Iblis: The Devil in Islam

Iblis is the primary name for the devil in the Islamic religion. According to the lore, he is Allah’s adversary, the tempter of man and a djinn. As a tempter, he does not force men into committing unholy acts but lures them to commit sin.

Other names: Adûo Allah (Enemy of God), Adûo (enemy), Ash-Shaytãn (demon or tempter), Eblis, Al-Shaitan.

Appearance:

In Islam, the name “Iblis” means “despair.” Although his exact nature and beginning are unclear, he is just regarded as the devil. He is depicted as the ruler of the djinn as well as an angel with the ability to shapeshift into any form. His most common form is as an entity of vanity with the head of an ass decorated with the colorful feathers of a peacock. In another form, he appears as a large man or Ifrit. He is jovial but quick to anger and prone to violence.

Myths About Iblis:

In the Qur’an, he was mentioned eleven times with seven of them talking about his fall from God’s grace. As Shaitan, he was mentioned eighty-seven times in the Qur’an. As a djinn, Iblis was created by Allah (God) from smokeless fire (according to the books of Suras 38:76 and Suras 7:12). The Qur’an also mentions Iblis as an angel of God. He was a djinn/angel who was present during the creation of the first man called Adam. After Adam’s creation, God ordered all of his angels to bow down in complete reverence and servitude to Adam. Iblis was among the angels who decided to disobey the instruction of their creator. He said that he was created from fire and ought not to humble himself before another being who was made from the dust of the earth.

Allah cursed Iblis for his pride and disobedience and drove him from heaven, which was his home. Surprisingly, he found a way to convince Allah to “put on hold” any other form of punishment to be melted out on him until the day of judgment. Therefore, Iblis was permitted to wander the earth making attempts to tempt people and condemn all who bend to his temptations. After his fall, his first line of action was to tempt Eve in the garden of Eden. Iblis found a way to sneak himself into the garden of Eden through the help of the serpent who carried him in its mouth.

There is another traditional lore about Iblis which states that in a time before the creation of humankind, Allah sent his angels down to earth to destroy the djinn, who were rebelling against divine laws. The angels killed most of them and captured Iblis, whom they took up to heaven. The remaining djinns formed a new nation. Iblis, who wanted power, left heaven to become their king. They called him Azazel.

An interesting 14th-century Syrian legend states that Iblis as a djinn actually helped in the creation of Adam by gathering sweet and salty matter from the earth. Iblis is known to be both male and female, and he can impregnate himself. It is said that every time he celebrates humans rebelling against God, he lays two eggs that eventually hatch as demons. Despite all of the stories told about him, he is still doomed to hell along with the souls he lures into sin. Contrary to the Christian belief, Islam rejects the idea that the devil is an opponent of God (Allah) and there is no mention of Iblis trying to take God’s throne.

He claims no kinship to any group and maintains that he is responsible for the evil in the world. He can command 1-3 shayṭān at will and summon 2-12 elementals to obey his bidding. He can also command any djinn or ifrit in the area, He is very knowledgeable about magic and knows all wizardry spells. Finally, he can teach magic to those who consult him.

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