Iblis

{{Short description|Primary Devil in Islamic tradition}} {{About||the 2018 film|Iblis (film){{!}}''Iblis'' (film)|other uses}} {{redirect|Shaitan|the group of evil spirits|Shayatin|similarly spelled topics|Shaitan (disambiguation)}} {{good article}} {{Infobox deity | type = Islamic | name = [[Iblis]] | deity_of = Leader of the devils ([[Shayatin]]) in [[Islam]] | image = Istanbul, Topkapı Saray Müzesi Kütüphanesi, MS Bağdat 282 fol 16 Adam and the Angels watched by Iblis.jpg | image_upright = | alt = | caption = [[Angels in Islam|Angels]] honor [[Adam in Islam|Adam]], except Iblis, who refuses. Painting from an illustrated subsection containing Bal'ami's Persian rendition of the [[History of the Prophets and Kings|Annals]] in a much larger Herat manuscript. | other_names = [[Shaytan]], [[Azazil]], Abu Murrah, Al-Harith | script_name = Arabic | script = إبليس | associate = [[Shayatin]] | abode = [[Sijjin]] | gender = Male | offspring = Demons and devils (in some traditions) }}

{{Islam}} '''Iblis'''{{Efn|Alternatively spelled as '''Eblīs'''}} ({{langx|ar|إبليس|translit=Iblīs}}),<ref name="Gardet-1971">{{cite encyclopedia |author1-last=Gardet |author1-first=Louis |author2-last=Wensinck |author2-first=A. J. |year=1971 |title=Iblīs |editor1-last=Bosworth |editor1-first=C. E. |editor1-link=Clifford Edmund Bosworth |editor2-last=van Donzel |editor2-first=E. J. |editor2-link=Emeri Johannes van Donzel |editor3-last=Heinrichs |editor3-first=W. P. |editor3-link=Wolfhart Heinrichs |editor4-last=Lewis |editor4-first=B. |editor5-last=Pellat |editor5-first=Ch. |editor5-link=Charles Pellat |editor6-last=Schacht |editor6-first=J. |editor6-link=Joseph Schacht |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam#2nd edition, EI2|Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition]] |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |volume=3 |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3021 |isbn=978-90-04-16121-4}}</ref> also known as '''Shaitan''', is the progenitor of the [[Shayatin|devils]] ({{Transliteration|ar|shayāṭīn}}) in [[Islam]]. According to the [[Quran]], Iblis was thrown out of [[Jannah#Jinn, angels, and devils|heaven]] after refusing to [[Prostration|prostrate]] himself before [[Adam in Islam|Adam]]. In [[Sufi cosmology]], Iblis embodies the cosmic veil supposedly separating the immanent aspect of [[God in Islam|God's love]] from the transcendent aspect of [[Divine retribution|God's wrath]]. He is often compared to the [[Christianity|Christian]] concept of [[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 [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] concept of [[Mara (demon)|Mara]].<ref name="g911">{{cite book |last=Leon |first=Dai |title=Origins of the Tarot |date=2009-06-30 |publisher=Frog Books |isbn=978-1-58394-261-1 |publication-place=Berkeley, Calif |page=221 |oclc=233264740}}</ref><ref name="w670">{{cite book |last1=Barry |first1=Michael |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt3fgz64.72 |title=A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations: From the Origins to the Present Day |last2=Todd |first2=Jane Marie |last3=Smith |first3=Michael B. |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-691-15127-4 |pages=884–885 |chapter=Jews, Islamic Mysticism, and the Devil |jstor=j.ctt3fgz64.72 |access-date=2025-03-19}}</ref>

[[Kalam|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.<ref name="Awn-1983">{{cite book |author-last=Awn |author-first=Peter J. |year=1983 |title=Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=Numen Book Series |volume=44 |pages= |doi=10.1163/9789004378636_003 |isbn=978-90-04-37863-6 |ref=none}}</ref>{{rp|p=24–26}}<ref name="Mahmoud-1995">{{cite journal |last1=Mahmoud |first1=Muhammad |title=The Creation Story in 'Sūrat al-Baqara,' with Special Reference to al-Ṭabarī's Material: An Analysis |journal=Journal of Arabic Literature |date=1995 |volume=26 |issue=1/2 |pages=209–210 |doi=10.1163/157006495X00175 |jstor=4183374 }}</ref>{{rp|p=209–210}} According to one, Iblis is an [[Angels in Islam|angel]], and according to the other, he is the father of all the [[jinn]]. [[Tafsir|Quranic exegesis]] (''tafsīr'') and the [[Qisas al-Anbiya|Stories of the Prophets]] (''Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ'') elaborate on Iblis's origin story in greater detail. In Islamic tradition, Iblis is identified with {{Transliteration|ar|ash-Shayṭān}} ("[[Devil|the Devil]]"), often followed by the [[epithet]] {{Transliteration|ar|ar-Rajīm}} ({{langx|ar|ٱلرَّجِيم|lit=the Accursed|links=no}}).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Silverstein |first=Adam J. |date=January–March 2013 |title=On the Original Meaning of the Qurʾanic Term ''ash-Shayṭān ar-Rajīm'' |journal=[[Journal of the American Oriental Society]] |publisher=[[American Oriental Society]] |volume=133 |issue=1 |pages=21–33 |doi=10.7817/jameroriesoci.133.1.0021 |lccn=12032032 |oclc=47785421}}</ref>{{rp|p=23}} {{Transliteration|ar|Shayṭān}} is usually applied to Iblis in order to denote his role as the tempter, while {{Transliteration|ar|Iblīs}} is his proper name.

Some Muslim scholars uphold a more ambivalent role for Iblis while preserving the term {{Transliteration|ar|shayṭān}} exclusively for evil forces, considering Iblis to be not simply a devil but also "the truest [[Tawhid|monotheist]]" (''Tawḥīd-i Iblīs''), because he would only bow before the Creator and not his creations.<ref name="Awn-1983"/>{{rp|p=46}}<ref name="Rustom-2020">{{cite journal |author-last=Rustom |author-first=Mohammed |date=September 2020 |title=Devil's Advocate: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt's Defence of Iblis in Context |editor-last=Touati |editor-first=Houari |journal=[[Studia Islamica]] |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |volume=115 |issue=1 |pages=65–100 |doi=10.1163/19585705-12341408 |s2cid=226540873 }}</ref>{{rp|p=65}}<ref>{{cite book |first=Massimo |last=Campanini |title=The Qur'an: The Basics |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon, England |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-1386-6630-6}}</ref>{{rp|p=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 I|Mu'awiya]] to the [[Fajr (prayer)|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.

