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Iblis (), alternatively known as Eblīs,
also known as Shaitan, is the leader of the Shayatin () 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 Christianity 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 concept of Mara.Kalam ( 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.
According to one, Iblis is an angel, and according to the other, he is the father of all the jinn. Tafsir ( tafsīr) and the Qisas al-Anbiya ( Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ) elaborate on Iblis's origin story in greater detail. In Islamic tradition, Iblis is identified with ("Devil"), often followed by the epithet (). is usually applied to Iblis in order to denote his role as the tempter, while is his proper name.Some Muslim scholars uphold a more ambivalent role for Iblis while preserving the term exclusively for evil forces, considering Iblis to be not simply a devil but also "the truest Tawhid" ( Tawḥīd-i Iblīs), because he would only bow before the Creator and not his creations.
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.
The designation (إِبْلِيس) may be an epithet referencing an attribute, deriving from the Arabic verbal root (ب-ل-س, with the broad meaning of "remain in grief").
According to Ibn Manzur, this is the majority opinion among Arab scholars, who maintain the tradition that the personal name of this being was .Some Muslim teachers, such as al-Jili, relate this name to talbis meaning confusion, because God's command confused him.
Another possibility is that the name was derived from Ancient Greek (διάβολος]]; also the source of the English word devil) via a Syriac language intermediary. The name is not found in Arabic literature before the Quran, suggesting it is not of pre-Islamic Arabian origin.
The Quranic story of Iblis parallels extrabiblical sources, such as Life of Adam and Eve, about Satan's fall from heaven, preponderant in Eastern Christian circles.
When God created Adam, He ordered the 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. 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.
Surah al-Kahf states in reference to Iblis:
... except Iblis, he was one of the jinni ...
This passage led to a dispute among the tafsir (exegetes), who disagree on whether the term is intended as a 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. 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. This debate resulted in two positions, at each gained substantial support by Muslim scholars.
Iblis is arguably implicitly mentioned in ( al-’anbiyā), claiming divinity for himself by inviting humans and jinn to follow nafs ( nafs). This interpretation is shared, among others, by Tabari, Suyuti, al-Nasafi, and al-Māturīdī:
"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."(2025). 9780061125867, HarperOne. ISBN 9780061125867:29 from a 750–1000 manuscript]]
Sijjin, mentioned in Surah 83:7, is described as a prison in hell by Quranic exegetes (e.g. Tabari, Tha'labi, Nasafi). Iblis is chained at the bottom and sends his demons to the surface.
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. This is the general opinion among the Qadariyah and most Mu'tazilites. This view is also found among many Salafism.
The Islamism writer Sayyid Qutb denies that angels can sin and so rejects readings which depict Iblis as an angelic being. Sunni Muslims, with al-Razi as one exception, generally adhere to the doctrine of predestination—i.e. that everything that happens in the universe happens by divine decree—and assert that Iblis acts in obedience to his inner nature and God's plan, but in disobedience to God's command.The context of Iblis's disobedience assumes that Iblis is an angel, as in early Islam the term (angel) is used for celestial beings. Shaykh Tabarsi says that if Iblis were a jinni, he could not have been one of the custodians of Paradise. Many of those who say that Iblis was an angel read Surah 18:50 as a for the term , thus referring to Iblis's heavenly origin (this reading is preferred by – among othersAsh'ari,
Suyuti, and al-Tha'labi). The Hanbalites and Ash'arites argue that Iblis was ignorant () and did not understand God's will (), but Iblis's Kafir () was ultimately caused by God. 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 (). Therefore, Iblis would have been created as a disobedient angel and function as God's tempter. Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, the eponymous founder of Maturidism, 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.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. Al-Zamakhshari criticizes the Sunni view as ascribing negative attributes to God. According to the Mu'tazilites, when Iblis blames God for leading him astray in , these words belong to Iblis alone and cannot serve as a confirmation of God being the cause of Iblis's fall.
Iblis's disobedience is understood as an example and warning for humans and jinni.e. the , the two types of creatures held to account for their deeds. The position that Iblis was predestined to fall views his creation as a means for God to demonstrate his entire spectrum of attributesincluding his wiliness ()as well as to teach the consequences of sin.
Although not the cause of evil, Iblis is known as the progenitor of tempters, known as the "father of the devils" (). Hadith literature emphasizes their evil influences over humans rather than treating them as proper personalities. Muslims are advised to "seek refuge" from such influences and are recommended to recite prayers () for protection.
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, an idea known as "Satan's monotheism" (). 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. In a unity of opposites, Iblis finds in his banishment proximity to God.
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. Iblis, being blind to the hidden reality of Adam, refuses to bow due to his own spiritual ignorance.
Ahmad Ghazali depicted Iblis as a paragon of self-sacrifice and devotion, stating: "Whoever doesn't learn monotheism from Satan is a Zandaqa ( zindīq)." 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.
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. 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.
Rumi (1207–1273) argues that God's determinism can not be an excuse for one's own demise and failure. 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. In this context, Rumi declares that love is more important than intelligence and states: "(Cunning) intelligence is from Iblis, and love from Adam."
In his story of 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.
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.Barry, M. A. (2004). Figurative art in medieval Islam and the riddle of Bihzad of Herat (1465-1535). Flammarion. 245 In his ignorance and damnation, Iblis hovers over the mere surface of visible things, and those he leads astray suffer the same fate.Barry, M. A. (2004). Figurative art in medieval Islam and the riddle of Bihzad of Herat (1465-1535). Flammarion.: 245-246 Other Sufi authors, including Sanai, 'Ayn al-Quzat, Ruzbihan Baqli, Attar, and Rumi, independently conceived a similar image of Iblis's function in the cosmos.
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. '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.
Due to the similarities in function between Iblis's web and the Hindu concept of māyā, the seventeenth-century Mughal dynasty prince Dara Shikoh sought to reconcile the Upanishads with Sufi cosmology.
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. Tabari and al-Thaʿlabi explain that the angels feared that humanity will become as corrupt as the jinn.
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.
With reference to Surah 76:1, Islamic narrative tradition considers Adam to have been created step-by-step, beginning as an inanimate body. The story is mentioned by various scholars of the Sunni tradition, including Muqatil, Tabari, al-Masudi, Kisa'i, and Tha'labi. 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. He concludes that "this is hollow clay", whereas Iblis is "fire". Since fire overcomes clay, he vows to destroy Adam like fire destroys clay:
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.
Some scholars (among them Thala'bi, Tabarsi, Diyarbakri) 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 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.
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. Only in one, he wears traditional Islamic head covering.
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.
In his demonic form, Iblis is portrayed similar to his cohorts ( shayāṭīn) in Turko-Persian art as Asian demons ( Dīv). 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.
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.
Muhammad Iqbal's Javid Nama deal in length with the question of Good and Evil. As such, it is little surprising that Iblis plays a significant role in his works. Similar to Goethe’s Mephistopheles, Iblis is a necessary obstacle for man to overcome. Only when man eventually resists and overcomes Iblis, he can finally prostrate himself and find salvation.
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) 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!".
A demon called "Semum", from the eponymous 2008 Turkish horror film 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. 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.
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". On the other hand, the exorcist (representing God) describes Iblis imprisoned in the lowest pit of hell. 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. Iblis creates merely the illusion of God's absence.
The fifth season of the American TV show 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. Lucifer reveals his backstory in the fourth episode, declaring:
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.’
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