' (; ''
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 ...
s'' or ''
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
s''), singular: (شَيْطَان) are evil spirits in
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, inciting humans (and
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 ...
) to sin by "whispering" (وَسْوَسَة, “waswasah”) to their
hearts (قَلْب ''qalb''). Folklore suggests that they are grotesque creatures created from
hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
-fire.
[el-Zein, Amira (2009). Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-5070-6.]
The
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
speaks of various ways that shayāṭīn tempt humans into sin. They may teach sorcery, assault heaven to steal the news of the angels, or lurk near humans without being seen. Related to the shayāṭīn is
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 ...
(Satan), who is generally considered to be their leader.
Hadith-literature holds shayāṭīn responsible for various calamities which may affect personal life. Both hadith and folklore usually speak about shayāṭīn in abstract terms, describing their evil influence only. During
Ramadan
, type = islam
, longtype = Religious
, image = Ramadan montage.jpg
, caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
, the shayāṭīn are chained in hell.
Shayāṭīn form a separate class of invisible creatures besides the
angels
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
and jinn of Islamic tradition,
[el-Zein, Amira (2009). Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-5070-6.] According to
Muslim philosophical writings, shayāṭīn struggle against the noble angels in the
realm of the imaginal (''alam al mithal'' or ''alam al malakut'') over the human mind, consisting of both angelic and devilish qualities. Some writers describe the shayāṭīn as expressions of God's fierce attributes and actions.
Etymology and terminology
The word ''Šaiṭān'' ( ar, شَيْطَان) originated from the
triliteral root
The roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or " radicals" (hence the term consonantal root). Such abstract consonantal roots are used in the formation of actual words by adding the vowel ...
š-ṭ-n ("distant, astray") and cognate to ''
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
''. It has a theological connotation designating a creature distant from the divine mercy. In
pre-Islamic Arabia
Pre-Islamic Arabia ( ar, شبه الجزيرة العربية قبل الإسلام) refers to the Arabian Peninsula before the History of Islam, emergence of Islam in 610 CE.
Some of the settled communities developed into distinctive civilizati ...
, this term was used to designate an evil spirit, but only used by poets who were in contact with Jews and Christians.
[Amira El Zein: ''The Evolution of the Concept of Jinn from Pre-Islam to Islam''. pp. 227–233.] With the emergence of Islam, the meaning of ''shayatin'' moved closer to the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
concept of devils. The term ''shayatin'' appears similarly in the
Book of Enoch, denoting the hosts of Satan. Taken from Islamic sources, ''shayatin'' may be translated as "
demons
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...
", ''satans'' or "devils".
Quran
In the Qur'an, shayatin is mentioned as often as angels. The shayatin are mentioned less frequently than Satan,
[
] but they are equally hostile to God's order (''sharia''). They teach sorcery (),
[ inspire their friends to dispute with the faithful (),][ make evil suggestions () ][ towards both humans and jinn () and secretly listen to the council of the angels (). speaks about the ''junud Iblis'', the (invisible) hosts of Iblis (comparable to the ''junud'' of angels fighting along Muhammad in ). Yet, despite reluctant nature of the shayatin, they are ultimately under God's command, working as his instruments and not forming their party.][ According to , God made the shayatin slaves for ]Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
, [ God assigns a devil as a companion to an unbeliever ()][ and God sends devils as enemies to misbelievers to encite them against each other ().][ It is God who leads astray and puts people on the straight path. Both good and evil are caused by God.][
A single shaitan (mostly thought of as Iblis)][ caused ]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 " ...
to eat from the forbidden tree, arguing, God only prohibited its fruit, so they shall not become immortal, as narrated in .[ He makes people forgetful, (
)][ protects wicked nations, ()][ encourages to murder () and rebellion ()][ and betrays his followers, as seen in the ]Battle of Badr
The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Quran, Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan (calendar month), Ramadan, 2 Anno Hegirae, AH), near the ...