== Naming, etymology, and origin == In Islamic traditions, ''Iblīs'' is known by many alternative names or titles, such as {{tlit|ar|i=no|Abū Murrah}} ({{langx|ar|أَبُو مُرَّة}}, 'Father of Bitterness'), stemming from the word {{tlit|ar|murr}} – meaning 'bitter'; {{tlit|ar|i=no|‘aduww Allāh}} or {{tlit|ar|i=no|‘aduwallah}} ({{lang|ar|عُدُوّ الله}}, "enemy or foe" of God);<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iblis|title = Iblis | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=26 February 2024 }}</ref> and {{tlit|ar|Abū al-Ḥarith|i=no}} ({{lang|ar|أَبُو الْحَارِث}}, 'the father of the plowmen').<ref>{{cite book|first=Travis|last=Zadeh|chapter=Commanding Demons and Jinn: The Sorcerer in Early Islamic Thought|title=No Tapping around Philology: A Festschrift in Honor of Wheeler McIntosh Thackston Jr.'s 70th Birthday|editor1-first=Alireza|editor1-last=Korangy|editor2-first=Dan|editor2-last=Sheffield|publisher=[[Harrassowitz Verlag]]|location=Wiesbaden, Germany|date=2014|isbn=978-3447102155}}</ref>{{rp|p=149}}

The designation {{tlit|ar|i=no|Iblīs}} ({{lang|ar|إِبْلِيس}}) may be an [[epithet]] referencing an [[Variable and attribute (research)|attribute]], deriving from the [[Arabic verbal root]] {{sc|bls}} ({{lang|ar|ب-ل-س}}, with the broad meaning of "remain in grief").<ref>{{cite book|first=Ebrahim|last=Kazim|title=Scientific Commentary of Suratul Faateḥah|publisher=Pharos |location=New Delhi, India|date=2010|isbn=978-8-172-21037-3}}</ref>{{rp|p=274}} According to [[Ibn Manzur]], this is the majority opinion among Arab scholars, who maintain the tradition that the personal name of this being was {{tlit|ar|i=no|[[Azazil|ʿAzāzīl]]}}.<ref name="c084">{{cite journal | title=Dangers and Treatment of Hypocrites' Rumors Thematic Analytical Study | journal=مجلة الجامعة الإسلامية للدراسات الإسلامية (عقيدة - تفسير - حديث) | script-journal=ar:مجلة الجامع الإسلامية للدراسات الإسلامية (عقيدة - تفسير - حديث) | volume=29 | issue=1 | date=2021-01-01 | doi=10.33976/IUGJIS.29.1/2021/17 | doi-access=free | url=https://journals.iugaza.edu.ps/index.php/IUGJIS/article/download/7779/3582 | language=ar | access-date=2025-03-19}}</ref>{{rp|p=171}}<ref name="z808"/>{{rp|pp=136}}

Some Muslim teachers, such as [[al-Jili]], relate this name to ''talbis'' meaning confusion, because God's command confused him.<ref name="r895">{{cite journal | last=Abu-Zaid | first=Nasr | title=The Perfect Man in Islam : A Textual Analysis | script-journal=ja:大阪外国語大学学報 | publisher=Osaka University of Foreign Studies | volume=77 | date=1989-03-20 | pages=111–133 | url=https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/81225/ | language=ja | access-date=2025-03-19}}</ref>{{rp|p=123}}<ref>{{cite book|first=Reynold A.|last=Nicholson|title=Studies In Islamic Mysticism|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=Abingdon, England|date=1998|isbn=978-1-136-17178-9}}</ref>{{rp|p=91}}

Another possibility is that the name was derived from [[Ancient Greek]] {{tlit|grc|diábolos}} ({{lang|grc|[[wiktionary:διάβολος|διάβολος]]}}; also the source of the English word ''[[devil]]'') via a [[Syriac language|Syriac]] intermediary.<ref name="Basharin-2018">{{cite journal|first=Pavel V.|last=Basharin|title=The Problem of Free Will and Predestination in the Light of Satan's Justification in Early Sufism|journal=English Language Notes|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|location=Durham, North Carolina|volume=56|issue=1|date=April 1, 2018|pages=119–138|doi=10.1215/00138282-4337480|s2cid=165366613}}</ref>{{rp|p=133}}<ref name="Gardet-1971"/> The name is not found in Arabic literature before the Quran, suggesting it is not of pre-Islamic Arabian origin.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jeffrey Burton|last=Russell|title=Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages|publisher=[[Cornell University Press]]|location=Ithaca, New York|date=1986|isbn=978-0-801-49429-1}}</ref>{{rp|p=[https://archive.org/details/luciferdevilinmi0000russ/page/55 55]|url=https://archive.org/details/luciferdevilinmi0000russ/page/55 54]}}

The Quranic story of Iblis parallels extrabiblical sources, such as ''[[Life of Adam and Eve]]'',<ref name="Awn-1983"/>{{rp|p=20}} about Satan's fall from heaven, preponderant in Eastern Christian circles.<ref name="i466">{{cite book | last1=Houtman | first1=Alberdina | last2=Kadari | first2=Tamar | last3=Poorthuis | first3=Marcel | last4=Tohar | first4=Vered | title=Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception | publisher=Brill | place=Leiden | date=2016-10-18 | isbn=978-90-04-33481-6 | pages=111–133}}</ref>{{rp|p=66}}

== Theology (''Kalam'') == === Quran === Iblis is mentioned by name in the [[Quran]] eleven times, nine of which relate to his refusal of God's Command to prostrate himself before [[Adam]]. The term ''[[Shayatin|šayṭān]]'' is more prevalent; although Iblis is sometimes referred to as ''šayṭān'', the terms are not interchangeable: Iblis is the proper name of the Quranic figure, while ''šayṭān'' refers to an unequivocal evil force.<ref name="Awn-1983"/>{{rp|p=46}} The fragments of Iblis's story are scattered across the Quran. In the aggregate, the story can be summarised as follows:<ref name="Awn-1983"/>{{rp|p=18}}

When God created Adam, He ordered the [[angels in Islam|angels]] to bow before the new creation. All of the angels obeyed, but Iblis refused. He argued that, having been created from fire, he was superior to humans, who were made from clay-mud, and therefore should not be expected to prostrate himself before Adam.<ref>{{qref|7|12|b=y}}</ref> As punishment for his haughtiness, God banished Iblis from heaven and condemned him to hell. Later, Iblis requested permission to attempt to mislead Adam and his descendants, and God granted the request—thus portraying God as the power behind both angels and devils.<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=5}}

Surah [[al-Kahf]] states in reference to Iblis:

<blockquote>[...] except Iblis, he was one of the ''jinni'' [...]<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=6}}[[File:Berlin,_Wetzstein_II_1913_fol_114r_Iblis.jpg|center|thumb|566x566px|Quran 18:50, word 8–13 from a 660–710 manuscript]]</blockquote>

