Iblis

Iblis (Arabic: إِبْلِيسْ, romanized: Iblīs),^[1] alternatively known as Eblīs,^[2] is the leader of the devils (shayāṭīn) in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of heaven after refusing to prostrate himself before Adam. He is often compared to the Christian Satan, since both figures were cast out of heaven according to their respective religious narratives. Similar to Mastema, a satanic figure in the Book of Jubilees, he makes a request to God in order to put mankind to test and receives command over the demons in order to do so.^[3]^: 72 In his role as the master of cosmic illusion in Sufi cosmology, he functions similar to the Buddhist concept of Mara.^[4]^[5] As such, Iblis embodies the cosmic veil supposedly separating the immanent aspect of God's love from the transcendent aspect of God's wrath. He entangles the unworthy in the material web hiding the underlying all-pervading spiritual reality.

Islamic theology (kalām) regards Iblis as an example of attributes and actions which God punishes with hell (Nār). Regarding the origin and nature of Iblis, there are two different viewpoints.^[6]^: 24-26^[7]^: 209-210 According to one, Iblis is an angel, and according to the other, he is the father of the jinn. Quranic exegesis (tafsīr) and the Stories of the Prophets (Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ) elaborate on Iblis' origin story in greater detail. In Islamic tradition, Iblis is identified with ash-Shayṭān ("the Devil"), often followed by the epithet ar-Rajim (Arabic: ٱلرَجِيم, lit. 'the Accursed').^[8]^: 23 Shayṭān is usually applied to Iblis in order to denote his role as the tempter, while Iblīs is his proper name.

Some Muslim scholars uphold a more ambivalent role for Iblis, considering him not simply a devil but also "the truest monotheist" (Tawḥīd-i Iblīs), because he would only bow before the Creator and not his creations, while preserving the term shayṭān exclusively for evil forces.^[6]^: 46^[9]^: 65^[10]^: 47 The idea that Iblis is not evil but a necessity for the world is also used in Muslim literature. Others have strongly rejected sympathies with Iblis, considering it a form of deception to lead people astray.

^ Gardet, Louis; Wensinck, A. J. (1971). "Iblīs". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. J.; Heinrichs, W. P.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch.; Schacht, J. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Vol. 3. Leiden: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3021. ISBN 978-90-04-16121-4.
^ Briggs, Constance Victoria (2003). The Encyclopedia of God: An A-Z Guide to Thoughts, Ideas, and Beliefs about God. Newburyport, Massachusetts: Hampton Roads. ISBN 978-1-612-83225-8.
^ Kadari, Tamar, et al. "Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception" (2016): 111–133.
^ Origins of the Tarot: Cosmic Evolution and the Principles of Immortality p. 221
^ Meddeb, Abdelwahab, and Benjamin Stora, eds. A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations: From the Origins to the Present Day. Princeton University Press, 2013.p. 885
^ ^a ^b Awn, Peter J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Numen Book Series. Vol. 44. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/9789004378636_003. ISBN 978-90-04-37863-6.
^ Mahmoud, Muhammad (1995). "The Creation Story in 'Sūrat al-Baqara,' with Special Reference to al-Ṭabarī's Material: An Analysis". Journal of Arabic Literature. 26 (1/2): 209–210. doi:10.1163/157006495X00175. JSTOR 4183374.
^ Silverstein, Adam J. (January–March 2013). "On the Original Meaning of the Qurʾanic Term ash-Shayṭān ar-Rajīm". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 133 (1). American Oriental Society: 21–33. doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.133.1.0021. LCCN 12032032. OCLC 47785421.
^ Rustom, Mohammed (September 2020). Touati, Houari (ed.). "Devil's Advocate: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt's Defence of Iblis in Context". Studia Islamica. 115 (1). Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers: 65–100. doi:10.1163/19585705-12341408. S2CID 226540873.
^ Campanini, Massimo (2013). The Qur'an: The Basics. Abingdon, England: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-1386-6630-6.

[EncyclopediaofIslam-1] Gardet, Louis; Wensinck, A. J. (1971). "Iblīs". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. J.; Heinrichs, W. P.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch.; Schacht, J. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Vol. 3. Leiden: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3021. ISBN 978-90-04-16121-4.

[2] Briggs, Constance Victoria (2003). The Encyclopedia of God: An A-Z Guide to Thoughts, Ideas, and Beliefs about God. Newburyport, Massachusetts: Hampton Roads. ISBN 978-1-612-83225-8.

[3] Kadari, Tamar, et al. "Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception" (2016): 111–133.

[4] Origins of the Tarot: Cosmic Evolution and the Principles of Immortality p. 221

[5] Meddeb, Abdelwahab, and Benjamin Stora, eds. A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations: From the Origins to the Present Day. Princeton University Press, 2013.p. 885

[Awn1983-1-6] Awn, Peter J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Numen Book Series. Vol. 44. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/9789004378636_003. ISBN 978-90-04-37863-6.

[Mahmoud1995-7] Mahmoud, Muhammad (1995). "The Creation Story in 'Sūrat al-Baqara,' with Special Reference to al-Ṭabarī's Material: An Analysis". Journal of Arabic Literature. 26 (1/2): 209–210. doi:10.1163/157006495X00175. JSTOR 4183374.

[8] Silverstein, Adam J. (January–March 2013). "On the Original Meaning of the Qurʾanic Term ash-Shayṭān ar-Rajīm". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 133 (1). American Oriental Society: 21–33. doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.133.1.0021. LCCN 12032032. OCLC 47785421.

[Rustom_2020-9] Rustom, Mohammed (September 2020). Touati, Houari (ed.). "Devil's Advocate: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt's Defence of Iblis in Context". Studia Islamica. 115 (1). Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers: 65–100. doi:10.1163/19585705-12341408. S2CID 226540873.

[10] Campanini, Massimo (2013). The Qur'an: The Basics. Abingdon, England: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-1386-6630-6.

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