Iblis

Iblis (Arabic: إِبْلِيسْ, romanized: Iblīs), also called Shaitan, is the chief of the devils (shayāṭīn) in Islam. The Quran recounts that Iblis was expelled from heaven for refusing to bow before Adam. Within Sufi cosmology, Iblis represents the cosmic veil that separates God's immanent love from His transcendent wrath. He is frequently likened to the Christian Satan, as both figures were cast out of heaven in their respective traditions. In Sufism, Iblis acts as the master of cosmic illusion, a role comparable to the Buddhist Mara.

Islamic theology (kalām) treats Iblis as an example of traits and deeds for which God punishes with hell (Nār). Two conflicting views exist regarding Iblis's origin and nature: one holds that he is an angel, the other that he is the father of all jinn. Quranic exegesis (tafsīr) and the Stories of the Prophets (Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ) expand on his origin story. In Islamic tradition, Iblis is identified with ash-Shayṭān ("the Devil"), often followed by the epithet ar-Rajīm (Arabic: ٱلرَّجِيم, meaning "the Accursed"). The term Shayṭān usually refers to Iblis in his role as tempter, while Iblīs is his personal name.

Some Muslim scholars assign Iblis a more ambivalent role, reserving the term shayṭān exclusively for evil forces. They consider Iblis not simply a devil but also "the truest monotheist" (Tawḥīd-i Iblīs), because he would bow only to the Creator, not to His creations. Others strongly reject any sympathy for Iblis, viewing such attitudes as deceptively instigated by Iblis himself. Rumi's Masnavi-e-Ma'navi explores this deception: when Iblis wakes Mu'awiya for morning prayer, he appears benevolent, but his true malevolent motives are eventually revealed. Islamic literature also addresses Iblis's ambivalent role. Hafez, who considers Iblis an angel, writes that angels cannot express emotion, so Iblis mimics piety but cannot worship God with passion. According to Muhammad Iqbal, Iblis tests humans to teach them to overcome their selfish tendencies.

Iblis is one of the most well-known individual supernatural entities in Islamic tradition and appears extensively across Islamic and non-Islamic art, literature, and contemporary media.

**Naming, etymology, and origin**

In Islamic traditions, Iblīs has many alternative names or titles, such as Abū Murrah (Arabic: أَبُو مُرَّة, "Father of Bitterness," from murr meaning "bitter"); ‘aduww Allāh or ‘aduwallah (عُدُوّ الله, "enemy or foe of God"); and Abū al-Ḥarith (أَبُو الْحَارِث, "the father of the plowmen").

The designation Iblīs (إِبْلِيس) may be an epithet derived from the Arabic verbal root bls (ب-ل-س), meaning "remain in grief." According to Ibn Manzur, this is the majority opinion among Arab scholars, who maintain that the being's personal name was ʿAzāzīl. Some Muslim teachers, such as al-Jili, relate the name to talbis, meaning confusion, because God's command confused him. Another possibility is that the name comes from the Ancient Greek diábolos (διάβολος, also the source of the English word "devil") via a Syriac intermediary. The name does not appear in Arabic literature before the Quran, suggesting it is not of pre-Islamic Arabian origin. The Quranic story of Iblis parallels extrabiblical sources, such as the Life of Adam and Eve, about Satan's fall from heaven, which was prevalent in Eastern Christian circles.

**Theology (Kalam)**

**Quran**

Iblis is mentioned by name in the Quran eleven times, nine of which relate to his refusal of God's command to prostrate before Adam. The term šayṭān is more common; although Iblis is sometimes called šayṭān, the terms are not interchangeable: Iblis is the proper name of the Quranic figure, while šayṭān refers to an unequivocal evil force. The fragments of Iblis's story are scattered across the Quran. In summary: When God created Adam, He ordered the angels to bow before the new creation. All obeyed except Iblis, who argued that, being created from fire, he was superior to humans made from clay-mud and should not have to prostrate. As punishment for his haughtiness, God banished Iblis from heaven and condemned him to hell. Later, Iblis asked permission to mislead Adam and his descendants, and God granted it—portraying God as the power behind both angels and devils.

Surah al-Kahf states: "[...] except Iblis, he was one of the jinni [...]" This passage led to a dispute among the mufassirūn (exegetes) over whether the term is a nisba, designating Iblis's heavenly origin (i.e., an angel) in contrast to the earthly Adam (and the jinn who preceded him), or if it distinguishes Iblis from the angels, portraying him as the progenitor of the jinn who lived in paradise until his fall—analogous to Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden. This debate dates back to Islam's formative stage, with the two conflicting opinions based on interpretations of ibn Abbas and Hasan al-Basri respectively, each gaining substantial support.

Iblis is arguably implicitly mentioned in Surah 21:29 (al-’anbiyā), claiming divinity by inviting humans and jinn to follow egoistic desires (nafs). This interpretation is shared by Tabari, Suyuti, al-Nasafi, and al-Māturīdī: "And whosoever among them would say, 'Truly I am a god apart from Him,' such will We requite with Hell."