This passage led to a dispute among the ''[[tafsir|mufassirūn]]'' (exegetes), who disagree on whether the term is intended as a ''[[Nisba (onomastics)|nisba]],'' designating Iblis's heavenly origin (i.e. an angel) in contrast to the earthly Adam (and the jinn who preceded him), or if it serves to distinguish Iblis from the angels, portraying him as the progenitor of the jinn who dwelled in paradise until his fall — analogous to Adam's sin in Garden Eden followed by his fall.<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=6}}<ref name="u038">{{cite journal | last1=Akbari | first1=Mahtab | last2=Ashrafzadeh | first2=Reza | title=A comparative study of the image of the devil in the logic of Attar Attar and the commentary of Abolfotuh Razi | journal=Propósitos y Representaciones | volume=8 | issue=SPE3 | date=2021 | doi=10.20511/pyr2021.v9nSPE3.1096 | doi-access=free | url=https://revistas.usil.edu.pe/index.php/pyr/article/download/1096/1353 | access-date=2025-03-19 | page=}}</ref><ref name="z808">{{cite journal | last=Öztürk | first=Mustafa | title=The Tragic Story of Iblis (Satan) in the Qur'an | journal=Islamic University of Europa Journal of Islamic Research | date=2009-01-01 |volume=2|issue=2| url=https://www.academia.edu/37861568 | access-date=2025-03-19 | page=}}</ref>{{rp|p=146}} This dispute goes back to the formative stage of Islam. These two conflicting opinions are based on the interpretations of [[ibn Abbas]] and [[Hasan al-Basri]] respectively.<ref name="y167">{{cite journal | last=Erdağı | first=Deniz Özkan | title=Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in "Semum" | journal=SN Social Sciences | volume=4 | issue=2 | date=2024-02-01 | issn=2662-9283 | doi=10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w | doi-access=free | url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w.pdf | access-date=2025-03-19 | article-number=27 }}</ref>{{rp|p=6}} This debate resulted in two positions, at each gained substantial support by Muslim scholars.<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=7}}

Iblis is arguably implicitly mentioned in [[Al-Anbiya|Surah 21:29]] (''al-’anbiyā)'', claiming divinity for himself by inviting humans and jinn to follow [[nafs|egoistic desires]] (''nafs'').<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=6}} This interpretation is shared, among others, by Tabari, Suyuti, [[Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi|al-Nasafi]],<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=5}} and [[Abu Mansur al-Maturidi|al-Māturīdī]]:{{efn|'''From''' Yüksek Lisans Tezi: '''{{sc|Translation:}}''' {{in lang|en}}<br />" When one of them said, He is not God, I am! If he says that, we will punish him with hell. This is how we punish the oppressors.” (Anbiya-21/26-29) If the angels who were considered as gods had not had the possibility of making such a false claim, God would not have prohibited that. According to those who say that angels can commit sins, those who are good by nature are not praised. Since angels are praised in the verses, it is not necessary for them to do good. Mâturîdî says that angels are tested and that it is possible for them to sin and reminds that Iblis is also one of the angels." '''{{sc|Original:}}''' {{in lang|tr}}<br /> "“…Onlardan biri, Tanrı O değil, benim! diyecek olsa, biz onu da cehennemle cezalandırırız. Zalimleri böyle cezalandırırız.” (Enbiya-21/26-29) beyanında tanrı edinilen meleklerin kendilerinin de böyle yanlış bir iddiayı ortaya koyma ihtimalleri olmasa Allah onlara yasak getirmezdi. Meleklerin günah işleme gücünün olduğuna inananlara göre fıtratları gereği iyi olanlar övülmez. Ayetlerde melekler övüldüğüne göre hayrı işlemeleri bir zorunluluk değildir."<ref name="s613">{{cite journal | last=Pekim | first=Mehmet Tahir | title=İMAM MÂTÜRÎDÎ'NİN TE'VÎLÂTU'L-KUR'ÂN TEFSİRİNDE ARŞ VE MAHİYETİ | journal=Batman Akademi Dergisi | volume=8 | issue=1 | date=2024-06-30 | issn=2619-9114 | doi=10.58657/batmanakademi.1481527 | doi-access=free | pages=1–16}}</ref>{{rp|p=64}})}}

<blockquote>"And whosoever among them would say, "Truly I am a god apart from Him," such will We requite with Hell. Thus do We requite the wrongdoers."<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Nasr |editor-first=Seyyed Hossein |editor-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr |title=[[The Study Quran]] |publisher=HarperOne |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-06-112586-7 |pages=47–48}}</ref>[[File:Berlin MS Petermann I 38 fol 16v Quran Sura 21 Aya 29.jpg|center|thumb|577x577px|[[Al-Anbiya|Quran 21]]:29 from a 750–1000 manuscript]]</blockquote>

''[[Sijjin]]'', mentioned in Surah 83:7, is described as a [[Spirits in prison#Other religious traditions|prison in hell]] by Quranic exegetes (e.g. Tabari, Tha'labi, Nasafi).<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=5}} Iblis is chained at the bottom and sends his demons to the surface.<ref name=y167/>{{rp|p=5}}

=== Affiliation and predestination=== [[File:Biblioteka Czartoryskich 3885 II, rękopis Safran 93 fol 38v The angels face Adam.png|thumb|The Angels meet Adam, the prototypical human being. They share, albeit to a lesser degree, the defiant reaction of Iblis, who haughtily turns his head away. Painting from a manuscript of the Manṭiq al-ṭayr (The Conference of the Birds) of Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār. Iran, Shiraz, 899/1494.]] There are different opinions regarding the origin of Iblis. This dispute is closely related to doctrinal differences regarding [[Free will in theology#Islam|free will]]. Islam believes that like humans, jinn are created on earth to "worship" ({{tlit|ar|'abada}}) God (51:56), and are capable of righteous and evil acts (11:119).<ref name="b922">{{cite book | last=Abu-Hamdiyyah | first=Mohammad | title=The Qur'an – an Introduction | publisher=Routledge | date=2020-09-23 | isbn=978-1-003-07091-7 | doi=10.4324/9781003070917}}</ref>{{rp|p=101}}

It is disputed in Islam whether angels (''malāʾikah'') are capable of sin. Those who hold that angels cannot sin thus assert that Iblis is merely a jinn, with only jinn and humans being capable of disobeying God.<ref name="Basharin-2018"/>{{rp|p=123}} This is the general opinion among the [[Qadariyah]] and most [[Mu'tazilism|Mu'tazilites]].<ref name="Lange"/><ref name="Basharin-2018"/>{{rp|p=123}} This view is also found among many [[Salafism|Salafis]].<ref name="p475">{{cite book | last=Gauvain | first=Richard | title=Salafi Ritual Purity | publisher=Routledge | publication-place=New York | date=2013 | isbn=978-0-7103-1356-0 | page=}}</ref>{{rp|p=73}} The [[Islamism|Islamist]] writer [[Sayyid Qutb]] denies that angels can sin and so rejects readings which depict Iblis as an angelic being.<ref name="r895" /> Sunni Muslims, with [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi|al-Razi]] as one exception, generally adhere to the [[Predestination in Islam|doctrine of predestination]]—i.e. that everything that happens in the universe happens by divine decree<ref name="c946">{{cite journal | last=Street | first=Tony | title=Medieval Islamic doctrine on the angels: the writings of Fakhr al-Dīh al-Rāzī | journal=Parergon | volume=9 | issue=2 | date=1991 | issn=1832-8334 | doi=10.1353/pgn.1991.0074 | pages=111–127}}</ref>{{rp|p=120}}—and assert that Iblis acts in obedience to his inner nature and God's plan, but in disobedience to God's command.<ref name="r895"/><ref name="z808"/>{{rp|pp=137–140}}

