Underlining Meaningful Passages In My Copy Of The Qur'an: Sūrah 2.30-39

Previously...

Sūrah I: "Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds... Master of the Day of Judgment..."

Sūrah 1-2.7: Praise for the Muslim Bible.

Sūrah 2.8-12: "Of the people there are some who say, 'We believe in Allah and the Last Day,' but they do not believe. Gladly would they deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves, and realize not! In their hearts is a disease, and Allah has increased their disease, and grievous is their penalty, because they are false. When it is said to them, 'Make not mischief on the earth,' they say, 'Why, we only want to make peace!" Surely, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize not.

Sūrah 2.13-16: "When it is said to them, 'Believe as the others believe,' they say 'Shall we believe as the fools believe?' No, surely they are fools, but they do not know. When they meet those who believe, they say 'We believe,' but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say 'We are really with you, just kidding before.' Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and give them rope in their trespass, so they will wander like blind ones. They have bartered guidance for error, but their traffic is without profit, and they have lost true direction."

Sūrah 2.17-20: Unbelievers are bad, and Allah will treat them very harshly.

Sūrah 2.21-22" "O ye people! Adore your Guardian-Lord," and here's more adulation to explain why Allah is grand.

Sūrah 2.23-26: "And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a sūrah... call your witnesses... to prove your doubts. If you cannot, and you surely can't, then fear the Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, which is prepared for those who reject Faith. But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits there from, they say, 'Why, this is what we were fed before,' for they are given things in similitude, and they have therein companions pure, and they abide therein. Allah does not disdain to use similitude in things, lowest as well as highest. Those who believe know it is truth from their Lord, but those who reject Faith say, 'What does Allah mean by this similitude?' By it He causes many to stray, and many He leads onto the right path, but he does not cause those to stray but which forsake Him"

Sūrah 2.27-29: Unbelievers are bad, and Allah will treat them very harshly.

Sūrah 2.30-34: "Behold, your Lord said to the angels, 'I will create an officer appointed as My deputy on Earth.' They said, 'Will You place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood... Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy name?' He said, 'I know what you know not.' And he taught Adam the nature of all things; then He placed them before the angels, and said 'Tell Me the nature of these if you are right.' They said, 'Glory to Thee, of knowledge we have none, save what You have taught us; in truth it is You who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom.' He said 'O Adam! Tell me their natures.' When he told them, Allah said 'Did I not tell you I know the secrets of Heaven and Earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?' And behold, We said to the angels, 'Bow down to Adam,' and they bowed down. Not so Iblīs1-- he refused and was haughty... he was of those who reject Faith."

Sūrah 2.35-39: "We said: 'O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Garden, and eat of the bountiful things there as you will... but approach not this tree, or you run into harm and transgression.' Then did Shayṭān1 make them slip... We said, 'Get you down, all you people, with enmity between yourselves. On Earth will be your dwelling place and your means of livelihood, for a time.' Then learned Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord turned towards him, for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. We said, 'Get you down all from here, and if, as is sure, there comes to you guidance from Me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. But those who reject Faith and belie Our Signs, they shall be Companions of the Fire-- they shall abide therein.'"

1 Iblīs (إبليس) is essentially the Satan of Islam. The main variation is that rather than a fallen angel, Iblīs was a genie. Angels do not have free will, and therefore cannot rebel. That leaves humans, represented here by Adam, and djinn. Unlike demons, djinn can be good or evil, and can even worship as they so choose. They were created from smokeless flame, where angels were conceived of light, and humanity of clay. Djinn can be either sex, and can shapeshift-- often preferring black-furred animals when not in human form. They do this for limited amounts of time, as assuming a form forces them to obey the laws of it, leaving them vulnerable. They are most often invisible and immaterial. Again, while some djinn are altruistic, the satanic Iblīs and his lot are as wicked as the popular notions surrounding demons. Iblīs, which means "desperate," became Shayṭān when he was cast out of Heaven. Satan and Shayṭān are pretty much interchangeable terms, not only as a specific character, but as a type, as though all demonic forces were "Satan."