When God created human beings, there were two more creatures: angel and Satan. Satan was the leader of jinn. God commanded all creatures to bow down to man.

What is the meaning of this? Accept man's position as incharge of the earth and give him the chance to do what he wants to do. If he gets political power, that is a test. If he is poor, this will also be a test. Political power is test just as poverty is test.  No one should place hurdles in man's path. This is why, God asked other creatures to bow down to Adam, the first man. Angels bowed, but Satan refused to bow. This is was the first deviation in history.

What was this deviation? Satan said: أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ (7.12). "I am better than he is." To consider yourself superior is deviation. The straight path is the way of modesty, thinking of yourself as God's servant and doing what God wants you to do. This is modesty. The way of modesty goes straight from man to God. Modesty is God-oriented path. Modesty is a God-oriented journey. If in your journey of life you are modest, then you are on the right path. Your destination is God. What did Satan do?

Satan said I am superior to man: خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍ (7:12) "You created me from fire, while You created him from clay." Satan thought that clay is inferior and fire is superior. This thought is baseless. It has no reason or logic. Both clay and fire are equal. Both have been made by God. Clay and fire are the same. Deviation is to develop a thought by yourself. Deviation is reasoning of your own mind.

The first deviation was done by Satan. He developed a logic -- fire is superior and clay is inferior. So, Satan thought 'I am superior'. This is false logic or false reasoning. There is no base for it. There is no base for false logic outside your mind. Satan walked on the deviated path. Angels are walking on the straight path. What was the lesson from this first demonstration? Walking on your false logic is deviation. One who walks on God-given logic is on the straight path.