The context of Iblis's disobedience assumes that Iblis is an angel, as in early Islam the term {{tlit|ar|malāk}} (angel) is used for celestial beings.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gallorini |first=Louise |title=Angels in the Qur'ān: some of their roles, representations, and relationship with the jinn |journal=Journal of Ethnophilosophical Questions and Global Ethics |volume=3 |number=1 |year=2019 |pages=11–26}}</ref> [[Shaykh Tabarsi|Tabarsi]] says that if Iblis were a jinni, he could not have been one of the custodians of Paradise.<ref name="Basharin-2018"/>{{rp|p=103}} Many of those who say that Iblis was an angel read Surah 18:50 as a {{tlit|ar|[[Nisba (onomastics)|nisba]]}} for the term {{tlit|ar|[[Jannah|jannāt]]}}, thus referring to Iblis's heavenly origin (this reading is preferred by – among others{{snd}}[[Ash'ari]],<ref>{{cite book|first=Miguel Asin|last=Palacios|title=Islam and the Divine Comedy|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=Abingdon, England|date=2013|isbn=978-1-134-53643-6}}</ref>{{rp|p=109}} [[Suyuti]], and [[al-Tha'labi]]<ref name="Gardet-1971"/>). The [[Hanbalites]] and [[Ash'arites]] argue that Iblis was ignorant ({{tlit|ar|jahl}}) and did not understand [[Will of God#Islamic discourse|God's will]] ({{tlit|ar|irāda}}),<ref name="Basharin-2018" />{{rp|p=123}} but Iblis's [[Kafir|unbelief]] ({{tlit|ar|kufr}}) was ultimately caused by God.<ref name="Basharin-2018" />{{rp|p=123}} [[Abu Uthman al-Maghribi|Al-Maghrībī]] states that, when the angels questioned the creation of Adam, God opened the angels' eyes to the characteristics of Adam, but closed the eyes of Iblis, so he would remain in resistance ({{tlit|ar|iḥtijāj}}).<ref name="Basharin-2018"/>{{rp|p=131}} Therefore, Iblis would have been created as a disobedient angel and function as God's tempter.<ref name="Awn-1983"/>{{rp|p=177}} [[Abu Mansur al-Maturidi]], the eponymous founder of [[Maturidism|Māturīdī theology]], argues that humans and jinn are tested on earth, while angels are tested in heaven. He argues that if angels were not tested, the Quran would not compliment angels for obedience.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Saleh |first=Walid A. |title=Rereading al-Ṭabarī through al-Māturīdī: New light on the third century hijrī |journal=Journal of Qur'anic Studies |volume=18 |number=2 |year=2016 |pages=180–209|doi=10.3366/jqs.2016.0242}}</ref>{{rp|p=185}}

The Mu'tazilites, considering it impossible for God to have any negative attributes, reject the notion that Iblis's function as a tempter was initiated by God.<ref name="u351">{{cite journal | last=Kassem | first=Hammond | title=The Idea of Justice in Islamic Philosophy | journal=Diogenes | volume=20 | issue=79 | date=1972 | issn=0392-1921 | doi=10.1177/039219217202007904 | pages=81–108}}</ref><ref name="z808"/>{{rp|p=139}} [[Al-Zamakhshari]] criticizes the Sunni view as ascribing negative attributes to God.<ref name="z808"/>{{rp|p=140}} According to the Mu'tazilites, when Iblis blames God for leading him astray in [[Al Hejr|Surah 15:39]], these words belong to Iblis alone and cannot serve as a confirmation of God being the cause of Iblis's fall.<ref name="z808"/>{{rp|p=140}}

=== Function === [[File:New York Public Library, Spencer Collection Turk. MS. 3 Siyar-i Nabî fol. 252v Quraysh leaders discuss the second pledge at al-Aqabah.jpg|left|thumb|Islamic miniature of Iblis (top-left) tempting Quraysh leaders discussing the [[second pledge at al-Aqabah]] and the [[Demolition of Masjid al-Dirar|anti-Islamic zealot]] spying on them, to try and stop the spread of Islam.]] In Muslim thought, Iblis is generally not considered to be the originator of evil. However, there are a few exceptions among Muslim scholars.<ref name="Basharin-2018" />{{rp|p=123}} The [[Qadariyah]] asserted that evil was introduced by disobedience to God, and Iblis was the first who disobeyed.<ref name="Basharin-2018" />{{rp|p=123}} This view is sometimes attributed to Hasan al-Basri.<ref name="e255">{{cite book | last=Hamdan | first=Omar | title=Studien zur Kanonisierung des Korantextes | publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag | publication-place=Wiesbaden | date=2006 | isbn=978-3-447-05349-5 | oclc=85842622 | language=de }}</ref>{{rp|pp=291–292}} An extreme position among the Qadariyah asserted that Iblis was not even created by God, but this was generally rejected as a limitation on God's power, showing influence from the [[cosmic dualism]] of [[Zoroastrianism]], as expressed by "magicians" ({{tlit|ar|majūs}}).<ref name="Basharin-2018" />{{rp|p=123}}<ref name="auto1">{{cite book |first=Jacques |last=Waardenburg |title=Muslim Perceptions of Other Religions |place=New York & Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-510472-2}}</ref>{{rp|p=198}} Al-Māturīdī argued that such dualistic worldviews are irreconcilable with the Islamic doctrine of {{tlit|ar|[[tawhid]]}}.<ref name="auto1" />{{rp|p=198}} Some extreme positions went as far as to consider belief that actions are uncaused by God to be a form of {{tlit|ar|[[Shirk (Islam)|shirk]]}} (association), as it implies a second power independent from God.{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=104}}

