Back عفريت Arabic عفريت ARY İfritə Azerbaijani Ифрит Bulgarian ইফ্রিত Bengali/Bangla Ifrit German Ιφρίτ Greek Ifrit Spanish Afriidid Estonian عفریت Persian
| Part of a series on |
| Islam |
|---|
 |
Ifrit, also spelled as efreet, afrit, and afreet (Arabic: عفريت, romanized: ʿifrīt [ʕifriːt] ⓘ), plural عفاريت ʿafārīt), is a powerful type of demon in Islamic culture. The ʿafārīt are often associated with the underworld and identified with the spirits of the dead, and have been compared to evil geniī loci in European culture.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4] Their true habitat is the Jahannam or underworld.[5]
- ^ Sleigh, Tom (2018). The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees. Graywolf Press. pp. chapter: 1.11. ISBN 978-1-555-97986-7.
- ^ Westermarck, Edward (2014-04-23). Ritual and Belief in Morocco: Vol. I (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. p. 387. ISBN 978-1-317-91268-2.
- ^ ʿIfrīt, doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3502, retrieved 2025-06-19
- ^ ʿIfrīt, doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3502, retrieved 2025-06-19
- ^ Chelhod, J. (1960–2005). "ʿIfrīt". The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition (12 vols.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3502.