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Ifrit, also spelled as efreet, afrit, and afreet ( ), plural عفاريت ), is a powerful type of demon in Islamic culture. The ʿafārīt are often associated with the underworld and identified with the ghost, and have been compared to genius loci in European culture. In Quran, hadith, and Mi'raj narrations the term functions as an epithet, always followed by the phrase "among the jinn". Due to the ambiguous meaning of the term jinn, their relation to other spirits is often unclear.
In Arabic dialects, the term is a substantive referring to independent entities, powerful chthonic demons or ghosts of the dead who sometimes inhabit desolate places such as ruins and temples. Their true habitat is the Jahannam or underworld.
Some Western philologists suggest a foreign origin of the word and attribute it to Middle Persian āfrītan, which corresponds to New Persian "to create", but this is regarded as unlikely by others. Johnny Cheung argued that there is a Zoroastrianism spirit called an āfriti- in Avestan. He suggests that this Avestan term might be the ultimate source of Arabic ‘ifrīt."
In folklore, the term is used as a substantive, referring to a specific class of demon, though most Islamic scholarly traditions regard the term as an adjective. Popular beliefs were elaborated in works such as in al-Ibshihi's Mustatraf. They became identified either as a dangerous kind of Shayatin ( shayṭān) preying on women, or as spirits of the dead. In Turkish language, the term is generally used for demons of the underworld in contrast to demons on the surface such as jinn.
In the Quran, such an ifrit is mentioned in an-Naml:38-40. The ifrit offers to carry the throne of Bilqis, queen of Sheba to King Solomon: "An ifrit from the jinn said: 'I will bring it to you before you rise from your place. And verily, I am indeed strong and trustworthy for such work." However, the duty is not given to him, but to somebody endowed with knowledge of the scripture. An "ifrit among the jinn" is mentioned in a hadith of Muhammad al-Bukhari, attempting to interrupt the prayers of Muhammad and in a narrative of Muhammad's night journey recorded in the eighth century by Malik ibn Anas. In the latter account, the "ifrit among the jinn" threatens Muhammad with a fiery presence, after which the Archangel Gabriel taught Muhammad a prayer to defeat it. Muslim texts explain, God sent the ifrit on purpose so that Gabriel might teach Muhammad and his ummah (Muslim community) to overcome their fear of demons at night.
Tafsir of Al-Anbiya, on the story of the prophet Job, mentions Job being tested by the torment of three ifrits. After Iblis gains permission to test Job, he descends to earth and summons his most powerful devils ( shaytan) and ifrits. In order to torment the prophet, they turn into storms and whirlwinds of fire to destroy Job's properties.
Probably influenced by the Ancient Egypt idea of Ka, the afarit are often identified with the spirits of the dead, departing from the body at the moment of death. They live in cemeteries, wander around places the dead person frequently visited, or roam the earth close to the place of death, until the Day of Judgment. A person who died a natural death does not have a malevolent ifrit. Only people who are killed give rise to a dangerous and active ifrit, drawn to the blood of the victim. Driving an unused nail into the blood is supposed to stop their formation. Such afarit might scare and even kill the living or take revenge on the murderer. Islamic martyrs, Islamic saints and prophets do not have a ghost, and therefore no ifrit.
Just as with jinn, an ifrit might possess an individual. Such persons gain some abilities from the ifrit, such as getting stronger and more brave, but the ifrit renders them insane. With the aid of a magical ring, the afarit might be forced to perform certain orders, such as carrying heavy stones.
When a beautiful girl with the face of a peri (fairy) enters the room, Māhān is overwhelmed by his lust and passion and ignores the order of the old man. While the beauty of his desire embraces Māhān, the girl suddenly turns into an ifrit, formed from God's wrath.Nünlist, Tobias (2015). Dämonenglaube im Islam Daemonic (in German). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-110-33168-4. pp. 235-239Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. pp. 408. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 64-68. pp. 361-363 The demon explains that the fairy turned into a demon because of Māhān's uncontrollable passion.Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. pp. 408. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 64-68. pp. 361-363 Thereupon, the ifrit explains that he now must tear Māhān apart; if it were to spare him, the monster would be no true demon ( dēw). Furthermore, the ifrit, as a demon, is ashamed to have presented as a fairy in the first place. Māhān is saved when the rooster sounds in the morning and everything demonic vanishes.Nünlist, Tobias (2015). Dämonenglaube im Islam Daemonic (in German). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-110-33168-4. pp. 235-239
Nizami notes that the meaning of the story is that the ifrit is the consequence of Māhān's moral transgression. The ifrits in the story feature as moral instance and guardians of moral order.
