A Rebellious Heart: The Spark of Defiance

As the soul descended into Adam's body, a holy stillness enveloped the scene. Among the assembly of angels, Iblis stood with an aura of malevolence that radiated like a dark storm. His presence was marked by an overwhelming, terrifying killing intent, a sinister energy that flared up within him as the divine command resonated through the heavens.

The moment had come—the Supreme One's decree for all those of the angelic rank to fall down in prostration before Adam. This was the pivotal juncture, a test of absolute submission and obedience to the Creator's divine will.

But the animosity that had taken root in Iblis's heart was not so easily extinguished. It was a poison that had corroded his spirit and clouded his judgment. As the command rang out, he hesitated, torn between the forces of divine order and his smoldering defiance.

In that fateful moment, Iblis made a life-changing mistake—a choice that would reverberate through eternity. He chose disobedience. As the surrounding angels prostrated before Adam in reverence and submission, Iblis remained standing, a solitary figure of rebellion in the midst of a profound act of divine worship.

The scene that unfolded was eerie and unsettling—a tableau of submission, reverence, and one figure's unyielding defiance. The angels, who had been created to fulfill the Supreme One's will without question, bowed their heads in worship. And there, in stark contrast, was Iblis, standing alone, his pride and arrogance driving a wedge between him and the celestial harmony of the divine command.

The darkness that had long lain dormant in Iblis's heart finally reared its head, and he remained standing in stark defiance. The All-Knowing Supreme One, the Knower of hearts and intentions, did not let this act of rebellion go unnoticed. The Creator addressed Iblis with a divine inquiry, saying, "O Iblîs! What is your reason for not being among the prostrators?"

Iblis, however, instead of acknowledging his grave error and seeking forgiveness, responded with audacious pride. He dared to answer back, his words dripping with arrogance, "I am not the one to prostrate myself to a human being, whom You created from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud."

At that moment, a thought occurred to one unremarkable angel that could easily go unnoticed, "Did Iblis literally just become the first to show racism towards this new race?" sigh... and indeed he had failed to grasp the magnitude of his defiance. He saw himself as superior to Adam, the chosen creation, and he allowed his pride to cloud his judgment. His refusal to bow before Adam, who had been bestowed with divine honor and knowledge, was a direct challenge to the Creator's wisdom and will.

The Supreme One, the Most Merciful, responded with a decree that would seal Iblis's fate for all time, until the Day of Recompense—the Day of Resurrection. The Creator's words were clear and resolute, "Then, get out from here, for verily, you are an outcast, a cursed being."

Iblis had chosen the path of disobedience and arrogance, and he would face the consequences of his rebellion. He was cast out from the divine presence, forever separated from the grace and mercy of the Supreme One.

Upon realizing the direness of his situation and the irrevocability of his actions, Iblîs's twisted mind raced to brainstorm ways in which he could extricate himself from the looming punishment. However, ironically, the intention of repentance or seeking forgiveness didn't even cross his malevolent thoughts. Instead, he resorted to a cunning plea, saying, "O my Lord! Give me respite till the Day when they, the dead, will be resurrected."

An eerie silence descended upon the surroundings as Iblîs awaited the response to his audacious request. It was a silence so intense that one might have thought Iblîs's very existence had been snuffed out for the insolence of his actions. But the Supreme King's response was measured and calculated. He declared, "Then, verily, you are of those reprieved, till the Day of the time appointed."

The words hung in the air like a heavy shroud, and the weight of Iblîs's fate settled upon him. He was granted a reprieve, a respite, but it was a respite with a clear endpoint—a respite that would last until the Day of the appointed time, the Day of Resurrection.

Amidst the pin-drop silence, all that could be heard was the intense shaking of the angels of punishment. They were restrained by the command of the Sacred Supreme, but their fury was palpable. If not for divine restraint, they would have surely shown this insolent creature his place. To the angels, who were incapable of aging to death, the jinn's claim of immortality was laughable. How dare this lowly being ask for even more time after being given an inch of leniency? Did he truly believe he was the first to be elevated to the ranks of the angels, or that he would be the last?