Iblis's disobedience is understood as an example and warning for humans and jinn{{snd}}i.e. the {{tlit|ar|thaqalān}}, the two types of creatures held to account for their deeds.<ref name="Asma Hussain">{{Cite conference |last=Khan |first=Asma Hussain |date=September 2014 |title=The Problem of Evil: Islamic Theodicy. |url=https://www.ocerints.org/Socioint14_e-publication/papers/139.pdf |conference=Proceedings of SOCIOINT14- International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities |isbn=978-605-64453-1-6}}</ref> The position that Iblis was predestined to fall views his creation as a means for God to demonstrate his [[Names of God in Islam|entire spectrum of attributes]]{{snd}}including his wiliness ({{tlit|ar|makr}}){{snd}}as well as to teach the consequences of sin.<ref name="Lange">{{cite book |last1=Lange |first1=Christian |chapter=Devil (Satan) |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_25991 |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam |date=July 2018 |editor1-first=Kate |editor1-last=Fleet |editor2-first=Gudrun |editor2-last=Krämer |editor3-first=Denis |editor3-last=Matringe |editor4-first=John |editor4-last=Nawas |editor5-first=Everett |editor5-last=Rowson |isbn=978-90-04-35666-5 }}</ref>{{rp|§5}} As such, the example of Iblis demonstrates the necessity of avoiding transgression ({{tlit|ar|ma'siyah}}), arrogance ({{tlit|ar|istikbār}}), and comparison ({{tlit|ar|qiyās}}) between oneself and another creature of God.<ref name="Basharin-2018" />{{rp|p=122}}[[File:Khalili Collection Islamic Art mss 1030 fol 25v miniature crop Death of King Mirdas.jpg|thumb|Iblis (left) instigates [[Zahhak]] to kill his father, king Mirdas, by digging a hole.]]Although not the cause of evil, Iblis is known as the progenitor of tempters, known as the "father of the devils" ({{tlit|ar|Abū ash-Shayāṭīn}}).<ref name="Egdunas Racius">{{cite journal | last=Racius | first=Egdunas | title=Islamic Exegesis on the jinn: Their origin, kinds and substance and their relation to other beings | journal=Studia Orientalia Electronica | volume=85 | date=2014-05-08 | issn=2323-5209 | pages=127–138 | url=https://journal.fi/store/article/view/44004 | access-date=2025-03-19}}</ref>{{rp|p=129}} Hadith literature emphasizes their evil influences over humans rather than treating them as proper personalities.{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=46}} Muslims are advised to "seek refuge" from such influences and are recommended to recite prayers ({{tlit|ar|[[du'a|duʿāʾ]]}}) for protection.<ref name="q742">{{cite book | last=Macuch | first=Rudolf | title="And life is victorious" | publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag | publication-place=Wiesbaden | date=2008 | isbn=978-3-447-05178-1 | language=de}}</ref>{{rp|p=82}}

== Sufism == [[Sufism|Sufi formulations]] about the mystical union with God, although fundamentally [[mysticism|mystical]] in nature, derive from the theological debates undertaken within the school of ''kalam''.<ref name="y361">{{cite book | last1=Idel | first1=Moshe | last2=McGinn | first2=Bernard | title=Mystical Union in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | publisher=Bloomsbury | place=London | date=2016-10-06 | isbn=978-1-4742-8119-5 | pages=98–99}}</ref> In sum, there are two distinct interpretations of the role of Iblis within the Sufi tradition.<ref name="y361"/>

The first interpretation holds that Iblis refused to bow before Adam because he would not prostrate himself before anyone but his creator, thus considering Iblis to be a "true [[monotheist]]" only bested by [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]], an idea known as "Satan's monotheism" ({{tlit|ar|tawḥīd-i Iblīs}}).<ref name="Rustom-2020"/> Oblivious to rewards and punishment, Iblis acts out of pure love and loyalty and disobeys the explicit command and obeys the hidden will of God.<ref name="y361"/> In a [[unity of opposites]], Iblis finds in his banishment proximity to God.<ref name="y361"/>

The second interpretation disapproves of Iblis's refusal to prostrate himself before Adam. Adam, as a reflection of God's names, is more complete than the angels.<ref name="y361"/> Iblis, being blind to the hidden reality of Adam, refuses to bow due to his own spiritual ignorance.<ref name="y361"/>

=== ''Satan's Monotheism'' (''Tawḥīd-i Iblīs'') === [[File:Adam honored.jpg|thumb|Adam honoured by Angels – Persian miniature. Iblis, black-faced and without hair (top-right of the picture). He refuses to prostrate himself with the other Angels.]]

''Satan's Monotheism'' is illustrated in a story attributed to [[Wahb ibn Munabbih]]. Accordingly, [[Moses in Islam|Moses]] met Iblis on the slopes of [[Mount Sinai|Sinai]]. When Moses asks Iblis for the reason behind his disobedience, Iblis replies that the command was a test.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Joseph E. B.|last1=Lumbard|first2=Ahmad|last2=al-Ghazali|title=Remembrance, and the Metaphysics of Love|publisher=[[SUNY Press]]|location=Albany, New York|date=2016|isbn=978-1-438-45966-0|pages=111–112}}</ref> This story is mentioned in the ''Kitāb al-Tawāsīn'' by the [[Persian people|Persian]] [[poet]] [[al-Hallaj]], who also became known as one of Iblis's greatest defenders.<ref name="y361"/> The idea also inspired later famous theologians and Sufis, including [[Ahmad Ghazali]] and [[Attar of Nishapur]].<ref name="t416">{{cite book | last=Schimmel | first=Annemarie | title=Mystical Dimensions of Islam | publisher=Univ of North Carolina Press | publication-place=Chapel Hill | date=2011 | isbn=978-0-8078-9976-2 | page=195}}</ref>

Ahmad Ghazali depicted Iblis as a paragon of self-sacrifice and devotion, stating: "Whoever doesn't learn monotheism from Satan is a [[Zandaqa|heretic]] (''zindīq'')."<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337198008 |title=Ahmad Ghazali's Satan |first1=Ghorban |last1=Elmi |date=November 2019 |access-date=14 September 2020 |journal=HTS Teologiese Studies |volume=75 |number=3 |doi=10.4102/hts.v75i3.5368|hdl=2263/73903 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name="t416"/> His student [[Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir]] asserted that Iblis's disobedience must have been willed by God, or else God would be powerless, and a powerless being cannot be God.<ref name="Victoria Arakelova-2014">{{cite book |last = Victoria Arakelova |first =Garnik S.Asatrian |title = The Religion of the Peacock angel The Yezidis and their spirit world |publisher = Routledge |isbn = 978-1-84465-761-2 |page = 38 |year = 2014}}</ref>

Other theologians and Sufis disapproved of ''Satan's Monotheism''. [[Ibn Ghanim]] argues that Iblis is referring to God's predetermined judgement as an excuse to cover his unbelief.{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=131}} Furthermore, similar to [[Ruzbihan Baqli]], he argues that ''Satan's Monotheism'' is a subtle deception by Iblis, made in order to evoke sympathies and doubt about God's message.{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=131-132}}

