Originally published in Arabic in Utopia Newspaper, 6 August 2025
Professor Dr. Faid Mohammed Said
In the Holy Qur’an, the human being is not depicted as an idealised or infallible creation, but rather as he truly is: vulnerable to heedlessness, susceptible to weakness, and prone to rebellion. This is not a condemnation of human nature but a nuanced exposition of its psychological and spiritual dimensions—articulated in a discourse infused with wisdom and mercy.
A careful reading of the Qur’an reveals that all human error—regardless of its context—can be traced back to a foundational tripartite structure:
• Heedlessness, which clouds insight and distorts perception,
• Weakness, which undermines the will and succumbs to desire,
• Rebellion, which defiantly resists the truth and elevates the self.
Through three grand and unparalleled episodes in cosmic history, the Qur’an addresses these forms of error—not as shameful lapses to be concealed, but as existential realities that enlighten the mind and purify the soul.
1. Heedlessness: When Knowledge is Disconnected from Wisdom
The first scene unfolds at the moment of creation, when God informs the angels that He will place a vicegerent on earth. The angels respond with apparent astonishment:
“Will You place therein one who will cause corruption and shed blood?” (Qur’an 2:30)
In this moment, they seemingly judged the unknown by prior experience, perhaps based on a previous encounter with other beings. Yet they failed to comprehend the divine wisdom underlying this act of succession. God’s response is both firm and gentle:
“Indeed, I know what you do not know.” (Qur’an 2:30)
This instance of heedlessness was not rebellion nor disbelief in divine power—it was a partial lapse in perception, a reminder that even the most exalted of beings, if not guided by revelation, may misjudge. How then should we, as mere humans, avoid presumption in interpreting the unseen, when even the angels were corrected?
In the Qur’an, heedlessness is the mind’s error when it loses the balance between the apparent and the hidden, the partial and the holistic. At its core, it is a call to epistemic humility—to believe that behind every decree lies wisdom, even if obscured from our view.
2. Weakness: When Desire Overpowers Conscience
A new chapter in human history begins with the creation of Adam, his dwelling in Paradise, and the divine command not to approach a particular tree. Adam knew the command—but he weakened. His foot slipped in the face of Iblīs’ temptation.
He ate from the tree—not out of defiance, but due to the frailty of will in the face of seduction. Upon realizing their mistake, Adam and his wife did not respond with arrogance, but with a prayer of humble remorse:
“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” (Qur’an 7:23)
This scene reveals that the nobility of humanity lies not in being sinless, but in the capacity for repentance. Weakness, in itself, does not lead to destruction—but surrendering to it, and becoming accustomed to it, does.
Adam, peace be upon him, teaches us that human failure is not disgraceful if followed by sincere return. The road to God is never closed—as long as the heart is alive and the tongue seeks forgiveness.
3. Rebellion: When Desire Seeks to Dethrone the Divine Command
The most severe form of error in the Qur’an is the rebellion of Iblīs. When commanded to prostrate to Adam, Iblīs neither misunderstood the command nor lacked the capacity to obey. He refused, deliberately and arrogantly:
“I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” (Qur’an 7:12)
If weakness is the sin of the body, rebellion is the sin of the soul—for it rejects not only the command but the authority of the Commander. Iblīs did not apologize, did not repent, and did not retreat. Instead, he demanded respite and pledged to mislead as many of Adam’s progeny as possible. His defiance became a long-term project of vengeance.
Here we witness the darkest form of pride—when desire becomes a criterion of truth, and personal judgment overtakes divine guidance.
This rebellion is not confined to Iblīs. It is mirrored in every soul that resists sincere advice, rejects guidance, and defends falsehood with stubborn pride. How many minds reject the truth—not because they fail to understand it, but because they are unwilling to admit they are wrong?
Humanity Between Falling and Rising
Between the heedlessness of the angels, the weakness of Adam, and the rebellion of Iblīs, the Qur’an maps out a profound psychological model of the human condition and its internal trials.
These stories are not to be read merely as historical episodes. They are symbolic of recurring states that we live through:
• When we are quick to judge others, we may be falling into heedlessness.
• When we excuse our sins by saying “we are only human,” we should remember to repent like Adam.
• When we resist correction and insist on our opinion, believing ourselves above accountability, we should ask: Is there a trace of Iblīs within us?
Conclusion: Error is Human, Arrogance is a Choice
In the Qur’anic worldview, error is an integral part of the human journey. What distinguishes salvation from ruin is not whether one errs, but how one responds to that error.
Adam sinned but he repented and thus became the progenitor of a civilization on earth. Iblīs sinned but he was arrogant and thus became an agent of its downfall.
The essential difference lies not in the occurrence of the error, but in the path chosen afterward.
In this lies the Qur’an’s pedagogical and psychological brilliance: it transforms the notion of error from a source of shame into a means of spiritual growth, from a fall into a new beginning, and from weakness into a motive for returning to God—so long as the conscience is not silenced, and the heart remains untainted by the pride that kills repentance.
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