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{{QualityScore|Lead=2|Structure=2|Content=2|Language= | {{QualityScore|Lead=2|Structure=2|Content=2|Language=4|References=2}}'''Iblis''' (إبليس), also known as '''al-Shaytan''' (الشيطان) or "The Devil" (as opposed to other, lesser [[Shaytan (Devil)|devils, or ''shayatin'']], who are not ''The'' Devil), is the Islamic equivalent of Satan who is responsible for Adam and Eve's fall from Heaven as well as for the perennial temptation of humankind to sin. Iblis is understood to be the specific name of the being who eventually becomes ''The'' Devil after disobeying [[Allah|Allah's]] order to prostrate to Adam, the first human. The classical Islamic tradition was divided as to whether Iblis is a fallen angel or merely a [[jinn]] who, after having been so devout as to ''rank'' among the angels, became jealous of Adam, arrogant, and then irredeemably evil. Today, however, Iblis is almost universally held to be a uniquely corrupt jinn.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|publisher=E.J. Brill|volume=3 H-IRAM|editor1=B. Lewis|editor2=V.L. Menage|editor3=Ch. Pellat|editor4=J. Schacht|edition=New Edition [2nd]|location=Leiden|chapter=Iblis|pages=668-669|publication-date=1986|isbn=90 04 08118 6}}</ref> The Qur'an reads, "And (remember) when We said unto the angels: Fall prostrate before Adam, and they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He was of the jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord's command."<ref>{{Quran|18|50}}</ref> | ||
Iblis is also known as "The Cursed Devil", or ''al-shaytan al-rajim'' (lit. "the [[Stoning|stoned]] Devil" - perhaps an inspiration for the relevant [[Hajj]] ritual)<ref>{{Quran|3|36}}</ref>, and "Enemy of Allah", or ''aduww Allah''<ref>{{Quran|8|60}} contains the phrase "enemy of Allah", although it is unclear in context whether this referring to Iblis in particular or some other individual or "unbelievers" in general.</ref>''.'' | Iblis is also known as "The Cursed Devil", or ''al-shaytan al-rajim'' (lit. "the [[Stoning|stoned]] Devil" - perhaps an inspiration for the relevant [[Hajj]] ritual)<ref>{{Quran|3|36}}</ref>, and "Enemy of Allah", or ''aduww Allah''<ref>{{Quran|8|60}} contains the phrase "enemy of Allah", although it is unclear in context whether this referring to Iblis in particular or some other individual or "unbelievers" in general.</ref>''.'' | ||
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Iblis (إبليس), also known as al-Shaytan (الشيطان) or "The Devil" (as opposed to other, lesser devils, or shayatin, who are not The Devil), is the Islamic equivalent of Satan who is responsible for Adam and Eve's fall from Heaven as well as for the perennial temptation of humankind to sin. Iblis is understood to be the specific name of the being who eventually becomes The Devil after disobeying Allah's order to prostrate to Adam, the first human. The classical Islamic tradition was divided as to whether Iblis is a fallen angel or merely a jinn who, after having been so devout as to rank among the angels, became jealous of Adam, arrogant, and then irredeemably evil. Today, however, Iblis is almost universally held to be a uniquely corrupt jinn.[1] The Qur'an reads, "And (remember) when We said unto the angels: Fall prostrate before Adam, and they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He was of the jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord's command."[2]
Iblis is also known as "The Cursed Devil", or al-shaytan al-rajim (lit. "the stoned Devil" - perhaps an inspiration for the relevant Hajj ritual)[3], and "Enemy of Allah", or aduww Allah[4].
Descriptions in scripture
In the Quran
Confusion regarding his status as an angel or jinn
While it might be considered simply an example of poor writing, statements about Iblis and the prostration of Adam have caused confusion and led to differing opinions on whether Iblīs was an angel or a jinn in traditional Islamic scholarship.[5]
As Sinai 2023[6] notes, the Arabic phrase qulnā li-l-malāʾikati sjudū li-ādama fa-sajadū illā iblīsa (Q 2:34, 7:11, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116; see also 15:30–31 and 38:73–74) is naturally rendered, “We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam,’ and they prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs.” This reading would be in line, for instance, with the view of Jacob of Sarug, who unequivocally declares Satan to have been an angel (Mathews 2020, 88–89, l. 2515; see in more detail below).[7] (Hence this is seen in virtually all official English translations of the verses).
See also Quran 2:34, Quran 7:11 and Quran 38:73-74.
