If Satan misleads humans, who misled him to disobey God’s command?
Answer
Humans and Jinns have common weaknesses that usually mislead them. Some of these are ego, desires, forgetfulness etc. Satan was a Jinn and was misled by his ego.
After Satan was deluded by his ego-ridden behaviour, he was declared a Kafir (an incorrigible criminal) by God. This didn’t happen abruptly. Like other humans and Jinns, he was given chances for rectification before being condemned. However, like all misled people, he proved, through his persistence towards evil, that he didn’t deserve to be corrected. Iblis or Satan wasted all opportunities given to him and earned the title of Rajeem (the rejected one). He resolved to pursue others in order to tempt and beguile them. Hence, humans are persistently misled by Satan, apart from other factors mentioned above. He deceives us by exploiting our failings such as ego, desires, and forgetfulness. He leads us astray by whispering into our hearts, thoughts that sometimes entice and sometimes scare humanity.
This happens because life is a trial for all. Through this trial, God selects humans and Jinns who will be privileged to enter paradise on the merit of their performance. In order to conduct a fair trial, God bestowed humans and Jinns with freedom of expression and choice of action. It is the misuse of this freedom, because of inherent temptations, that results in evil and forbidden acts.