QV15.....We are not responsible for our mistakes

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All of us would love to say that. We always want to blame someone else or the circumstances for all our mistakes. Unfortunately, we can’t get away with such excuses all the time!

Quran narrates the story of Iblis or Satan as he is often called in the Bible, to show how we fall for his temptations and commit mistakes. The story goes as follows.

…God created the man from clay and asked all the angels to prostrate before the man since he was ‘fashioned in perfect proportion’ and ‘God has breathed his spirit’ into him.

All angels prostrated before the Man, but not Iblis, one of the angels. When God asked why he did not, Iblis said

“Qaala ana khairum minah; khalaqtanee min naarinw wa khalaqtahoo min teen”

“I am better than he. Because you created me from fire, and you created him from clay." (Quran 38.76)

The God was furious and he cursed Iblis and asked him to leave the Heaven at once. Finally, when Iblis begged God for respite, God agreed to allow him to have his way till the ‘final day of judgement’.

Iblis swore that he would derail men and prove his point. He said

“Qaala fabi'izzatika la ughwiyannahum ajma'een”

"Then, by Your Power, I will put them all in the wrong” (Quran 38.82)

So, there you are. It is Iblis or Satan who made you do mistakes. You are not the one to blame!


Wrong! As we saw in the previous episode, on the day of ‘Final judgement’, you are judged purely based on what you have done. You can’t point to Satan for your follies.

Is not God unfair?

Quran says that God has also given you a free will and a choice. Just because the Satan tempted you, you are not justified in dancing to his tunes. You had to assert your choice and choose the right way. But you did not. So, you are the one who is really responsible!

And God says

“La amla'annna Jahannama minka wa mimman tabi'aka minhum ajma'een”

"(On the day of final judgement) I will certainly fill the Hell with Satan, and those that follow Satan." (Quran 38.85)

The idea of Satan tempting the humans goes back even before the Quran, even before the Bible. In the ancient Persian scriptures that predate Judaism, one finds the mention of wicked force called Angra Mainyu who keeps tempting people. So, it is always a war between good and evil – God Vs anti-God. Finally, the good/God prevails.


If you look at the Indian side, Buddhists had the concept of Mara – a wicked being who keeps tempting people. He did everything to derail Buddha, but did not succeed.


But all ancient religions, eastern or western, ultimately hold the person responsible for his mistakes. All of them say that you can’t just wash off your hands just because someone tempted you.


The Bhagavad Geetha says that it is ‘Kama’ i.e. unjustified desires, and ‘Krodha’ i.e. unjustified anger, that are responsible for one’s follies. It says that they are our worst enemies. We should always keep them under restraint.

Buddha also talks in great detail how desires and hatred push us into wrong action.

Even Patanjali points to the same two – ‘Raga’ i.e. attachment, and ‘Dwesha’ i.e. hatred, as responsible for our getting trapped. They are the ones that prevent us from making progress.


So, don’t point fingers to someone else for your mistakes. Own up your mistakes. Better still, avoid doing mistakes by making proper choices under all circumstances. Or else, even God can’t help you!

Quranic verses episode 15

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Based on verses from Holy Quran. The interpretation is by Dr.King. The Quran recitations are from various sites such as Quran.net, Quran411.com and so on.