Iblis (Iblís, also called al-Shayṭán, the Satan) is the chief of the devils in Islamic tradition: the being — a jinn (or fallen angel) — who refused God’s command to bow before the newly created Adam, was cast out and cursed for his pride and disobedience, and who, granted respite until the Last Day, became the great tempter and adversary, sworn to lead humankind astray. He is the chief of the devils, the proud refuser of Islamic tradition.
The One Who Refused to Bow
Iblis (Iblís) is the central figure of evil in Islamic tradition — the chief of the shayāṭin (the devils) and the great adversary of humankind. According to the Qur’an, when God created the first human, Adam, from clay and breathed His spirit into him, He commanded the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam in honour. All the angels bowed — but Iblis refused. Iblis (who is described as one of the jinn, beings created by God from smokeless fire, though he was in the company of the angels) was filled with pride and would not bow: he argued that he was better than Adam, for he was created from fire while Adam was made of mere clay, and so he would not humble himself before a creature he deemed lesser. This refusal — born of pride, arrogance, and disobedience — was his great sin and his fall.
The Curse and the Respite
For his refusal and his pride, God cursed Iblis and cast him out from the ranks of the honoured, condemning him and expelling him from grace. But Iblis, defiant, asked God for a respite — a reprieve until the Day of Resurrection — and God granted it (for reasons of His own wisdom and the testing of humankind). Iblis then vowed that, in the time granted him, he would devote himself to leading humankind astray: he would lie in wait for the descendants of Adam, tempt them, deceive them, and turn them from the straight path, to drag as many as he could down with him into ruin — sparing only the sincere servants of God, whom he could not sway. Thus Iblis became the great tempter, the whisperer of evil suggestions (waswas), the sworn enemy who works to corrupt and mislead humankind until the Last Day.
The Adversary and the Tempter
As al-Shayṭán (the Satan, the adversary), Iblis is the source and chief of temptation and evil suggestion, the leader of the devils, and the great deceiver who whispers in the hearts of people to lead them into sin, pride, despair, and disobedience. He tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden; he tempts every soul; and he will continue his work until the Judgment, when he and those he has led astray will face their doom. Iblis embodies the principle of pride, disobedience, and the refusal to submit to God — the very opposite of islam (submission) — and stands as the archetype of the rebel and the tempter. As the proud being who refused to bow, was cursed and cast out, and became the chief of the devils and the great tempter of humankind, Iblis is the central figure of evil in Islamic tradition. In Iblis, Islamic tradition gave form to the chief of the devils — the proud refuser who would not bow before Adam, was cursed and granted respite, and became the great adversary and tempter sworn to lead humankind astray, the Satan of Islam.