[[Rumi|Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī]] (1207–1273) argues that God's determinism can not be an excuse for one's own demise and failure.<ref name="Basharin-2018"/>{{rp|p=132}} He invokes the analogy between Adam and Iblis to highlight the difference between a believer and an unbeliever: While both Adam and Iblis were destined to fall, Iblis and his offspring blamed God, while Adam pleaded for forgiveness, nonetheless. Rumi advises humans to do the same.<ref name="Latif-2009">{{cite book |last=Latif |first=Amer |title=Quranic narrative and Sufi hermeneutics: Rūmī's interpretations of Pharaoh's character |publisher=State University of New York at Stony Brook |year=2009}}</ref><ref name="Basharin-2018"/>{{rp|p=132}} In this context, Rumi declares that love is more important than intelligence<ref name="Basharin-2018"/>{{rp|p=132}} and states: "(Cunning) intelligence is from Iblis, and love from Adam."<ref>{{cite book|first=Annemarie|last=Schimmel|title=The Triumphal Sun: A Study of the Works of Jalaloddin Rumi|publisher=[[SUNY Press]]|location=Albany, New York|date=1993|isbn=978-0-791-41635-8|page=255}}</ref> In his story of [[Mu'awiya I|Mu'awiya]], in his ''[[Masnavi]]'' (Book 2), Mu'awiya realizes that he cannot outsmart Iblis's excuses, thus seeking refuge in God's protection. At this, Iblis confesses that he only attempts to trick people. Rumi reminds the reader that the Quran emphasizes that Iblis is the enemy of humanity and that there is thus no reason to have sympathies for him.<ref name="Rustom-2020"/>

=== Cosmic veil === Within the context of [[Sufi cosmology]], the ''[[al-Insān al-Kāmil]]'' ("perfected human being") is a manifestation of God's attributes, not in the sense of incarnation, but as a mirror reflecting his divine attributes.<ref name="w670" /><ref>Barry, M. A. (2004). Figurative art in medieval Islam and the riddle of Bihzad of Herat (1465-1535). Flammarion. 240–241</ref> In this interpretation, Iblis cannot comprehend the immanent aspect of God's attributes within Adam due to Iblis's own defective spiritual insight, and thus he refuses to bow down.<ref name="y361" /><ref name="auto">Barry, M. A. (2004). Figurative art in medieval Islam and the riddle of Bihzad of Herat (1465-1535). Flammarion.: 246</ref><ref name="e363">{{cite book |last1=Lewisohn |first1=L. |title=Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition |last2=Shackle |first2=C. |date=2006 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-1-84511-148-9 |publication-place=London; New York : London |page=159 |oclc=70128462}}</ref> In his attempt to avoid idolatrous treatment of Adam, he becomes the supreme idolater, because he cannot see the immanent aspects of reality through idols (the exterior reality).<ref name="auto" /> Since he cannot perceive God's immanent aspect (love), he can only understand (and reflect) God's transcendent aspects (wrath).<ref name="auto" /><ref name="e363" /><ref name="w670" />

According to [[ibn Arabi]] and [[Jami]], those who cannot comprehend the unity of God and separate God from his Creation are the disciples of Iblis, unable to discern the underlying, all-pervading divine principle.<ref>Barry, M. A. (2004). Figurative art in medieval Islam and the riddle of Bihzad of Herat (1465-1535). Flammarion. 245</ref> In his ignorance and damnation, Iblis hovers over the mere surface of visible things, and those he leads astray suffer the same fate.<ref>Barry, M. A. (2004). Figurative art in medieval Islam and the riddle of Bihzad of Herat (1465-1535). Flammarion.: 245-246</ref> Other Sufi authors, including [[Sanai|Sana'i]], [[Ayn al-Quzat Hamadani|'Ayn al-Quzat]], [[Ruzbihan Baqli|Ruzbihan]], Attar, and Rumi, independently conceived a similar image of Iblis's function in the cosmos.<ref name="auto" />

In Sufi thought, Iblis is part of God's universe and does not form an exterior reality independent of God. He is God's veil, the visible universe itself, which hides the Godhead from the unworthy.<ref name="w670"/><ref name="auto"/> 'Ayn al-Quzat links the cosmic structure to the ''[[Shahada]]'': "''Lā'' (''no'') is the circle of negation. One must place his first step within this circle, but he should not stop here nor dwell here. (...)". Those who remain at the circle of ''lā'', they worship the ''[[nafs]]'' (''carnal desires'') instead of God. Only those who proceed to ''ʾillā 'llāh'' (''except God'') surpass Iblis, the divine chamberlain.{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=135}}<ref name="k388">{{cite book | last1=Korangy | first1=Alireza | last2=Al-Samman | first2=Hanadi | last3=Beard | first3=Michael | title=The Beloved in Middle Eastern Literatures | publisher=I.B. Tauris | publication-place=London | date=2017-12-30 | isbn=978-1-78453-291-8 | pages=94–95}}</ref> As such, Iblis unknowingly symbolizes, suffers, and reflects the dark and wrathful aspect of God, uttering God's anger and executes God's justice.<ref name="auto"/>

Due to the similarities in function between Iblis's web and the Hindu concept of ''[[Maya (religion)|māyā]]'', the seventeenth-century [[Mughal dynasty|Mughal]] prince [[Dara Shikoh]] sought to reconcile the [[Upanishads]] with Sufi cosmology.<ref name="auto"/>

== Narrative exegesis (''Qiṣaṣ'') == {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | header = | width =  | image1 = Istanbul, Topkapı Palace Museum MS Revan Köşkü 1536 fol 16v Adam and Hawwa, Iblis, and Ridwan.png | width1 = 202 | alt1 = | caption1 = 1579 [[Persian miniature]] illustrating [[Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Naysaburi|Naysaburi]]'s [[Stories of the Prophets]]. To illustrate Adam's fall it depicts: Adam, [[Eve#Islam|Hawa]], Iblis, the serpent, the peacock and an angel. | image2 = Adam and Eve from a copy of the Falnama.jpg | width2 = 216 | alt2 = | caption2 = Persian miniature from a manuscript [[Ja'far al-Sadiq|Sādiq]]'s [[Falnama|Falname]] depicting Adam and Eve, the serpent, the peacock, and Iblis, after their expulsion from Eden. Iblis (bottom-left) is depicted archetypally dark. }} ''Qiṣaṣ'' is a form of [[exegesis]] by [[Muslim]] scholars focusing on establishing a coherent story from material of Islamic scripture (Quran, ''ḥadīṯ'').<ref>{{cite book |title=The Qur'an and its Interpretive Tradition |first=Andrew |last=Rippin |series=Variorum Collected Studies Series |place=Aldershot and Burlington |publisher=Ashgate |year=2001 |pages=91–104|isbn=978-0860788485}}</ref><ref name="Öztürk">{{cite journal |last1=Öztürk |first1=Mustafa |title=Adam, Paradise and Fall |journal=Milel and Nihal |date=June 2004 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=151–186}}</ref> According to many of them, before Adam was created, the jinn, offspring of ''[[al-Jann|al-Jānn]]'' (الجان), lived on earth. First they were obedient, but over time immorality increased and, when they became infidels, God sent an army of angels, headed by Iblis, called "al-Jinn" (named after paradise, not the genus) to defeat them.<ref name="r895"/><ref name="Reynolds"/> These angels were created from ''[[Nar as-samum#Quran and tafsīr|nār as-samūm]]'', while the rest of the angels from light, and the genus of jinn from ''mārijin min nār'' (smokeless fire).<ref name="Reynolds"/>

