Creation, Prostration, and Prophethood in the Qur’an:
Creation, Prostration, and Prophethood in the Qur’an:
A Critical Analysis of Jinn, Angels, Humans, and Iblis
🔷 Introduction: Narrative or Reality?
The Qur’an’s creation accounts are not mere reports of events; they are multi-layered examples of metaphorical language addressing humanity’s search for meaning. Concepts such as jinn, angels, humans (bashar, insan), and Iblis do not only represent classes of beings but also symbolize the forces, tendencies, and inner conflicts within the human psyche. In this context, the Qur’anic scenes are not simply informative but serve as moral awakenings and directional narratives.
Some interpreters read these accounts as differences of physical species and genealogical lineages, proposing that bashar (man) refers to a separate species distinct from insan (human) and that prophethood is exclusive to this bashar lineage. However, the holistic reasoning of the Qur’an does not support such a division. Moreover, the dialogues in the creation and prostration scenes are striking examples of intiq, a literary technique where non-human entities are given speech for representational purposes.
1. Order of Creation: Is the Jinn–Human–Bashar Distinction Valid?
The Qur’an states:
“And We created the jinn earlier from smokeless fire.” (15:27)
“We created man from dry clay, molded from black mud.” (15:26)
“I will create a bashar from dry clay.” (15:28)
Some interpretations see these verses as a chronological sequence, with “man” created first, then a special “bashar” lineage designated for prophethood. However, these three verses are not successive in time but parallel descriptions highlighting different aspects of creation.
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Insan (human) represents the morally responsible, conscious being (76:2).
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Bashar refers to the sensory, biological aspect of humanity — the fleshly, corporeal being (18:110).
Thus, these terms do not signify different species but different dimensions of the same being. The Qur’an confirms:
“Say: I am only a bashar like you.” (18:110)
This clearly affirms that the Prophet is from humanity as a whole, not from a special bashar lineage.
2. The Substance of Matter: Earth and Stellar Fire
The Qur’an describes humanity’s material origin as “earth, clay, sticky mud” (32:7; 15:26). Modern science reveals that the elements making up the earth — carbon, oxygen, iron, magnesium — are forged in the cores of stars and scattered across the universe in supernova explosions.
Thus, “earth” is, in a sense, the cooled and formed residue of stellar “fire.”
This means that the jinn’s creation from fire and humanity’s creation from clay represent two stages of the same elemental chain:
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One symbolizes raw energy (jinn),
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The other, energy condensed into matter (human).
3. Jinn: External Beings or Inner Fires?
Traditionally, jinn are viewed as invisible entities. However, the root of the word j-n-n implies concealment or covering. In the Qur’an, jinn often signifies unseen yet impactful internal forces: desires, instincts, and emotional impulses.
🔥 Jinn = The Inner Fire
“We created the jinn earlier from smokeless fire.” (15:27)
This “fire” is metaphorical and can be understood as:
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Anger, lust, ambition, fear, and selfishness —
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Unseen yet powerful inner drives.
Supporting verse:
“From the evil of the whisperers — from among jinn and humankind.” (114:5–6)
Here, “jinn-like whispers” represent the inner voice of uncontrolled energy.
4. Angels’ Prostration: The Inclination of Obedient Forces
“Your Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a bashar from dry clay.’” (15:28)
“When I have breathed into him of My spirit, fall down in prostration to him.” (15:29)
The prostration here is not to the material body but to the infused spirit — the conscious, responsible soul. Angels represent the laws of nature and systemic forces acting without will (66:6). Their prostration symbolizes universal submission to the divine plan.
5. Iblis Speaks: The Arrogant Ego’s Voice (Intiq)
“I am better than him! You created me from fire, and him from clay!” (7:12)
These words are not literal statements of a personal being but an intiq — the voice of arrogance, ego, and classist thinking personified in the Qur’anic narrative. The Qur’an uses similar techniques elsewhere:
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Skins speak (41:20)
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The earth speaks (99:4)
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Wealth testifies (9:35)
Iblis thus embodies the egoic, defiant mind that elevates matter and energy over spiritual consciousness.
“Because You have led me astray, I will surely mislead them.” (7:16)
“I only invited you, and you responded to me.” (14:22)
These are not confessions of an external being but representations of the self’s tendency to shift blame and deny free will.
6. Representational Features of Entities Through Intiq
Speaking Entity | Qur’anic Speech | Symbolized Trait | Literary Device |
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Angels | “Will You place in it one who sheds blood?” (2:30) | Systemic balance questioning | Intiq |
Iblis | “You created me from fire.” (7:12) | Arrogant ego – self-worship | Intiq |
Jinn | “Created from smokeless fire.” (15:27) | Inner energies, impulses | Metaphor |
Bashar | “I will create a bashar.” (15:28) | Physical body, corporeality | Representational |
Insan | “Morally responsible conscious being.” (76:2) | Moral subject, ethical self | Moral subject |
Spirit | “I breathed into him of My spirit.” (15:29) | Divine consciousness, trust | Abstract symbol |
🔚 Conclusion: Prophethood Is About Consciousness, Not Lineage
The Qur’an asserts that superiority lies not in matter but in the capacity to bear the divine trust:
“The most honored of you in God’s sight is the most mindful of Him.” (49:13)
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Bashar is not a special lineage but a term for all of humanity’s material aspect.
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Jinn symbolizes inner impulses; Iblis represents their corrupt manifestation.
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Angels are personifications of systemic forces and divine inspirations.
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Prophethood is based on moral choice and consciousness, not biology or ancestry.
The Qur’an’s aim is not to provide a chronological history of physical creation but to reveal the inner conflicts of humanity and guide it toward becoming a conscious, responsible, and just vicegerent. The creation and prostration narratives form a metaphorical and moral map of this transformation.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
The views and interpretations in this text are the product of human effort. Evaluate every statement in the light of the Qur’an as a whole; weigh and verify with the guidance of its verses.
The ultimate measure of truth is God’s Book. Any error is ours; any truth belongs to Allah alone.
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