Afarit feature frequently in film and video games. In the Final Fantasy video game series, an ifrit appears as a summonable spirit and an enemy. Like its mythological counterpart, it is a spirit of fire and can use an iconic spell called Hellfire.Ruth Ayaß, Cornelia Gerhardt The Appropriation of Media in Everyday Life John Benjamins Publishing 2012 p. 205 In the fifth season of True Blood (2012), an ifrit seeks vengeance for murder of Iraqi civilians by U.S soldiers.Hudson, Dale. "'Of course there are Werewolves and Vampires': 'True Blood' and the Right to Rights for other Species." American Quarterly, vol. 65, no. 3, 2013, pp. 661–687., www.jstor.org/stable/43822924. In both the novel American Gods (2001) and the television adaptation by Neil Gaiman an ifrit disguised as a taxi-driver appears, trying to get used to his new role, seeking intimacy in a lonely world.Tara Prescott Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century: Essays on the Novels, Children's Stories, Online Writings, Comics and Other Works McFarland, 11.02.2015 p. 25.
Morocco
In Morocco belief, the afarit form a more powerful type of demon, comparable to jinn and other supernatural creatures. They have more substantial existence, and are greater in scale and capacity than other demons. However, their shapeshifting abilities are inferior compared to jinn. Their physical appearance is often portrayed as having monstrous deformities, such as claw-like or thorny hands, flaming eyes or seven heads.
Shabakism
A story circulates among the Shabakism community in Northern Iraq about a certain ifrit who incensed Ali by his evil nature long before the creation of Adam. Consequently, for the ifrit's wickedness, Ali chained the ifrit and left him alone. When the prophets arrived on earth, he appeared to all of them, beginning with Adam, and begged them for his release, but no prophet was able to break the chains. When Muhammad met the ifrit, he brought him to Ali for release. Ali was merciful to the ifrit, and decided to release him under the condition that he surrenders to the will of God.
Mahan and the Ifrit
Nizami Ganjavi (c. 1141–1209) narrates in his Haft Peykar the story of the Egyptian wayfarer Māhān (the "moonlike one") and his travels to a demon-infested desert.Brend, Barbara. "Figurative Art in Medieval Islam and the Riddle of Bihzād of Herāt (1465–1535). By Michael Barry. pp. 408. Paris, Flammarion, 2004." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 17.1 (2007): 64-68. pp. 361-363 Māhān's horse, presented to him by a demon in human disguise, gallops his rider into the desert, where it turns into a seven-headed monster. In the desert, Māhān finds shelter in a mysterious oasis owned by an old man. After Māhān and the old man know each other better, the old man decides to bequeath his legacy and marry him to a beautiful woman. He leaves to prepare for the wedding and warns Māhān that he must not descend from the perch until the old man is back. After that, the house, garden, and wife will belong to him.
In fiction
Afarit appear already in early poems, such as those of Al-Maʿarri (973–1057), who describes his protagonist visiting a paradise with "narrow straits" and "dark valleys" for afarit, between heaven and hell. Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn Amira El-Zein 2009 page 20 In later works, the afarit are mentioned among the narratives collected in One Thousand and One Nights. In one tale called "The Porter and the Young Girls", a prince is attacked by pirates and takes refuge with a woodcutter. The prince finds an underground chamber in the forest leading to a beautiful woman who has been kidnapped by an ifrit. The prince sleeps with the woman and both are attacked by the jealous ifrit, who changes the prince into an ape. Later a princess restores the prince and fights a pitched battle with the ifrit, who changes shape into various animals, fruit, and fire until being reduced to cinders. (2016). 9781610692540, Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9781610692540 In "The Fisherman and the Jinni" an ifrit, locked in a jar by the Seal of Solomon, is released but later tricked by the fisherman again into the jar. Under the condition that the ifrit aids him to achieve riches, he releases the ifrit again. The latter ifrit, however, might be substituted by a marid, another type of powerful demon easily tricked by the protagonist. The latter portrayal of an ifrit, as a wish-granting spirit released from a jar, became characteristic of Western depictions of jinn.
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