().[ explicitly warns people not to follow the devil, implying that humans are free to choose between God's or the devil's path.][ But the devil only promises delusion ().][ portrays the devil as a false friend, who betrays those who follow him.][ The devil can only act with God's permission ().][ The Quranic story of Iblis, who represents the devils in the primordial fall, shows that the devils are both subordinative and made by God.][ The devil proclaims that he fears God (akhafu 'llah''), which can mean both, that he is reverencing or frightened about God (the latter one the preferred translation).][
]
Hadith
The ''hadiths
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
'' are more related to the practical function of the devils in everyday life. They usually speak about "the devil", instead of ''Iblis'' or ''devils'', given the hadiths link them to their evil influences, not to them as proper personalities.[Awn, P. J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Niederlande: E.J. Brill.] Yet, hadiths indicate that they are composed of a body. The devils are said to eat with their left hand, therefore Muslims are advised to eat with their right hand. (Sahih Muslim Book 23 No. 5004) Devils, although invisible, are depicted as immensely ugly. (Sahih Muslim Book 26 No. 5428) The sun is said to set and rise between the horns of a devil and during this moment, the doors to hell are open, thus Muslims should not pray periodically at this time.[ (Sahih Muslim 612d Book 5, Hadith 222) The devils are chained in hell during ]Ramadan
, type = islam
, longtype = Religious
, image = Ramadan montage.jpg
, caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1899). Devils are sent by Iblis to cause misery among humans and return to him for report.(Muslim 8:138) [ A devil is said to tempt humans through their veins. (Muslim 2174)][ Devils try to interrupt ritual prayer, and if a devil succeeds in confusing a Muslim, the Muslim is supposed to prostrate two times and continue. (Sahih Bukhari 4:151)][ Satan and his minions battle the angels of mercy over the soul of a sinner; however, they are referred to as '' angels of punishment'' instead of ''shayatin''. (Sahih Muslim 612d: Book 21, Hadith 2622)][
]
Muslim scholarly interpretation
When it comes to the issue of invisible creatures, ''mufassir
Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...
s'' usually focus on devils and evil 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 ...
and although they are similar in threatening humans, they are distinguished by one another. While the jinn shares many attributes with humans, like having free will, and the ability to reason, and thus different types of believers (Muslims, Christians, Jews, polytheists
Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the b ...
, etc.), the devils are exclusively evil. Further, the jinn have a limited lifespan, but the devils die only when their leader ceases to exist. The father of the jinn is ''Al-Jann'' and the father of the devils is Iblis.
Engku Ansaruddin Agus states that ''jinn'', ''shaitan'', and ''iblis'' are three different things; ''Iblis'' is the name, given by God, to a demon raised to ranks of an angel (Azazil
In many Islamic and Islam-related traditions, Azazil (Arabic: عزازيل ''ʿAzāzīl'', also known as Arabic: حارث ''Ḥārith'') is the legendary prototype of the devil in Islamic culture. Azazil was considered to be among the nearest t ...
) who disobeyed. ''Shaitan'' is a title for those who join Azazil's army, trained to destroy humans. Abu Mufti distinguishes in his commentary of Abu Hanifa
Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān ( ar, نعمان بن ثابت بن زوطا بن مرزبان; –767), commonly known by his '' kunya'' Abū Ḥanīfa ( ar, أبو حنيفة), or reverently as Imam Abū Ḥanīfa by Sunni Mus ...
's "''al-Fiqh al-absat"'' that all angels, except Harut and Marut
Harut and Marut ( ar, هَارُوْت وَمَارُوْت, Hārūt wa-Mārūt) are two angels mentioned in Quran 2:102, who are said to have been located in Babylon. According to some narratives, those two angels were in the time of Idris. The ...
, are obedient. But all devils, except Ham ibn Him ibn Laqis Ibn Iblis, are created evil. Al-Damiri
Al-Damiri (1341–1405), the common name of Kamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Musa al-Damiri ( ar, كمال الدين محمد بن موسى الدميري), was an Arab Muslim writer from Egypt on canon law and natural history.
He wrote the first work ...
reports from 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 ...
, that the angels will be in paradise, the devils will be in hell, and among the jinn and humans, some will be in paradise and some will be in hell.[ Only humans and jinn are created with '']fitra
''Fitra'' or ''fitrah'' (; ALA-LC: ) is either the state of purity and innocence in which Muslims believe all humans to be born, or the ability to choose or reject God's guidance, with which both humans and jinn are endowed. ''Fitra'' is an Arab ...
