This term came to us from the distant Arab East. More specifically, “shaitan” is a derivative of the ancient Semitic “gaitan”, which literally means “adversary”. That is, the shaitan is the enemy of mankind, Satan, the cunning, bad, evil spirit, the devil. There are two more definitions that are more common in the Muslim world, as they mean: "an unbeliever among the genies" and "one who causes hopelessness and despair."
Evil Spirit in Islamic Theology
Shaitan is a very spiteful creature. He refers to the representatives of evil spirits in Islamic theology, is hostile to people and Allah. Shaitan has superpower - transformation, can take any shape of a person. After kiyamata, or, in our opinion, the day of judgment, Mr. Shaitanov Iblis and all his subordinates were doomed to inhuman, hellish torment. He, with the help of his servants, distracts people from good deeds, seduces them and incites them to commit sins. Shaitans can be generated by their master - Iblis, they are made of smoke or fire, and can also make metamorphoses - externally take different forms. So the assertion that the shaitan is Iblis is not always correct, he is their ideological leader, ancestor. All these spirits live in a big friendly family in different countries and regions. Shaitans may have different names. Just as Iblis has a synonym for Rajim, which is translated into Russian as “beaten,” the word “shaitan” has a synonym in the Bible - Satan. It turns out that the shaitan is the devil.
The eternal war for the soul of man
According to Islamic tradition, these evil spirits incited to the mistakes and sins of various prophets, for example, Yusuf, and many other good people. Some of the shaitans were temporarily subordinate to the prophet Suleiman, but later they nevertheless returned to their dirty deeds. Until now, spirits prevent people from praying, and some are also taught magic or witchcraft. A shaitan is a Satan who tempts honest inhabitants and directs a curved path. These creatures make people perform bad actions under the guise of good, good spirits and forget about Allah. It is believed that each person has his own angel and his shaitan, who fight for the human heart and the immortal soul. Evil beings knock a person off the right path, provoking jealousy, anger and anger in him, and also use such human weaknesses as the desire for pleasure and other carnal aspirations. Shaitan is a devil, if you look for an analogue in Slavic mythology.
Unbelievers and obstinate genies
But it is not all that bad. To drive away the evil shaitan, you just need to call for the help of Allah. Some Muslim theologians consider these spirits to be unbelievers and obstinate genies, while another considers them to be a special category of creatures that are doomed to punishment in a fiery hell. And from the recollection of fiery Hell, the opinion went that the shaitan is something satanic. Pre-Islamic Arabia tried to find good qualities among the shaitans and believed that they were intermediaries that help communicate with the other world of poets and diviners. That's why there are disagreements: a shaitan is who: an evil demon or just an otherworldly intermediary. In theological writings and in the Qur'an, the shaitans and Iblis are sometimes interchanged. This is due to the fact that all evil spirits are subordinate to him and carry out all his commands and instructions. Iblis, Shaitan is a genie who, for his zeal, got close to God by God himself, he was among the angels, but his pride also destroyed him. Because of her, Iblis was expelled from heaven, after which he became embittered with people and Allah and began to lead believers off the right path.
Having many faces
Iblis, like an actor in a Brazilian television series, has many names. He can be called al-Auduv - the enemy, Shaitan - because of his supremacy over evil spirits, and Auduv Allah, which means the enemy of Allah. Often, the epithet "rajim" is applied to Iblis. To protect against this patron of the Shaitans, Muslims recite the last surahs of their holy Quran or simply pray.
Commander-in-Chief of Evil Spirits
The Qur'an says that Iblis did not obey Allah’s order to prostrate himself before Adam, the primordial man. Because Rajim al-Aduvw disobeyed the order, Allah cast him out of heaven and condemned him to terrible torment, but Iblis urged the supreme ruler to postpone the punishment until the Last Judgment. The patron saint of evil spirits took an oath to seduce people and lead them astray. After Judgment Day comes, all the subordinates of Iblis and he himself will be tormented in hell. According to legend, he lives on earth and is the commander of evil spirits - genies and shaitans. His favorite habitats are cemeteries, ruins, markets and baths. But this creature is very creative - loves poetry, songs and dances.
Bible story in the eastern way
The first man, Adam, was seduced by Iblis, who persuaded his wife and Adam himself to disobey the prohibition of Allah and taste the fruit from the forbidden tree. Because of him, Bilkis, the king of Sheba, the Samudites and Adites, ceased to believe. The ritual, when stones are thrown during the Hajj, is associated with Ibrahim, the prophet who drove away Iblis, who pursued him. During the feud between the Quraysh and the Prophet Muhammad Iblis gave inspiration to the Medina hypocrites and Meccans.
The reason for people's disbelief
Some legends tell that Iblis was called al-Haris or Azazil. He was sent by Allah to suppress the rebellion of the genies and became proud of the victory. The stories about Iblis gave rise to some theological problems that are associated with omnipotence and the concepts of the predestination of Allah. A shaitan is (a photo of him can be seen on the pages of the relevant literature on the theme of evil spirits) a weapon that tests people with Allah. One explanation for why Iblis refused to bow to Adam is a violation of true monotheism. This view was supported by some Sufis and al-Hallaj. According to ibn Arabi, Iblis still deserves the forgiveness of Allah. The image of shaitan is found among Jews, pagans and Christians who were in pre-Islamic Arabia. From there his names come - Shaitan and Iblis. The Iblis story is considered one of the causes of people's disbelief and the existence of evil around the world.
Other values
Shaitan was and is a significant creature in the mythology and beliefs of man, therefore, many geographical objects and household items were named in his honor, for example: a lake located in the south of the Kirov region of the Russian Federation; Russian combat knife, an island in Lake Itkul, the popular nickname for the jet bomber “Bumblebee”. There are several films in the cinema with the name “Shaitan” - this is the French thriller of 2006, the Indian action movie of 2011, the Indian drama of 1974 and the Turkish fantasy action movie of 1973.