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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. 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 Sufi cosmology, he functions similar to the Buddhist concept of Mara.[3][4] As such, Iblis embodies the cosmic veil supposedly separating the immanent aspect of God's love from the transcendent aspect of God's wrath. He entangles the unworthy in the material web hiding the underlying all-pervading spiritual reality.
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 the jinn. Quranic exegesis (tafsīr) and the Stories of the Prophets (Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ) elaborate on Iblis' origin story in greater detail. In Islamic tradition, Iblis is identified with ash-Shayṭān ("the Devil"), often followed by the epithet ar-Rajim (Arabic: ٱلرَجِيم, 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, considering him not simply a devil but also "the truest monotheist" (Tawḥīd-i Iblīs), because he would only bow before the Creator and not his creations, while preserving the term shayṭān exclusively for evil forces.[5]: 46 [8]: 65 [9]: 47 Others have strongly rejected sympathies with Iblis, considering it a form of Iblis' deception to lead people astray. Rumi's Masnavi explores this form of deception in detail, when Iblis wakes up Mu'awiya to the morning prayer. Mu'awiya remains sceptical and figures out that even under Iblis' good actions, there is malicious intent.
The ambivalent role of Iblis is also addressed in Muslim literature. Hafez describes angels as incapable of emotional expression. Thus, Iblis attempts to mimic piety but is incapable of worshipping God with passions as humans do. According to Muhammad Iqbal, Iblis tests humans in order to teach them to overcome their selfish tendencies. Only the perfect human being would be worthy of prostration and only then Iblis will finally bow down and find salvation. In Semum, Iblis is the perhaps ruler of hell and the idolized leader of the demons. Iblis serves as an attractive alternative for those who feel abandoned by God. However, in the end of the movie, Iblis' turns out to be mere illusion while God's omnipresence is affirmed. Motifs of Iblis are also adopted in American popular culture. Lucifer, the antagonist of the 5th season of Supernatural, has the same motivations for his actions as the Quranic Iblis.
- ^ 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.