And as if to prove the angels' doubts right, Iblîs continued with his defiant words, "O my Lord! Because You misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for mankind on the earth, and I shall mislead them all."

At this moment, Iblîs, consumed by his pride and bitterness, made a solemn vow to lead humanity astray and to sow the seeds of disobedience and evil upon the earth. His path was now clear—his mission was to mislead and corrupt the very creation that had been chosen by the Supreme One as His Khalifa.

Indeed, Iblis's words of misleading all men only served to highlight his ignorance and arrogance, for the divine revelation had already foretold the journey of Adam and his descendants as the Khalifa upon the earth. It indicated the submission of at least one human, Adam or his descendants, would surly submit to the divine will. This revelation stood as an undeniable testament to the supremacy of the Creator's wisdom and plan.

As Iblis stood there, barely able to maintain his composure due to the overwhelming murderous aura emitted by the angels of punishment, he found himself in a dire predicament. Not long ago, these angels had unleashed their divine wrath upon the sinning jinn, and the memory of that devastating encounter was still fresh in his mind.

In the eyes of the angels of punishment, Iblis, who had once exuded an aura befitting a life form on the same rank as them, was now nothing more than prey of the most exquisite delicacy. It was in their nature as the enforcers of divine justice to seek out and subdue those who defied the Creator's will.

Things were taking a dark turn, and Iblis, once a radiant jinn elevated to the ranks of the angels, now stood as a fallen being, cast out and condemned.

As if realizing the gravity of his blunder and the sheer weight of the divine plan that had already been set in motion, Iblis attempted to qualify his defiant vow. He said, "Except Your chosen, guided slaves among them." In his twisted logic, he believed that he could still exert influence over those whom he deemed to be outside the fold of the "chosen" or the "guided." Had he forgotten that nothing can transpire without the permission of The Most High Supreme?

Sigh... little did Iblis know that his arrogant and twisted ideologies had already been accounted for by the Supreme Planner, and that he was merely a pawn in the Grand Scheme of Things, a whetstone of sorts for the Believers. The Almighty Supreme, in His infinite wisdom, affirmed this truth by declaring, "This is the Way which will lead straight to Me. Certainly, you shall have no authority over My slaves, except those who follow you of the Ghâwîn."

It was a resounding decree that left no room for ambiguity. The path to the Supreme One was clear and straight, and Iblis would have no authority over those who remained steadfast on this path. However, those who willingly followed Iblis, the misguided, would be known as Mushrikûn—polytheists, criminals, and evildoers.

To seal the punishment for such an ungrateful and defiant group, the Supreme Punisher declared, "And surely, Jahannam is the promised place for them all." The mere mention of Jahannam sent shivers down the spine of those who heard it, and Iblis was no exception.

He had heard countless descriptions of Jahannam, the infernal abyss of torment and suffering, to the point where it was as though he had been there himself. But that too was a grave mistake, for one could never truly comprehend the horrors of Jahannam until one had been touched by its breeze from a distance.

The very thought of Jahannam, the promised abode of punishment, filled Iblis with dread. It was a place of unrelenting anguish, a realm where the consequences of one's actions would be laid bare in the most agonizing manner. It was a punishment that awaited those who strayed from the straight path and rejected the divine guidance.

Indeed, Jahannam, the fiery abyss of torment, is said to have seven gates, and each of these gates serves as an entrance to a distinct section of the infernal realm. It is within these gates that the punishments are meted out to various classes of sinners, each under the watchful eye of dark-aligned angels of punishment.

These angels, often referred to as the minions of the nineteen guardians of Hell, are tasked with ensuring that the divine retribution is carried out with precision and severity. The guardians of Hell are powerful beings who individually can subdue an entire race. They each oversee a specific area of Jahannam and are responsible for the torment of those who have transgressed the boundaries of divine law.

Among the denizens of Jahannam, there is one figure that stands out—the warden of Hell himself, Maalik. He is a being of immense authority and dread, and it is said that Maalik has never smiled since the creation of Jahannam. His solemn demeanor reflects the gravity of his role as the overseer of this realm of suffering and retribution.