In any religion, Satan or the Devil is present. Who is Satan in Islam? All Muslims know this. Representatives of a different faith or atheists are most often not aware of such subtleties. Who is he in this religion and where did he come from? About Satan in Islam, his deeds, essence and facts related to him and described in the Qur'an, will be described in this article.
Names of the devil
Satan in Islam is a genie who, because of his zeal and wide knowledge, was brought closer by Allah to himself. The genie was Iblis, and he was next to the angels. The Devil in Islam has several names: this is al-Shaytan, which translates as “the head of evil spirits,” Aduv Allah - translated from Arabic as “enemy of Allah.”
Most often, the name of Satan in Islam is Shaitan, there is also a constant epithet “ar-rajim”, which can be translated as “apostate” or “sinner”. In addition to these epithets, there are several more that reflect his evil essence.
In fact, Iblis, who was originally exalted to Allah, subsequently not only did not obey the will of the latter, but also imagined himself to be his equal. All the epithets used at the mention of Iblis indicate its evil essence.
Exile
According to what is written in the Qur'an, Shaitan disobeyed the orders of Allah to bow to Adam - the first person created by the Almighty. For this disobedience, Iblis was cast down from heaven, and also doomed to terrible torment. However, Shaitan asked Allah to postpone the punishment until the Last Judgment.
After this, Satan vowed to tempt and lead all people off the righteous path. According to the Qur'an, after the Day of Judgment happens, all who obey Iblis (and he himself) will be sent to hell and doomed to terrible torment. The legend says that after the exile, the Devil is among the mortals, while leading evil spirits - genies and shaitans.
It is believed that he, along with dark forces, lives in abandoned cemeteries, among the ruins, in markets and in bathhouses. Satan loves dancing, singing and poetry, providing patronage to the ministers of these arts. In other words, Satan in Islam tries to do everything so that a person forgets that he needs to perform namaz (prayer), and also distracts him from performing charitable deeds.
Genies and the devil
Considering the name of the devil in Islam, you should pay attention to the genies, since he was one of them. According to Islam, genies are part of the universe that the Almighty created. These are creatures invisible to man, as are angels in a parallel world. A man can not be compared with a genie in power, strength and various capabilities. It is believed that people were created from earth (clay), and genies from fire.
Despite the fact that genies are superior to people in absolutely everything, they are just as mortal as man. Some Islamic scholars argue that these beings can also be believers and atheists. Those who do not believe in God and do not follow his teachings will be sent (like all sinners) to hell for eternal torment. The genies who do not believe in Allah are the assistants of Iblis in all his affairs.
The Qur'an says that they do not have power over people, but only over those who believe in the Almighty. Those who follow Iblis will be subject to all evil spirits.
Another interpretation
There are traditions in which it is said that Iblis (Shaitan) was called Azazil or al-Haris. They say that the Almighty sent Azazil to crush the rebel genies on earth, which the latter did. However, after this, he became proud of his victory and considered himself equal to him. It is worth considering that these are interpretations of various branches of Islamic teachings, and they are not canonical. There are also various interpretations of the Qur'an, which often distort the meaning of what is written in it.
Satan in Islam (as in Christianity) is presented as an enemy of God, who opposed himself to him. However, the Qur'an does not directly indicate that Iblis is the enemy of the Almighty. This is due to the fact that Iblis is just his creation. In Christianity, the angel Lucifer, who later became the devil, like Iblis, opposed himself to God. In the Qur'an, the angels are absolutely submissive to the Almighty in everything and cannot disobey his order. Iblis, which is a genie, has the right to choose.
Nevertheless, the teachings of Lucifer and Iblis have not only a general meaning regarding the opposition of good and evil, but also a similar description of events. By and large, there is not much difference what kind of religion a person is, the main thing is that he does the right thing and does not commit evil deeds.