In many Islamic and Islam-related traditions, Azazil (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: عزازيل ''ʿAzāzīl'', also known as
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: حارث ''Ḥārith'') is the legendary prototype of the
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
in
Islamic culture
Islamic culture and Muslim culture refer to cultural practices which are common to historically Islamic people. The early forms of Muslim culture, from the Rashidun Caliphate to the early Umayyad period and the early Abbasid period, were predomi ...
. Azazil was considered to be among the
nearest to God's throne, but because he
sinned
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
through pride, he became a
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
.
In Islamic tradition, ''Azazil'' is usually seen as the original name of
Iblis
Iblis ( ar, إِبْلِيس, translit=Iblīs), alternatively known as Eblīs, is the leader of the devils () in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of heaven, after he refused to prostrate himself before Adam. Regarding the o ...
, before he was expelled from heaven. Although Azazil is mostly portrayed as an
archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
, who was already created when
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
made the
jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...
, in some reports Azazil is considered created as a jinni first but elevated to the rank of the angels.
In some mystical interpretations of Islam, like
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
,
Ismailism
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...
and
Alevism
Alevism or Anatolian Alevism (; tr, Alevilik, ''Anadolu Aleviliği'' or ''Kızılbaşlık''; ; az, Ələvilik) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( ''bāṭenī'') teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, w ...
, Azazil's fall happened before the creation of the world and therefore, becomes the originator of sin in this world.
Etymology and naming
The name is derived from
Azazel
In the Bible, the name Azazel (; he, עֲזָאזֵל ''ʿAzāʾzēl''; ar, عزازيل, ʿAzāzīl) appears in association with the scapegoat rite; the name represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the sins of the Jews during Y ...
, a fallen angel in the
Apocalypse of Abraham
The ''Apocalypse of Abraham'' is a pseudepigraphic work (a text whose claimed authorship is uncertain) based on the Old Testament. Probably composed between about 70–150 AD from earlier writings and tradition, it is of Jewish origin and is usuall ...
. Here, Azazel is said to have lost his former glory as a servant of God to humans.
Islamic philologists construct his name to the words ''aziz'' and ''il'' (''God's dear''), depicting him as God's once favorite angel.
According to many Arabic scholars, Azazil was the personal name of Satan (Iblis).
Ibn Manzur
Muhammad ibn Mukarram ibn Alī ibn Ahmad ibn Manzūr al-Ansārī al-Ifrīqī al-Misrī al-Khazrajī () also known as Ibn Manẓūr () (June–July 1233 – December 1311/January 1312) was an Arab lexicographer of the Arabic language and author of ...
(June–July 1233 – December 1311/January 1312) writes in his
dictionary
A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies ...
of the Arabic language:
Quranic exegesis
According to many Classical scholars, based on the reports of the
Sahaba
The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...
, before Iblis was expelled from heaven, he was called Azazil. Quranic exegesis offers two different depictions of Iblis. One with Azazil beginning as a noble angel who later loses his position, while the other counts him as an ignoble jinn, who works his way up to heaven. According to whose interpretations legitimated by the authority of
Ibn Abbas
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās ( ar, عَبْد ٱللَّٰه ٱبْن عَبَّاس; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest mufassir of the Qur'an ...
, Azazil was the leader of angels and sent by God to terminate the
jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...
, who lived on earth before humanity. After his victory, he grew arrogant and declined God's command to prostrate himself before
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
. Arguing that he was superior to humans, God expelled him from heaven and he became an ''accursed
shaitan
' (; ''devils'' or ''demons''), singular: (شَيْطَان) are evil spirits in Islam, inciting humans (and jinn) to sin by "whispering" (وَسْوَسَة, “waswasah”) to their qalb, hearts (قَلْب ''qalb''). Folklore suggests that t ...
'' (Shaitan Rajim). When the Quran refers to Iblis as one of the jinn, this tradition states it does not refer to Azazil being one of the jinn who lived on earth, but to a group of angels who were entrusted with the task to guard the entrance to
Jannah
In Islam, Jannah ( ar, جَنّة, janna, pl. ''jannāt'',lit. "paradise, garden", is the final abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Quran. Belief in the afterlife is one of the six articles of f ...
. Therefore, it is their relation to Jannah the term refers to Satan as a ''jinn'' in Quran.
Another tradition, by
Ubay ibn Ka'b
Ubayy ibn Ka'b ( ar, أُبَيّ ٱبْن كَعْب, ') (died 649), also known as Abu Mundhir, was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a person of high esteem in the early Muslim community.
Biography
Ubayy was born in Medina (th ...
, who claimed to have found it in the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
, states the jinn were angelic creatures, who descended to earth and became endowed with sexual desires. They stayed pious for a while, but started to murder, drink wine, and cause injustice on earth. Azazil parted from his community and committed his life to the worship of God in isolated places. Soon, Azazil was chosen to send messengers to the jinn community, but every time Azazil sent one, the jinn killed the messenger. When God sent down an army of angels under the command of Azazil to defeat their corrupted fellows. In yet another tradition, asserted by the
Brethren of Purity, Azazil used to be a jinni from earth, but was taken captive by the angels during war. Among the angels, Azazil impressed the angels by his piety and joined them in worship and service, but loses his angelic state after he disobeys God.
