He said to them: "His way, when He willed to create me, should have been to inform me of that; then if I willed, He would create me, and if I did not will, He would not create me."

The Lord was angry with them and sent them down from the heaven to the earth and settled them therein, and they are the origin of the Jinn. They remained in this Abode as long as God willed and procreated until they were tribes beyond counting. God—Majestic is His praise—sent prophets among them as He sent to those before them. But they denied the prophets and messengers, did not believe, and killed the head of the rank of prophets sent to them, whose name was Yusuf ibn Makan. Regarding him, God—Sublime and Exalted—said in His Book: {And Yusuf had already come to you before with clear proofs, but you remained in doubt of that which he brought to you, until when he perished, you said, "God will never send a messenger after him." Thus does God leave astray he who is a transgressor and doubter}.¹

And the words of the Exalted—exalted be His mention: {And messengers We have related to you before and messengers We have not related to you; and God spoke to Moses with [direct] speech}²—meaning the messengers He sent to the mentioned nations before us.

The Meaning—Majestic is His praise—was called at that time the Benign, the Merciful (al-Barru al-Rahim), as the Sublime said reporting of them: {Indeed, we used to invoke Him before. Indeed, He is the Benign, the Merciful}. ³

It was reported that Iblis was captured by Gabriel in a battle involving Yusuf ibn Makan against the Jinn in the land of Jordan. Iblis repented at the hand of Gabriel and displayed obedience. There are many reports concerning him, among them: that he continued to worship God on the earth until he ascended to the heaven, and he continued in worship and obedience, ascending heaven by heaven until he became of the Near-standing (al-muqarrabun) who circumambulate the Throne and glorify [God].