Thread by @aaolomi

Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, has a devil. But Iblis, as he’s known to Muslims, differs from the red-skinned and horned devil popular in “Western” imagination.

A thread on the devil in Islamic tradition and folklore

There is some debate among early Muslim scholars whether Iblis was originally an angel or a djinn, but the Quran does distinctly refer to him as djinn and orthodox belief is he’s a djinn

It is related that God created angels on Wednesday, jinn on Thursday, and humans on Friday

In some traditions, Iblis was first known as Azazil, an earth-dwelling being that was elevated to the lower heavens for his zealous worship of God.

Other traditions indicate he and his tribe of djinn were guardians of paradise.

Others say that Iblis was originally called al Harith

When the djinn filled the earth with corruption, Al Harith led the believing djinn and the angels in battle against them driving them into the mountains, the caves, to Mount Qaf, and onto islands.

Another belief says the battle was between two invisible races: the hinn and the jinn.

Yet another claims Al Harith was raised as a small djinn child among the angels.

In any case he is favored by God and dwells in heaven. That is until the creation of Adam

When God creates Adam He tells all present to prostrate themselves before him. All the angels bow down but Al Harith refuses on account of Adam being fashioned from clay & himself being formed of fire.

For his disobedience, he is transformed into Iblis and made shaiytan (Satan)

Unlike the Christian devil, Iblis is not a deity of evil opposing God, but more akin to a tribal chief or king—the leader of the accursed: the wicked djinn

Believed to be the son of Tarnus, Iblis has children of his own who become djinn kings in their own right. He sired them as hatchlings in the West, the East, and the middle.

Some of them include:

Danhaash who troubles pregnant women

Zalambur who causes deception in business

Welha who causes dark thoughts when one is praying

Dasim who disrupts the domestic home

The one-eyed Awar who encourages adultery and tries to convince you it is good & empowering. Think of him as the PR guy for cheating. (Temptation Island would be his favorite show 😉)

Tir who causes accidents

Wasin who causes anxiety and sorrow

Mazbut who governs false news and gossip

Haffan who encourages drunkenness

His sons are also some of the djinn kings of the days of the week.

Iblis is also said to have daughters, the most famous of which is Bidhukh, a mistress of magic and witchcraft who sits upon a throne on the water.

She appears in dreams and magicians invoke her to work their arts

Another daughter said to have beautiful hair appears in cemeteries where she offers a pact that is entered into by laying with her

He is also father of ghuls, qatarib (night birds), snakes, and scorpions

Iblis is said to have one bad eye, has a stringy beard and is often depicted as an old decrepit man

He wanders the world with his offspring and tribe of shaiytan and tempts humans into wickedness. But he is not all-powerful

He can be driven away by the recitation of the Qur’an, by the call to prayer, and through the invocation “I seek refuge in Allah from shaiytan the accursed”

It is also said he is bound and chained up during the month of Ramadan and cannot work his mischief

Another telling says he actually always has chains. When he disobeyed God, he was told to lift his head in pride, when he did, the chains of damnation were wrapped around his neck

So he walks the earth hobbled and can be heard coming from the rattling of chains

He’s generally found at the crossroads, in bazaars, and places of ill repute. He imbibes alcohol and consumes impure food

He’s also associated with snakes and peacocks as two creatures he fooled and tempted in the Garden

In the end of days, Iblis will bring his army of shaiytan to fight along side Dajjal, an anti-Christ like figure in Islamic eschatology.

The army will be defeated by the second coming of Isa or Jesus

In the end at the Day of Judgement Iblis will be the first cast into Hell as the Father of Bitterness