Iblis
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Iblis (Arabic: إِبْلِيسْ, romanized: Iblīs),[1] alternatively known as Eblīs,[2] also known as Shaitan, is the leader of the devils (shayāṭīn) in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of heaven after refusing to prostrate himself before Adam. In Sufi cosmology, Iblis embodies the cosmic veil supposedly separating the immanent aspect of God's love from the transcendent aspect of God's wrath. He is often compared to the Christian Satan, since both figures were cast out of heaven according to their respective religious narratives. In his role as the master of cosmic illusion in Sufism, he functions in ways similar to the Buddhist concept of Mara.[3][4]
Islamic theology (kalām) regards Iblis as an example of attributes and actions which God punishes with hell (Nār). Regarding the origin and nature of Iblis, there are two different viewpoints.[5]: 24–26 [6]: 209–210 According to one, Iblis is an angel, and according to the other, he is the father of all the jinn. Quranic exegesis (tafsīr) and the Stories of the Prophets (Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ) elaborate on Iblis's origin story in greater detail. In Islamic tradition, Iblis is identified with ash-Shayṭān ("the Devil"), often followed by the epithet ar-Rajīm (Arabic: ٱلرَّجِيم, lit. 'the Accursed').[7]: 23 Shayṭān is usually applied to Iblis in order to denote his role as the tempter, while Iblīs is his proper name.
Some Muslim scholars uphold a more ambivalent role for Iblis while preserving the term shayṭān exclusively for evil forces, considering Iblis to be not simply a devil but also "the truest monotheist" (Tawḥīd-i Iblīs), because he would only bow before the Creator and not his creations.[5]: 46 [8]: 65 [9]: 47 Others have strongly rejected sympathies with Iblis, considering them to be deceptively instigated by Iblis. Rumi's poetic work Masnavi-e-Ma'navi explores this form of deception in detail: when Iblis wakes up Mu'awiya to the morning prayer, he appears to have benevolent intentions at first, but it turns out, Iblis is just hiding his true malevolent motivations. The ambivalent role of Iblis is also addressed in Islamic literature. Hafez, who considers Iblis to be an angel, writes that angels are incapable of emotional expression and thus that Iblis attempts to mimic piety but is incapable of worshipping God with passion. According to Muhammad Iqbal, Iblis tests humans in order to teach them to overcome their selfish tendencies.
Iblis is one of the most well-known individual supernatural entities in Islamic tradition, and has appeared extensively across Islamic and non-Islamic art, literature, and contemporary media.
- ^ Gardet, Louis; Wensinck, A. J. (1971). "Iblīs". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. J.; Heinrichs, W. P.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch.; Schacht, J. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Vol. 3. Leiden: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3021. ISBN 978-90-04-16121-4.
- ^ Briggs, Constance Victoria (2003). The Encyclopedia of God: An A-Z Guide to Thoughts, Ideas, and Beliefs about God. Newburyport, Massachusetts: Hampton Roads. ISBN 978-1-612-83225-8.
- ^ Leon, Dai (2009-06-30). Origins of the Tarot. Berkeley, Calif: Frog Books. p. 221. ISBN 978-1-58394-261-1. OCLC 233264740.
- ^ Barry, Michael; Todd, Jane Marie; Smith, Michael B. (2013). "Jews, Islamic Mysticism, and the Devil". A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations: From the Origins to the Present Day. Princeton University Press. pp. 884–885. ISBN 978-0-691-15127-4. JSTOR j.ctt3fgz64.72. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
- ^ a b Awn, Peter J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Numen Book Series. Vol. 44. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/9789004378636_003. ISBN 978-90-04-37863-6.
- ^ Mahmoud, Muhammad (1995). "The Creation Story in 'Sūrat al-Baqara,' with Special Reference to al-Ṭabarī's Material: An Analysis". Journal of Arabic Literature. 26 (1/2): 209–210. doi:10.1163/157006495X00175. JSTOR 4183374.
- ^ Silverstein, Adam J. (January–March 2013). "On the Original Meaning of the Qurʾanic Term ash-Shayṭān ar-Rajīm". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 133 (1). American Oriental Society: 21–33. doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.133.1.0021. LCCN 12032032. OCLC 47785421.
- ^ Rustom, Mohammed (September 2020). Touati, Houari (ed.). "Devil's Advocate: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt's Defence of Iblis in Context". Studia Islamica. 115 (1). Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers: 65–100. doi:10.1163/19585705-12341408. S2CID 226540873.
- ^ Campanini, Massimo (2013). The Qur'an: The Basics. Abingdon, England: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-1386-6630-6.