Iblis (The Devil)

Iblis comes from the Greek word diabolos, which means “devil.” Iblis is a Muslim counterpart of the Christian Satan. According tot he Koran, when God created Adam, he ordered the angels to bow down to the first man. All the angels bowed except Iblis. Iblis, made of fire, argued that he was better than the man, who was made of lowly clay, and refused to bow. As punishment for his rebellion, Allah (God) banned Iblis from paradise.

Iblis

by Alan G. Hefner

Iblis is the name for the devil in the Qur’an. Although the term “devil” comes from the Greek diabolos, the Muslims derived the name from the Arabic, balasa, “he despaired,” which can be interpreted “despaired of the mercy of God” but he is also al-Shairan, Satan, and “the enemy of God.” The latter aspect of Satan is a commonly shared belief of both Muslims and Christians. According to one tradition, when Allah ordered the angels to bow down to the newly created man, Adam, Iblis refused to do so because he, being made of fire, thought himself superior to a creature made of earth.