However, the Qur'an explicitly states that Iblīs was one of the jinn (straight after this in Q 18:50), distinguishing him from angels, who are described as a separate, species (Quran 34:40-41) that are totally obedient to God and not judged by him in the afterlife (unlike the jinn), but rather even carry out punishments Quran 66:6 and hold his throne judgement day Quran 69:17. This distinction is supported by Q 38:76 and Q 7:12, where Iblīs refuses to prostrate to Adam, citing his creation from fire, in contrast to Adam's creation from clay. Additionally, premodern Muslim scholars noted that angels are always obedient to God, reinforcing the idea that Iblīs could not have been an angel.[8] This is the current mainstream view.[9]
He also notes that despite the considerable grammatical ingenuity displayed by later Muslim exegetes to make the prostration be exclusive of Iblīs (such as Al-Zamakhshari), the most straightforward and uncontrived reading of fa-sajadū illā iblīsa and its variants would surely be “they prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs,” including the implication that Iblīs was indeed one of the angels.[10]
El-Zein 2017[11] notes that seemingly based off this verse, various Islamic sources have conceived of Iblis as an angel, for example the Sufi scholar Ibn 'Arabi in one writing describes him as a four-winged angel, and the Sunni jurist Al-Damari claimed “Iblis was the chief of the angels of heaven and their ruler, as well as ruler over the earth. He was one of the most studious angels and the most knowledgeable. He ruled between heaven and earth. He took great pride and honor in it. But he became arrogant and haughty. He rebelled and was ungrateful to God who transformed him into a cursed devil, shaytan.”[12] The Mu‘tazilah school of theology and Islamic thought (8th–10th century) also tended to view Iblis as depicted in Qur’an 18:50 as an angel rather than a jinn.[13]
To resolve the incoherence between the two interpretations on the nature of Iblis, Muslim scholarship came up with some ingenious ideas. Al-Tabari, for example, argued it is possible God created one part of his angels from light and another part from fire; Iblis possibly could belong to that group of angels who were created from the scorching winds.[14] Al-Baydawi (d. 1286), meanwhile, had a more plausible explanation. He argued Iblis, a jinni made out of fire, was carried off as a captive by the angels during one of the combats between jinn and angels that took place on Earth. Because Iblis was still a child, he grew up among angels. When God ordered the angels to bow before Adam, Iblis refused, and thus revealed his true jinni nature.[15]
Sinai 2023 notes a potential reason for this repeated seemingly contradictory statement. In the Qur'an, nine out of eleven mentions of Iblīs occur in the context of the angels prostrating to Adam, with Iblīs refusing (Q 2:34, 7:11, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116, 15:30–31, 38:73–74), or in the immediate divine address to Iblīs (Q 15:32, 38:75). The other two occurrences (Q 26:95, 34:20) refer to Iblīs’s followers and those who follow Iblīs, respectively. He suggests a more satisfactory resolution to the issue is therefore the formula "fa-sajadū illā iblīsa" might have originated from pre-Qur’anic Arab traditions on this story, where the formula fa-sajadū illā iblīsa reached the Qur’anic milieu as a set phrase that had been coined in prior Arabophone narrative traditions. This idea is supported by similar pre-Qur’anic narrative phrases in the Qur'an, like God blowing His spirit into Adam or Mary (e.g. Q 15:29, 21:91).[16]
His story
In the hadith
Appearance
Other descriptions
Etymology
Sinai (2023) notes that iblīs and al-shayṭān were most likely simply variant Arabic designations for the devil that surfaced in different regions or circles or Arabic speakers, the one under the impact of Greek diabolos, the other likely under the impact of Ethiopic sayṭān.[17]
Theological significance
Sufism
Species of Iblis (angel/jinn)
References
- ↑ B. Lewis; V.L. Menage; Ch. Pellat et al., eds, (1986), "Iblis", Encyclopaedia of Islam, 3 H-IRAM (New Edition [2nd] ed.), Leiden: E.J. Brill, pp. 668-669, ISBN 90 04 08118 6, 1986
- ↑ Quran 18:50
- ↑ Quran 3:36
- ↑ Quran 8:60 contains the phrase "enemy of Allah", although it is unclear in context whether this referring to Iblis in particular or some other individual or "unbelievers" in general.
- ↑ Iblis | Islam | Britannica
- ↑ Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 453 - 457). Princeton University Press.
- ↑ Ibid. pp. 455.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Was Iblis an Angel? IslamQA. 2000.
- ↑ Ibid. pp. 456.
- ↑ El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (p. 43-46). Syracuse University Press.
- ↑ Ibid. pp. 44.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid. pp. 46.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (pp. 453-454 & 456). Princeton University Press.
- ↑ shayṭān | devil al-shayṭān | the devil, Satan Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 453-454, 460-462). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.