75 Preface قالَ يا إِبليسُ ما مَنَعَكَ أَن تَسجُدَ لِما خَلَقتُ بِيَدَيَّ ۖ أَستَكبَرتَ أَم كُنتَ مِنَ العالينَYusuf Ali(God) said: “O Iblis! What prevents thee from prostrating thyself to one whom I have created with My hands?1 Art thou haughty? Or art thou one2 of the high (and mighty) ones?”Man, as typified by Adam, is in himself nothing but frail clay. But as fashioned by God’s creative power into something with God’s spirit breathed into him, his dignity is raised above that of the highest creatures.If, then, Satan refuses, it is a rebellion against God. It arises from arrogance or haughtiness, an exaggerated idea of Self. Or, it is asked, are you really sufficiently high in rank to dispute with the Almighty? Of course he was not.