In reference to the interpretation of the events in Surah 2:30–34, when the angels complain about mankind's potential to shed blood and cause injustice, Islamic hagiographic narratives relate this to the story about angels' battle with the jinn.<ref name="Reynolds">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Reynolds |first=Gabriel Said |title=Angels |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online |volume=III |editor-first=Kate |editor-last=Fleet |display-editors=etal |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_23204}}</ref> Tabari and al-Thaʿlabi explain that the angels feared that humanity will become as corrupt as the jinn.<ref name="Reynolds"/>

Some later traditions place Iblis among the genus of the jinn instead. In one narration of the ''[[Tarikh Khamis]]'', among the masses of infidel jinn only Iblis dedicated his life to worship of God, withdrawing to a high mountain. The angels soon notice him and elevate him to the heavens, where he becomes one like them in worship.{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=30}}

With reference to Surah 76:1, Islamic narrative tradition considers Adam to have been created step-by-step, beginning as an inanimate body.<ref name="Chipman-2001">{{cite journal |first=Leigh N. B. |last=Chipman |year=2001 |title=Mythic Aspects of the Process of Adam's Creation in Judaism and Islam |journal=Studia Islamica |volume=93 |issue=93 |pages=5–25 |doi=10.2307/1596106|jstor=1596106 }}</ref> The story is mentioned by various scholars of the Sunni tradition, including [[Muqatil ibn Sulayman|Muqatil]], Tabari, [[al-Masudi|Mas'udi]], [[Al-Kisa'i|Kisa'i]], and Tha'labi.<ref name="Chipman-2001"/> According to the story, the angels passing by Adam were scared and Iblis was most afraid among them. To overcome his anxiety, he enters Adam and moves through the body.<ref name="Chipman-2001"/> He concludes that "this is hollow clay", whereas Iblis is "fire".<ref name="Chipman-2001"/> Since fire overcomes clay, he vows to destroy Adam like fire destroys clay:

<blockquote>You are nothing – because of his ringing – and you were made for nothing! If I am to rule over you, I will kill you, and if you are to rule over me, I will rebel against you.<ref name="Chipman-2001"/></blockquote>

Some scholars (among them Thala'bi, Tabarsi,<ref name="i807">{{cite journal | last1=Smith | first1=Jane I. | last2=Haddad | first2=Yvonne Y. | title=Eve: Islamic image of woman | journal=Women's Studies International Forum | volume=5 | issue=2 | date=1982 | doi=10.1016/0277-5395(82)90022-X | pages=135–144}}</ref> Diyarbakri{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=44}}) explain, with slight variations, Iblis's entry to the Garden of Eden by the aid of a serpent and a peacock. Some traditions have the Garden of Eden being warded by an [[Ridwan (angel)|angelic guardian]]. Thus, Iblis persuades a peacock to get help, by promising him that, if he enters the Garden, the beauty of the peacock will never decay thanks to the fruit of immortality. The peacock, unable to carry Iblis, persuades the serpent, who decides to slip Iblis by carrying him in his mouth. From the mouth of the serpent, Iblis speaks to Adam and Ḥawwāʾ.<ref>{{cite book|first=Absalom D.|last=Shabaz|title=Land of the Lion and the Sun: Personal Experiences, the Nations of Persia-their Manners, Customs, and Their Belief|publisher=[[Harvard University]]|location=New Haven, Connecticut|date=1904|page=96}}</ref>

== In culture == === In arts === {{Further|Angels in art#Islamic art}} [[File:Paris BnF Supplément Persan 1559 fol 10v All angels except Iblis bow to Adam cropped.jpg|left|thumb|Another miniature of angels prostrating before Adam with Iblis refusing, here depicted with a head cover]]Iblis is perhaps one of the most well-known individual supernatural entities in Islamic tradition and was depicted in multiple visual representations like the Quran and Manuscripts of Bal‘ami's ''‘Tarjamah-i Tarikh-i Tabari''.{{sfnp|Leoni|2012|pp=153–154}} Iblis was a unique individual, described as both a pious jinni and an angel before he fell from God's grace when he refused to bow before the prophet [[Adam in Islam|Adam]]. After this incident, Iblis turned into a ''[[Shayatin|shaytan]]''.{{sfnp|Leoni|2012|p=3}} In visual appearance, Iblis's depiction was described in ''On the Monstrous in the Islamic Visual Tradition'' by Francesca Leoni as a being with a human-like body with flaming eyes, a tail, claws, and large horns on a grossly disproportionate large head.{{sfnp|Leoni|2012|pp=5–6}}

Illustrations of Iblis in Islamic paintings often depict him black-faced, a feature which would later symbolize any satanic figure or heretic, and with a black body, to symbolize his corrupted nature. Another common depiction of Iblis shows him in human form wearing a special head covering, clearly different from the traditional Islamic turban and long sleeves, signifying long lasting devotion to God.{{sfnp|Kuehn|2019}} Only in one, he wears traditional Islamic head covering.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Na'ama|last1=Brosh|first2=Rachel|last2=Milstein|first3=Muzeʼon|last3=Yiśraʼel|title=Biblical stories in Islamic painting|publisher=[[Israel Museum]]|location=Jerusalem|date=1991|asin=B0006F66PC|page=27}}</ref>[[File:Siyah Qalem - Hazine 2153, s.31b.jpg|thumb|Portrayal of Islamic devils in the form of wild monsters. Siyah Qalem - Hazine 2153, s.31b]]

Most pictures show and describe Iblis at the moment, when the angels prostrate themselves before Adam. In the manuscripts of Bal‘ami's ‘''Tarjamah-i Tarikh-i Tabari'' he is usually seen beyond the outcrop, his face transformed with his wings burned, to the envious countenance of a devil.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Walter|last1=Melion|first2=Michael|last2=Zell|first3=Joanna|last3=Woodall|title=Ut pictura amor: The Reflexive Imagery of Love in Artistic Theory and Practice, 1500–1700|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|location=Leiden, Netherlands|date=2017|isbn=978-9-004-34646-8|page=240}}</ref> In his demonic form, Iblis is portrayed similar to his cohorts (''shayāṭīn'') in Turko-Persian art as Asian demons (''Dīv'').<ref name="Dmitriy">{{cite journal |last1=Dmitriy |first1=Dmitriy |title=Bad Spirits in Turkish Art |journal=Turkish Art. Social Sciences |date=2020 |volume=1 |issue=21 |pages=59–88}}</ref> They are bangled creatures with flaming eyes, only covered by a short skirt. Similar to European arts depicting devils by traits of pagan deities, Islamic arts portray the devils with features often similar to that of Hindu deities.<ref name="b778">{{cite book | last1=Lewisohn | first1=L. | last2=Shackle | first2=C. | title=Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | publication-place=London | date=2006-11-22 | isbn=978-1-78673-018-3 | pages=156–158}}</ref>

