God then informed Satan that a tiny mote within the smallest and innermost universe, the planet Earth, shall be his dominion. God’s plan called for placing the humans and jinns in a universe that cannot stand His physical presence (7:143). Thus, Satan rules his minute kingdom far from the physical presence of God, though with God’s full knowledge and control. It should also be noted that the number of rebels who repented was so vast, that the planet earth could not possibly accommodate all of them. As it is, the animals vastly outnumber the humans on this planet. It would take an unmanagable earth to accommodate all the repentant rebels. Hence the placement of uncountable decillions of creatures in outer space.
Adam and Eve
The body of the first human being was shaped on earth by God’s angels, in accordance with God’s instructions (7:11). God then assigned the first person, Adam, to that body. When God informed the angels that they will be serving the humans throughout the test period—guarding them, driving the winds, distributing the rain and provisions, etc.—Satan was the only one who refused to “fall prostrate” (2:34, 15:31, 38:74). Adam’s mate was cloned, with feminine features, from Adam, and God assigned the second human being to her body. While the empty (soulless) bodies of Adam and Eve remained here on earth, their souls, the real persons, resided in Heaven. Adam and Eve remained in Heaven for as long as they upheld God’s commandments. Once they listened to Satan instead, they reflected a flawed human nature in all of us, and they immediately belonged to Satan’s dominion down on Earth—“their bodies became visible to them” (7:20, 20:121). The rest is history.
Satan: Father of All the Jinns
Putting the jinns and the humans to the test stipulated that Satan shall reproduce whenever a human being is born. As mentioned above, every time a human being is born, a jinn being is born to serve as a constant companion of the human person. Every human being is subjected to the incessant persuasions of Satan’s representative who lives in the same body from birth to death. Satan’s representative tries to convince the human companion of Satan’s point of view: that God alone is not enough. On the Day of Judgment, the jinn companion serves as a witness against the human counterpart (43:38; 50:23, 27). Many jinn companions are converted to God’s point of view by the human companions.
God did not leave the human being without preparation. To help the humans in their final chance to reconsider their blasphemy, every person is born with instinctive knowledge that God ALONE, and no one else, is our Lord and Master (7:172-173). The jinns were not given this instinctive knowledge, but they are given a much longer life span and greater abilities to study God’s signs throughout the innermost universe. Since they represent Satan’s point of view, their instinctive nature leans strongly in favor of polytheism. In addition to our built-in instinct to worship God alone, God sent messengers to help us redeem ourselves. With all these elements in view, we can appreciate the fact that the only unforgivable offense (if maintained until death) is idol worship: believing that anyone besides God possesses any power.
Forty Years Grace Period
The human being is given forty years to study, look around, reflect, and examine all points of view before making this most important decision—to uphold Satan’s point of view, or God’s absolute authority. Anyone
