I command you to remember Allah, for the likeness of that is a man pursued closely by the enemy until he comes to a protected fortress and saves himself from them. Similarly, a servant cannot protect himself from Satan except by the remembrance (Dhikr) of Allah.'” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, 2863, graded Sahih).

• Specific Sunnah Defenses Provided for the Believer: To join the ranks of the protected servants mentioned in verse 83, the Sunnah provides specific formulas that drive Satan away in despair:

  • The Adhan (Call to Prayer): “When the call to prayer is made, Satan flees while passing gas so that he does not hear the Adhan.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 608).

  • Ayat al-Kursi before sleep: The Prophet ﷺ confirmed a statement made by a captive jinn: “When you go to your bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi... a protector from Allah will remain with you, and no Satan will be able to approach you until morning.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2311).

  • The Daily Declaration: “Whoever says 'La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah...' 100 times a day... will have a sanctuary from Satan for that day until evening.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3293).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. (d. 870). Sahih al-Bukhari.

• Al-Hakim, N. (d. 1014). Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn.

• Al-Sijistani, Abu Dawud (d. 889). Sunan Abi Dawud.

• At-Tirmidhi, Abu 'Isa (d. 892). Jami` at-Tirmidhi.

• Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad (d. 855). Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

• Ibn Kathir, Isma'il bin 'Umar (d. 1373). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-A'zim.

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 875). Sahih Muslim.