=== In literature and film === The complexity of Iblis's character from the Quranic story had lasting influence on Islamic literature. It elaborates on the necessity of evil and Iblis's disobedience in creative retelling of the exegetical tradition.<ref name="Latif-2009"/>

Iblis and the angels feature in [[Hafez]]'s poetry (1325–1390), collected in ''[[The Divān of Hafez]]''. Hafez iterates that angels are incapable of love. They can merely praise the creator but without the passion of a human-being. When Iblis protests, either because he considers Adam's offspring unworthy or himself devoted to God alone, he is described as an imposter (''mudda'ī''). He claims to act for the sake of God's love, but is actually envious of mankind's exalted position. Hafez advises his audience not to reveal the secrets of love towards God to the imposter.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Leonard |editor-last=Lewisohn |title=Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry |year=2010 |place=Vereinigtes Königreich |publisher=I. B. Tauris |isbn=978-0857736604 |pages=117–118}}</ref>

[[Muhammad Iqbal]]'s [[Javid Nama]] deal in length with the question of [[Good and Evil]].<ref name="Schimmel">{{cite book |last1=Schimmel |first1=Annemarie |title=Encyclopaedia Iranica Online |publisher=Brill |chapter=IQBAL, MUHAMMAD|doi=10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_3473}}</ref> As such, it is little surprising that Iblis plays a significant role in his works. Similar to [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe's]] [[Mephistopheles]], Iblis is a necessary obstacle for man to overcome.<ref name="Schimmel"/> Only when man eventually resists and overcomes Iblis, he can finally prostrate himself and find salvation.<ref name="Schimmel"/>{{sfnp|Awn|1983|p=9}}

Egyptian novelist [[Tawfiq al-Hakim]]'s ''ash-Shahid'' (1953) describes the necessity of Iblis's evil for the world. One day, Iblis regrets his rebellion and consults religious authorities (the [[Pope]], a [[Rabbi]], and the head of the [[Al-Azhar Mosque|al-Azhar]]) in order to seek forgiveness. After Iblis's requests were rejected by all of them, he turns to the angel Gabriel, but is rejected again. Then Iblis realizes the necessity of his nature in order for good to exist and exclaims: "I am a martyr!".<ref name="g427">{{cite book | last1=Graf | first1=Arndt | last2=Fathi | first2=Schirin | last3=Paul | first3=Ludwig | title=Orientalism and Conspiracy | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | publication-place=London | date=2010-11-30 | isbn=978-0-85771-914-0 | pages=219–221}}</ref><ref name="m140">{{cite book | last=Issa | first=Islam | title=Milton in the Arab-Muslim World | publisher=Routledge | publication-place=London New York, NY | date=2019-01-17 | isbn=978-0-367-17761-4 | page=94}}</ref>

A demon called "Semum", from the eponymous 2008 Turkish [[horror film|horror movie]] ''[[Semum]]'', embodies qualities attributed to both Iblis and his offspring. Alluding to the Quran, Semum blames God for abandoning demon-kind after creating humanity and vows to destroy God's newest creatures.<ref name="y167"/>{{rp|p=8}} Referring to the Quranic cycle of God creating and then destroying his creatures, the "Semum" argues that humanity will be eventually abandoned by God, and should worship Iblis instead.<ref name="y167"/>{{rp|p=9}}

Iblis himself does not appear, but his presence is implied throughout the movie. Described by his devilish followers, he is the master of the "[[Jahannam|World of Fire]]". On the other hand, the exorcist (representing God) describes Iblis imprisoned in the lowest pit of hell.<ref name="y167"/>{{rp|p=18}} The movie implies Sufistic metaphysics by asserting that "God is everywhere". The demon denies God's omnipresence by asserting that hell belongs to Iblis. His dualistic beliefs are disproven when God intervenes on behalf of the exorcist in hell.<ref name="y167"/>{{rp|p=20}} Iblis creates merely the illusion of God's absence.<ref name="y167"/>{{rp|p=20}}

[[Supernatural season 5|The fifth season]] of the American TV show ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' features ''[[Lucifer]]'' as the main antagonist. Pavel Nosachev, argues that, despite its Christian roots, the antagonist of the season bears resemblance to the Quranic Iblis.<ref name="m377">{{cite journal | last=Nosachev | first=Pavel | title=Theology of Supernatural | journal=Religions | volume=11 | issue=12 | date=2020-12-04 | issn=2077-1444 | doi=10.3390/rel11120650 | doi-access=free | page=650}}</ref> Lucifer reveals his [[backstory]] in the fourth episode,<ref name="m377"/> declaring: <blockquote>You know why God cast me down? Because I loved Him, more than anything, and then God created you, the little hairless apes; and then He asked all of us to bow down before you, to love you more than Him. And I said: ‘Father, I can’t.’<ref name="m377"/></blockquote>

== See also == {{Portal|Islam}} {{Div col|colwidth=20em|content= * [[Azazil]] * [[Dante's Satan]] * [[Elbis]] * [[Harut and Marut]] * ''[[Layla and Majnun]]'' * [[Prince of Darkness (Manichaeism)]] * [[Questions of Bartholomew]] * [[Samael]] }}

==Notes== {{notelist}}

== References == {{reflist}}

=== Works cited === *{{cite book |first=Peter J. |last=Awn |title=Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |location=[[Leiden]], the [[Netherlands]] |year=1983 |isbn=978-9-0040-6906-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/satans-tragedy/Satans%20Tragedy%20and%20Redemption.pdf |url-access=registration}} *{{cite book |last=Kuehn |first=Sara |chapter=The Primordial Cycle Revisited: Adam, Eve, and the Celestial Beings |pages=173–199 |title=The Intermediate Worlds of Angels: Islamic Representations of Celestial Beings in Transcultural Contexts |year=2019 |place=Germany |publisher=Ergon Verlag |isbn=978-3-95650-623-9 |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/43195695 |via=Academia.edu}} *{{cite book |last=Leoni |first=Francesca |chapter=On the Monstrous in the Islamic Visual Tradition |title=The Ashgate Research Companion to Monsters and the Monstrous |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2012 |location=Farnham |isbn=978-1-4724-1801-2 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x6o0DgAAQBAJ&pg=PT192}}

[[Category:Angels in Islam]] [[Category:Demons in Islam]] [[Category:Fallen angels]] [[Category:Individual angels]] [[Category:Jahannam]] [[Category:Jinn]] [[Category:Satan]]