Sufism
In Sufism Azazil is one of the worst tempters. The fallen angel is the devil who leads the saints astray, however, fails against the prophets.
Inayat Khan
Inayat Khan Rehmat Khan ( ur, ) (5 July 1882 – 5 February 1927) was an Indian professor of musicology, singer, exponent of the saraswati vina, poet, philosopher, and pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. At the urging of his ...
, who was a pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West, states that evil actions performed by people attract this spirit who in turn leads them further astray into darkness and wrong actions.
Al-Hallaj
Al-Hallaj ( ar, ابو المغيث الحسين بن منصور الحلاج, Abū 'l-Muġīth Al-Ḥusayn bin Manṣūr al-Ḥallāj) or Mansour Hallaj ( fa, منصور حلاج, Mansūr-e Hallāj) ( 26 March 922) ( Hijri 309 AH) was a Pe ...
mentioned Azazil in his collection Tawasin. Here, Azazil's disobedience to refuse God's command is a way to hallow His name. Chapter Six is dedicated to the self-defence of Azazil, and in one section Hallaj explains how each of the letters of Azazil's name relate to his personality. Unlike many other Sufi writers, Hallaj declined that Azazil will be restored to God's grace, thus after the Day of Judgment, he will still be damned. Since Azazil originated from fire, fire will be his final destiny.
Azazil is also mentioned three times in
Rumi
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī ( fa, جلالالدین محمد رومی), also known as Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā ( fa, مولانا, lit= our master) and Mevlevî/Mawlawī ( fa, مولوی, lit= my ma ...
s Masnavi, emphasizing the importance of discipline and humility:
Through discipline and humility this heaven has been filled with light, and through discipline the angel became immaculate and holy. By reason of irreverence, the sun was eclipsed, and insolence caused Azazil to be turned back from the door.
When Azazil acted arrogantly, he was abandoned to hell in spite of his former high position.
According to
Al-Jili
Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī, or Abdul Karim Jili (Arabic:عبدالكريم جيلى) was a Muslim Sufi saint and mystic who was born in 1365, in what is modern day Iraq, possibly in the neighborhood of Jil in Baghdad. He is known in Muslim mysti ...
God created, out of the
light of Muhammad the good angels, reflecting
God's attributes of beauty,
light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...
and guidance. Azazil and his angels were created as reflecting God's names of majesty, darkness and misleading. Azazil worshipped God for thousands of years before the creation of the world and it was forbidden to him to worship anything else. As an angel of single-minded devotion, Azazil fails to realize that bowing before Adam in accordance with God's command, is equal as bowing to God himself. After getting rebuked by God, Azazil does not repent but accepts his punishment as part if his unchanging nature of fire and becomes the principle of evil.
Ismailism
In
Umm al-Kitab, an 8th-century
Ismaili
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...
work, Azazil is the first creation of God, the ''High King''. God gave him the power of creation, but Azazil boasted with his loaned power, claiming divinity for himself, describing himself as another God beside the High King. To prove that Azazil's creation only depends on the power of his own creator, God makes a new creation, opposed by Azazil. Every time, Azazil again claims to be like God, he and his fellow angels lose colour, becoming darker and inferior and are thrown into lower celestial spheres until they end up on earth, which is made out of the essence of Azazil's creations. As with the
Gnostic Demiurge, Azazil traps the life-forces of the heavenly realm and captures them in the material realm.
Umm al-Kitab's depiction of Azazil might be a reaction to religious
dualism. By claiming divinity for himself, but getting rebuked by God and presenting Azazil merely as an angel inferior to God, belief in two eternal principles is rejected. In one instance,
Ahriman
Angra Mainyu (; Avestan: 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 ''Aŋra Mainiiu'') is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of th ...
, the
Zorastrian creator of evil, appears namely as a later incarnation of Azazil.
Bektashi Alevism
Azazil features as one of the first angels in an
Alevi
Alevism or Anatolian Alevism (; tr, Alevilik, ''Anadolu Aleviliği'' or ''Kızılbaşlık''; ; az, Ələvilik) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( ''bāṭenī'') teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, w ...
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
, there he is informed by the archangel
Cebrail (Gabriel), about their creator. Along with the other archangels, Cebrail leads Azazil to a lamp with seven doors. They shall serve here for 1001 days, so the door will open. After the archangels entered the lamp, they saw two lights forming one body. The archangels were commanded to prostrate before the light. All followed the order but Azazil, who refused to prostrate himself, since the light, as something that was created, could not be the creator, so he turned back to the door to stay in the former service of God. This narration explains that Azazil stood at God's service, but he despised that he saw when the door opened and decided to move into the ''Ego World'', causing the later enmity between Satan and humanity.
[Handan Aksünger ''Jenseits des Schweigegebots: Alevitische Migrantenselbstorganisationen und zivilgesellschaftliche Integration in Deutschland und den Niederlanden'' Waxmann Verlag 2013 page 83-84 (German)]
References
{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions
Archangels in Islam
Jinn
Satan