Overall meaning : Allah Almighty mentions part of the story of Adam and Satan to offer solace and reassurance to His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: Remember, Muhammad, when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam.’ They all did except for Iblees (Satan) who disobediently refused to prostrate and arrogantly said, ‘What! Am I to prostrate to someone You have created out of clay?’ He impudently added, declaring his unbelief, ‘Do you see this being whom you have exalted above me? Why have you honoured him above me when I am better than him, for You created me from fire but You only created him from clay?! If you grant me respite and delay my end until the Day of Judgement, I will certainly bring his descendants under my sway by making them stray from the right path, all except for a few whom You have chosen to be rightly-guided and to whom You have given divine protection.’
‘Go!’ Allah said, ‘I grant you respite. For you and for those of Adam’s descendants who obey you, Hell will surely be ample punishment. Entice whomsoever of them you can by calling them to disobey Me, and muster against them all your forces—both your cavalry and infantry—to call them to sin. Share with them all manner of wealth and children involving sin and make false promises to them. What you promise them is nothing but delusion and false hopes.’
‘As for my devoted, faithful servants who sincerely worship Me alone,’ He added, ‘you have no authority over them, nor any power to entice and deceive them.’ Your Lord, Muhammad, is sufficient to protect the believers against Satan’s guile and deception.