Surah Al-Isra 17:61: All bowed to Adam except Iblis, who scorned the clay.

17:61

وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسۡجُدُواْ لِأٓدَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِبۡلِيسَ قَالَ ءَأَسۡجُدُ لِمَنۡ خَلَقۡتَ طِينٗا

Waith qulna lilmalaikati osjudoo liadama fasajadoo illa ibleesa qala aasjudu liman khalaqta teenan

And [mention] when We said to the angles, "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except for Iblees. He said, "Should I prostrate to one You created from clay?"

Word by word

وَإِذۡAnd when
قُلۡنَاWe said
لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِto the Angels
ٱسۡجُدُواْProstrate
لِأٓدَمَto Adam
فَسَجَدُوٓاْSo they prostrated
إِلَّآexcept
إِبۡلِيسَIblis
قَالَHe said
ءَأَسۡجُدُShall I prostrate
لِمَنۡto (one) whom
خَلَقۡتَYou created
طِينٗا(from) clay

Al-Isra · 17:61Makkah

All bowed to Adam except Iblis, who scorned the clay.

The oldest arrogance

The command

the angelsprostrated

Adammade from clay

IblisrefusedI am made of fire

What he judged by

what I am made offire over clay

whom Allah honors

Ibn Kathir calls this an ancient hatred, from the moment Adam was created. Iblis refused out of arrogance and said, with contempt, shall I bow to one made of clay? In another verse he says I am better than him.

You look at someone and decide in a second you are better: your degree, your family, your accent, your neighborhood. That I am better than him is the first sin ever recorded against a human.

Some people are simply beneath me because of where they come from.

Thinking I am better by birth is the voice of Iblis, not of faith.

Try this

Today, go out of your way to show respect to someone you tend to look down on.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves unto Adam." They prostrated themselves except Iblis. He said: "Shall I prostrate myself to one whom You created from clay? (61)He said: "See this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely, seize and mislead his offspring, all but a few! (62)

Allah mentions here the enmity of Iblis, may the curse of Allah be upon him and his progeny. This is an ancient hatred, dating from the time that Allah created Adam, when He commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam, and all of them prostrated except Iblis, who was too arrogant and he haughtily refused to prostrate to him. He said in a tone indicating contempt:

قَالَ أَأَسْجُدُ لِمَنْ خَلَقْتَ طِينًا

(He said: "Shall I prostrate myself to one whom You created from clay?") According to another Ayah, he said:

أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

(I am better than he. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.)[7:12] He also said, speaking to the Lord with disbelief and insolence, but the Lord bore it patiently:

قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَكَ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كَرَّمْتَ عَلَيَّ

(He said: "See this one whom You have honored above me...") 'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "He is saying, 'I am going to dominate his offspring, all but a few.'" Mujahid said (it means), "I am going to surround them." Ibn Zayd said (it means), "I am going to lead them astray." All of them are close in meaning, and the meaning of the Ayah is, "Do You see this one whom You have honored and made greater than me? If You give me time, I will lead his descendants astray, all but a few of them."