'', meaning both angels and devils lack free will
Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded.
Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to actio ...
and are settled in opposition.
Neither the origin of the devils nor their creation is described in the Quran.[ Since their leader describes themselves in the Quran as being "created from fire", devils are thought to be created from that. More precisely, sometimes considered the fires of hell in origin. Most ''mufassirs'' agree that the devils are the offspring of Iblis.] Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi
Al-Tha''ʿ''labi (''Abū Isḥāḳ Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Nīsābūrī al-Thaʿlabī'' ; died November 1035) was an eleventh-century Islamic scholar of Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically ...
reports that God offered Iblis support by giving him offspring, which are the devils. Others describe the devils as fallen spirits (sometimes heavenly jinn, sometimes fiery angels), outcast from the presence of God. Ibn Barrajan
Abū al-Ḥakam ʿAbd al-Salām b. ʿAbd al Raḥmān b. Abī al-Rijāl Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Lakhmī al-Ifrīqī al-Ishbīlī (Arabic: عبد السلام بن عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن برجان اللخمي) (bor ...
argues that the angels consist of two tribes: One created from light and one from fire, the latter being the devils. Ibn Arabi
Ibn ʿArabī ( ar, ابن عربي, ; full name: , ; 1165–1240), nicknamed al-Qushayrī (, ) and Sulṭān al-ʿĀrifīn (, , 'Sultan of the Knowers'), was an Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher, extremely influenti ...
describes the jinn as fire-made spiritual entities from the spiritual world. When they disobey God, they turn into devils. Qadi Baydawi
Qadi Baydawi (also known as Naṣir ad-Din al-Bayḍawi, also spelled Baidawi, Bayzawi and Beyzavi; d. June 1319, Tabriz) was a Persian jurist, theologian, and Quran commentator. He lived during the post-Seljuk and early Mongol era. Many commenta ...
argues that devils are perhaps not essentially different from angels, but differ only in their accidents and qualities.
Since the term ''shaitan'' is also used as an epithet
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
to describe malevolent jinn (and humans), it is sometimes difficult to properly distinguish between devils and evil jinn in some sources.
[
] Generally, Satan and his hosts of devils (''shayatin'') appear in traditions associated with Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
narratives, while jinn represent entities of polytheistic
Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the ...
background.
Devils are linked to Muslim ritual purity. Ritual purity is important in attracting angels, while devils approach impurity and filthy or desacralized places. Before reciting the Quran, Muslims should take '' wudu/abdest'' and seek refuge in God from the devils.[ Reciting specific '']prayers
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...
'' is supposed to protect against the influence of the devils.
Philosophy
Islamic philosophical cosmology divides living beings into four categories: Animals, humans, angels, and devils. Al-Farabi
Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi ( fa, ابونصر محمد فارابی), ( ar, أبو نصر محمد الفارابي), known in the Western world, West as Alpharabius; (c. 872 – between 14 December, 950 and 12 January, 951)PDF version was a reno ...
(c. 872 – 950/951) defines angels as reasonable and immortal beings, humans as reasonable and mortal beings, animals as unreasonable and mortal beings, and devils as unreasonable and immortal beings. He supports his claim with the Quranic verse in which God grants Iblis respite until the day of resurrection.
Likewise, al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111; ), full name (), and known in Persian-speaking countries as Imam Muhammad-i Ghazali (Persian: امام محمد غزالی) or in Medieval Europe by the Latinized as Algazelus or Algazel, was a Persian polymat ...
(c. 1058 – 19 December 1111) divides human nature into four domains, each representing another type of creature: Animals, beasts, devils, and angels. Traits humans share with bodily creatures are animals, which exist to regulate ingestion and procreation and the beasts, used for predatory actions like hunting. The other traits humans share with the ''jinn'' and root in the realm of the unseen. These faculties are of two kinds: That of angels and the devils. While the angels endow the human mind with reason, advise virtues, and lead to worship of God, the devil perverts the mind and tempts it to commit lies, betrayals, and deceits, thus abusing the spiritual gift. The angelic nature instructs how to use the animalistic body properly, while the devil perverts it. In this regard, the plane of a human is, unlike who's of the ''jinn'' and animals, not pre-determined. Humans are potentially both angels and devils, depending on whether the sensual soul or the rational soul develops.[
The ]Brethren of Purity
The Brethren of Purity ( ar, إخوان الصفا, Ikhwān Al-Ṣafā; also The Brethren of Sincerity) were a secret society of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 9th or 10th century CE.
