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Quran · Surah 7:11–12; 18:50

Iblis: 'I am better than him'

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceSurah 7:11–12; 18:50
Written610–632 CE
SetCreation of Adam
He said: I am better than him. Thou createdst me of fire while him Thou didst create of mud.

Translation: Pickthall, 1930 · About the translator

Read it literally

18:50 says 'he was of the jinn'. The leader of the rebels is a fire being who refused to serve a clay one. Species pride.

What scholars say

Same scene as the Life of Adam and Eve.

Spirits and jinn Council of gods

Quick answers about Surah 7:11–12

Where is Surah 7:11–12 found?

Surah 7:11–12; 18:50 (Quran). Translation quoted: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930).

When was Surah 7:11–12 written?

610–632 CE.

What do scholars say about Surah 7:11–12?

Same scene as the Life of Adam and Eve.

Rabbit holes in this passage

BeingJinnA second intelligent species made of smokeless fire, invisible, with free will, and once able to eavesdrop on the sky.TextLife of Adam and EveAn ancient sequel to Eden in which Satan explains that he fell because he refused to bow to Adam.

Sources

  1. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)Primary text
  2. Quran 55:14–15; also 72:1–9 and 37:6–10, trans. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)Primary text
  3. Vita Adae et Evae 12–16; 49–50, trans. R. H. Charles (1913)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated