51 Facts About Iblis

Iblis, alternatively known as Eblis, is the leader of the devils in Islam.

When God created Adam and ordered the angels to bow down, Iblis, being a jinn created from fire, refused, and disobeyed God, leading to his downfall.

Some Sufi Muslims hold a more ambivalent role for Iblis, considering him not simply as the Devil but as "the true monotheist", while preserving the term exclusively for evil forces.

In Islamic traditions, Iblis is known by many alternative names or titles, such as Abu Murrah as the name stems from the word "murr" - meaning "bitter", 'aduww Allah or 'aduwallah and Abu Al-Harith.

Whenever the Quran speaks about the creation of jinn, their fire is described with special attributes, whereas Iblis' fire is never described in such a manner throughout the Quran.

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Jacques Waardenburg argues, that Iblis' might have been considered an angel first, but appears to be a jinni in later Surahs.

The sharp distinction between angels and Iblis is supported by the later theological doctrine of angelic infallibility.

Iblis is mentioned 11 times in the Quran by name, nine times related to his refusal against God's command to prostrate himself before Adam.

The term Shaytan is more prevalent, although Iblis is sometimes referred to as Shaytan; the terms are not interchangeable.

Iblis argued that since he was created from fire, he is superior to humans, who were made from clay-mud, and that he should not prostrate himself before Adam.

Later, Iblis requested the ability to try to mislead Adam and his descendants.

Apart from the Quranic narrative, Islamic exegesis offers two different accounts of Iblis's origin: according to one, he was a noble angel, to the other he was an ignoble jinn, who worked his way up to heaven.

Accordingly, Iblis was a guardian and of a sub-category of "fiery angels".

Tabarsi argued that, if Iblis were a jinni, he couldn't become a custodian of paradise among the angels.

Saban Ali argues that identifying Iblis as a jinni is a mistranslation.

Hasan of Basra argues that Iblis has been the first of the jinn, and thus, like Adam, been created in paradise.

Ibn Kathir on the other hand, follows the narrative that jinn have lived before Adam on earth, but, unlike ibn Abbas, argues that Iblis was not of the angels battling the jinn, but a jinni himself.

Accordingly, Iblis was once an ordinary jinni but, due to his piety and constant worship, elevated among the angels.

Iblis used to do, what the angels did and resembled them in their devotion and worship, so he was included when they were addressed, but he disobeyed and went what he was told to do.

In manuals about Islamic eschatology, when Iblis is the last one on earth, the angels of divine justice will seize and kill him.

When Iblis is cast down to hell, he were sent to Sijjin, and didn't ask God to spare him from punishment in hell, but requested a chance to redeem himself by proving that he is right and leading humans into sin.

Since, according to 15:36, Iblis is cursed until Day of Judgement, some writers considered Iblis being redeemable after the world perished.

Sufism developed another perspective on Iblis, integrating him into a greater cosmological scheme.

Iblis often became, along with Muhammed, one of the two true monotheists and God's instrument for punishment and deception.

Therefore, some Sufis hold, Iblis refused to bow to Adam because he was devoted to God alone and refused to bow to anyone else.

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Accordingly, Iblis refused to bow to Adam because he was devoted to God alone and refused to bow to anyone else.

Iblis responds, his form is just temporary but his love towards God remains the same.

Ahmad Ghazali, Iblis was the paragon of lovers in self sacrifice for refusing to bow down to Adam out of pure devotion to God.

Ahmad Ghazali's student Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir was among the Sunni Muslim mystics who defended Iblis, asserted that evil was God's creation, Sheikh Adi argued that if evil existed without the will of God then God would be powerless and a powerless being can't be God.

Iblis uses several arguments to proof his own innocence: being a former archangel who would never truly abandon God; being merely a tempter who just brings forth the evil in the sinners, to distinguish them from true believers, but is not evil himself; God's omnipotence and that Iblis' sin ultimate results in God's judgement.

Finally, Iblis confesses, he only woke him up, for missing a prayer and causing Mu'awiya to repent, would bring him closer to God than praying.

Rumi rejects the idea of "Satan's monotheism" asserted by many other Sufis, as his argument, that Iblis was an angel first, doesn't protect him from his disobedience.

Hasan of Basra holds that Iblis was the first who used "analogy", comparing himself to someone else, this causing his sin.

Therefore, Iblis represents humans' psyche moving towards sin or shows how love can cause envy and anxiety.

However, versions differ on whether Iblis was one of the angels or of the jinn during the battle.

Since he, unlike the other jinn, was pious, the angels were impressed by his nobility, and Iblis was allowed to join the company of angels and elevated to their rank.

Iblis was then sentenced to hell forever, but God granted him a favor for his former worship, that is to take revenge on humans by attempting to mislead them until the Day of Judgment.

Traditions considering Iblis being an angel, often describe him as an archangel, called Azazil.

Iblis assumed that the angels who praise God's glory day and night are superior in contrast to the mud-made humans and their bodily flaws.

Iblis even regarded himself superior in comparison to the other angels, since he was created from fire.

Iblis's eyes are stretched all over his face, and canines the fangs of a boar.

Iblis invents a plan to trick him and approaches a peacock and tells him that all creatures are destined to die and thus the peacock's beauty will perish.

In similar narration, Iblis is warded off by Ridwan's burning sword for 100 years.

Iblis says since he was one of the first cherub, he will one day return to God's grace and promises to show gratitude if the serpent does him a favor.

In both narratives, in the Garden, Iblis speaks through the serpent to Adam and Eve, and tricks them into eating from the forbidden tree.

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Iblis is perhaps one of the most well-known individual supernatural entities and was depicted in multiple visual representations like the Quran and Manuscripts of Bal'ami's 'Tarjamah-i Tarikh-i Tabari.

Iblis was a unique individual, described as both a pious jinn and at times an angel before he fell from God's grace when he refused to bow before the prophet Adam.

In visual appearance, Iblis was depicted in On the Monstrous in the Islamic Visual Tradition by Francesca Leoni as a being with a human-like body with flaming eyes, a tail, claws, and large horns on a grossly disproportionate large head.

The turban probably refers to a narration of Iblis' fall: there he wore a turban, then he was sent down from heaven.

Iblis is further said to approach dying people to tempt them away from Islam in exchange for their life.

In Muhammad Iqbal's poetry, Iblis is critical about overstressed obedience, which caused his downfall.