The structure of the organization and the ide ...
understand devils as ontological
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...
forces, manifesting in everything evil.
Following the cosmology of Wahdat al-Wujud
In Islamic philosophy, Sufi metaphysics is centered on the concept of ar, وحدة, waḥdah, unity, label=none or ar, توحيد, tawhid, label=none. Two main Sufi philosophies prevail on this topic. literally means "the Unity of Existence ...
, Haydar Amuli
Sayyid Baha al-Din Haydar, Haydar al-'Obaidi al-Hossayni Amuli, or Sayyed Haydar Amoli or Mir Haydar Amoli a Shi'ite mystic and a Sufi philosopher, was an early representative of Persian mystic philosophy and one of the most distinguished commen ...
specifies that angels reflect God's names of light and beauty, while the devils' God's attributes of "Majesty", "The Haughty" and "Domineering". Ibn Arabi, to whom Haydar Amuli's cosmology is attributed to, although making a clear distinction between the devils and the angels, interpreted devils as beings of a similar function to that of angels, as sent and predescribed by God, in his ''Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya
''The Meccan Revelations'' () is the major work of the philosopher and Sufi Ibn Arabi, written between 1203 and 1240.
The Andalusi thinker exposes his spiritual journey, his theology, his metaphysics and his mysticism, using sometimes pro ...
''.
Sufi writers
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 ...
connect the descriptions of devils mentioned in hadith literature to human psychological conditions. Devilish temptations are distinguished from the angelic assertions, by that the angels suggest piety by ''sharia
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
'', the devils against God's law and sinful acts. He further elaborates an esoteric cosmology, visualizing a human's heart as the capital of the body, in constant struggle between reason ('''aql'') and carnal desires invoked by the devils. Ali Hujwiri
Abu 'l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān b. ʿAlī al-Ghaznawī al-Jullābī al-Hujwīrī (c. 1009-1072/77), known as ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī or al-Hujwīrī (also spelt Hajweri, Hajveri, or Hajvery) for short, or reverentially as Shaykh Syed ʿAlī al- ...
similarly describes the devils and angels mirroring the human psychological condition, the devils and carnal desires (''nafs'') on one side, and the spirit (''ruh'') and the angels on the other. The evil urges related to the ''al-nafs al-ammarah'' in Sufism are also termed ''div''.[Turkish Studies
Language and Literature
Volume 14 Issue 3, 2019, p. 1137-1158
ISSN 2667-5641
Skopje/MACEDONIA-Ankara/TURKEY
p. 1138]
See also
* Asrestar
Asrestar is a class of demons in Manichaeism. They appear prominently in the Manichaean creation myth, especially the creation of mankind. Accordingly, Az decided to create humans in the image of the Third Messenger and mingled the demonic asrest ...
* Dajjal
Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (), otherwise referred to simply as the Dajjal, is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology similar to the Antichrist in Christianity, who will pretend to be the promised Messiah, appearing before the Day of Judgment accordin ...
* Ghoul
A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a certa ...
* Marid
''Marid'' ( ar, مارد ') is a type of devil in Islamic traditions. The Arabic word meaning ''rebellious'' is applied to such supernatural beings.
In Arabic sources Etymology
The word ''mārid'' is an active participle of the root ''m-r-d'' ...
* Qareen
A Qareen ( ar, قرين ''qarīn, Urdu:'' ہمزاد literally meaning: 'constant companion') is a spiritual double of human, either part of the human himself or a complementary creature in a parallel dimension.Kelly Bulkeley, Kate Adams, Patrici ...
* Superstitions in Muslim societies
Superstition is an excessively credulous belief in supernatural causality: the belief that one event is the cause of another without any physical process linking the two, such as astrology, omens, witchcraft, and apotropaic magic. According to Ras ...
Notes
References
{{Characters and Names in Quran
Demons in Islam
Jahannam
Occultism (Islam)
Satan