Iblis

Also Eblis, Haris – Persian for "despair."

Iblis is the equivalent of Satan in the Islamic religion. Iblis was once known as the angel Azazel, whom is also mentioned in Judeo-Christian theologies. When Allah created Adam, all of the angels and djinn were ordered to bow down to him. Azazel refused, saying "Me thou hast created of smokeless fire, and shall I reverence a creature made of dust?" Allah promptly changed Azazel into a shaitan, renamed him to Iblis, and cast him down to the earth as punishment. Iblis was given a stay of execution until the Final Judgement. Although Iblis is technically a fallen angel, conflicting folk lore report that he was only a djinn in good standing with Allah.

Iblis in Islamic lore not only tempts or seduces people to sin against Allah’s laws, but also proported to give individuals a djinn Qarin, or familiar spirit. The spirit is believed to seduce and tempt the individual away from living a Godly life. It is detailed in "The Influence of Animism on Islam" that the Qarina is given to each child at birth by Iblis whom creates them:

‘’As regards the number of these companion devils and their origin, Tradition is not silent. "It is said that there are males and females among the devils, out of whom they procreate; but as to Iblis, God has created. ... (The significance of this passage, which is not fit for translation, is that Iblis is an hermaphrodite) ... there come forth out of him every day ten eggs, out of each of which are born seventy male and female devils. (Ibn Khallikan, quoted in Hayat al-Hawayan, article jinn.) ‘’

The same book has a quote from Ka'b-al-Ahber describing Iblis as a serpent. "God caused the serpent to alight in Ispahan, Iblis in Jeddah, Eve on Mount 'Arafah, and Adam on the mountain Sarandib (Ceylon) which is the land of China in the Indian Ocean."

Sources of information:


 * A Dictionary of Angels, including the fallen angels, Gustav Davidson


 * The Influence of Animism on Islam, Samual Zwermer