Iblis - Definition and Overview

In Islam, Iblis (Arabic إبليس), or Enais is the devil of the Christian and Jewish faiths called Satan or Lucifer. He appears more often in the Qur'an under the name Shaitan, Iblis being mentioned 11 times, whereas Shaitan appears in 87 passages. He is chief of the spirits of evil, and his personality is adapted to that of his Jewish counterpart. In an outburst rooted in envy, Iblis disobeyed Allah and was expelled from Paradise. The Qur'anic legend depicts his fall as a punishment for his refusal to bow to Adam. Condemned to death he was afterwards respited until the Judgment day (Qur'an vii. 13).

The name 'Iblis' is thought to be a corruption of the Greek word diabolis which is also the root word for the English words diabolical and devil.

References

• Gustav Weil, The Bible, the Koran and the Talmud (London, 1846).