In a Time Before Time: Reflections on Iblis, Pride, and the Unseen Realm

The story of Adam عليه السلام and Iblis is among the most profound narratives in the Qur’an. It is not merely the story of the beginning of mankind; it is the story of arrogance, temptation, exile, and the eternal struggle between submission and pride. In verse 18, the Qur’an continues this conversation between Allah and Iblis after Iblis openly rejects the divine command to prostrate before Adam عليه السلام.  

The verse captures the moment Iblis is expelled from divine honour and cast away from the elevated station he once occupied. Yet beneath the surface of the verse lies far more than punishment alone. The language of the Qur’an reveals deep spiritual realities concerning disgrace, rebellion, human weakness, and even the nature of time itself.

The Arrogance of Iblis

The downfall of Iblis began with a single disease: pride.

When Allah commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam عليه السلام, all obeyed except Iblis. His reasoning was rooted in arrogance:

“I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.”  

This is one of the earliest examples of false superiority in human history. Iblis judged worth based on origin and material rather than obedience and closeness to Allah. He saw fire as superior to clay and therefore concluded that he himself was superior to Adam عليه السلام.

In doing so, Iblis elevated his own opinion above the command of Allah.

The tragedy of Iblis is not that he lacked knowledge. He worshipped Allah and existed among the righteous assembly of angels. He knew Allah existed. He understood divine command. Yet arrogance corrupted him completely.

Knowledge without humility can become a means of destruction rather than salvation.

Expelled from Divine Mercy

Allah’s response to Iblis is powerful and absolute:

“Get out from here…”

The Qur’an then describes Iblis with two remarkable words:

• Madh’um (مذءوم)

• Madhur (مدحور)

These words carry layers of meaning that are difficult to fully capture in English.  

Madh’um — Blameworthy and Disgraced

The word madh’um refers to someone who is condemned, disgraced, and blameworthy. Classical scholars and linguists associated it with meanings such as:

• Reprehensible

• Detestable

• Loathsome

• Abhorrent

• Condemned

The Qur’an is not simply saying that Iblis made a mistake. Rather, his arrogance transformed him into a figure worthy of blame and disgust because he knowingly rebelled against Allah.

Madhur — Banished and Rejected

The second word, madhur, carries the meaning of being driven away, expelled, and cast out.  

Among the meanings discussed by the scholars are:

• Expelled

• Banished

• Ostracised

• Outcast

• Rejected

This is not merely physical removal. It is spiritual exile.

Iblis lost proximity to divine mercy because of pride. One moment of arrogance caused the collapse of a lifetime of worship.

The Followers of Iblis

The verse continues with a terrifying warning:

“Whoever follows you from amongst them, I shall surely fill Jahannam with all of you.”

The Qur’an shifts its pronouns in a fascinating way here. Those who follow Iblis are no longer spoken of as separate from him. Instead, they become grouped together with him.  

This subtle rhetorical shift illustrates an important spiritual reality: repeated obedience to evil slowly reshapes identity itself.

A person who constantly follows temptation begins to resemble what they follow.

The Qur’an presents Jahannam not merely as punishment for isolated sins, but as the ultimate destination for those who willingly align themselves with rebellion against Allah.

The Whisper of Temptation

The broader context of these verses describes the strategy of Iblis against humanity. He vows to approach mankind from every direction:

• From the front

• From behind

• From the right

• From the left

The scholars explained these directions symbolically.  

Iblis seeks to:

• Cause doubt regarding the Hereafter

• Make worldly life appear more important

• Confuse people in matters of religion

• Beautify sins and disobedience

The danger of shaytan is not usually through dramatic evil. More often, temptation enters gradually:

• Delayed repentance

• Spiritual laziness

• Neglect of worship

• Small compromises

• Endless distractions

Human beings often blame shaytan entirely for their failures, yet the Qur’an repeatedly reminds us that Iblis only whispers. He cannot force obedience. People ultimately choose whether to resist or surrender.

A Time Before Time

One of the most fascinating reflections arising from this lesson is the question of when these events actually took place. The conversation between Allah and Iblis occurred before the existence of humanity as we know it. Yet how should time itself be understood in relation to the unseen world?  

Human beings measure time according to earthly systems: the movement of the sun, the moon, and the rotation of the Earth. But modern physics has shown that time itself is not fixed.

Einstein’s theory of relativity demonstrated that time is deeply connected to space and gravity. The stronger the gravitational field, the slower time moves.  

This leads to a profound reflection: if time already behaves differently within our physical universe, then how differently must it function in realms entirely beyond earthly physics?

The unseen world — Jannah, Jahannam, and the realm of the angels — operates according to realities that human beings cannot fully comprehend.  

The Qur’an itself hints toward this reality when it describes days equivalent to thousands of years, and when people on the Day of Judgment feel as though worldly life lasted only “a day or part of a day.”  

The story of Iblis therefore unfolds in what could be described as “a time before time itself” — a realm beyond the limitations of ordinary human understanding.

Pride and Human Weakness

The story of Iblis is not simply about a distant being who rebelled long ago. It is a warning for every believer.

The root of Iblis’s destruction was pride. He refused to humble himself before the command of Allah. That same disease continues to destroy people today:

• Pride in knowledge

• Pride in wealth

• Pride in status

• Pride in lineage

• Pride in personal opinion

At the same time, the story also exposes the weaknesses through which humans fall into temptation:

• Laziness

• Procrastination

• Desire

• Negligence

• Lack of discipline

Shaytan succeeds when these weaknesses are left unchecked.

Final Reflections

Verse 18 is not merely a description of punishment. It is a window into the nature of rebellion, the consequences of arrogance, and the reality of the unseen world.

The Qur’an reminds us that honour is not found in status, intellect, or origin. Honour lies in humility before Allah.

Iblis believed himself superior and lost everything.

Adam عليه السلام made a mistake, repented sincerely, and was elevated.

That is the difference between arrogance and humility.

The believer must constantly guard the heart from pride while recognising that the whispers of shaytan are real, persistent, and subtle. Yet despite these dangers, Allah has given humanity guidance, repentance, and the ability to return to Him.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons in the story of Adam and Iblis: no sin destroys a person more completely than refusing to humble oneself before Allah.