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A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, and television series.
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of the devil can be summed up as 1) a principle of evil independent from God, 2) an aspect of God, 3) a created being turning evil, and 4) a symbol of human evil.
Iblis, alternatively known as Eblīs, is the leader of the devils in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of heaven, after he refused to prostrate himself before Adam. Regarding the origin and nature of Iblis, there are two different viewpoints.
Satan, also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or "evil inclination". In Christianity and Islam, he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons. In the Quran, Shaitan, also known as Iblis, is an entity made of fire who was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly created Adam and incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with waswās.
Shirk in Islam is a sin often roughly translated as "idolatry" or "polytheism", but meaning "associating [something with God]". Islam teaches that God does not share divine attributes with anyone. Associating partners with God is disallowed according to the Islamic doctrine of Tawhid (oneness). Mušrikūn مشركون are those who practice shirk, which literally means "association" and refers to accepting other divinities or powers alongside God. The Qur'an considers shirk as a sin that will not be forgiven if a person dies without repenting of it.
Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven or angels who sinned. Such angels often tempt humans to sin.
In many Islamic and Islam-related traditions, Azazil is the legendary prototype of the devil in Islamic culture. Azazil was considered to be among the nearest to God's throne, but because he sinned through pride, he became a devil.
The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience. The doctrine of the Fall comes from a biblical interpretation of Genesis, chapters 1–3. At first, Adam and Eve lived with God in the Garden of Eden, but the serpent tempted them into eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden. After doing so, they became ashamed of their nakedness and God expelled them from the Garden to prevent them from eating the fruit of the tree of life and becoming immortal.
In Islam, angels are believed to be heavenly beings, created from a luminous origin by God. The Quran is the principal source for the Islamic concept of angels, but more extensive features of angels appear in hadith literature, Mi'raj literature, Islamic exegesis, theology, philosophy, and mysticism.
Zalambur is one of the five sons of Iblis mentioned by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. He is a devil who presides over dishonest and fraudulent business transactions. Said to have four brothers: Awar, Dasim (داسم), Sut (مسوط), and Tir (ثبر). Each of them is linked to a different psychological function which they try to encourage in order to prevent humans spiritual development.
Serpents are referred to in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The symbol of a serpent or snake played important roles in the religious traditions and cultural life of ancient Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Canaan. The serpent was a symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld as well as a symbol of fertility, life, healing, and rebirth.
A shaitan or shaytan is an evil spirit in Islam, inciting humans and the jinn to sin by "whispering" in their hearts. Although invisible to humans, shayāṭīn are imagined to be ugly and grotesque creatures created from Hellfire.
In the Hebrew Bible, the destroying angel, also known as mashḥit, is an entity sent out by YHWH on several occasions to kill the enemies of the Hebrews.
Jann are the ancestor of the jinn in Islam. They are said to have inhabited the earth before Adam, ruled by a king called Jann ibn Jann. In folklore however, many consider them to be punished and turned into the weakest class of jinn, comparable to the way in which apes are seen as transformed humans. The father of the jinn is also called Abu Al-Jann.
Samūm is a fire related to demons in Ancient Arabic lore and later Islamic beliefs. As a kind of fire, it is also the origin of some kinds of evil spirits and further identified with both the fires of hell and the fire of the sun. The Samum probably originated from Jewish lore as an anthropomorphization of poisonous wind, which was probably also the origin of the concept of Samael and his lesser devils. Islam further develops the relation between the fires of Samum and Satan by asserting, that he or at least his minor devils, are created from the fires of Samum.
Dasim is one of the five sons of Iblis, mentioned in tafsir. He is a devil, linked to the cause of hatred between man. His four brothers are named: Awar, Zalambur, thaakir, and Tir (ثبر). Each of them is linked to another psychological function, which they try to encourage to prevent humans spiritual development.
In Islamic demonology, Sut (مسوط) is one of the five sons of Iblis mentioned by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. He is a devil who suggests lies. His four brothers are named: Awar, Zalambur (زلنبور), Dasim (داسم), and Tir (ثبر). Each of them is linked to another psychological function, which they try to encourage to prevent humans spiritual development.
In Islamic demonology, Thabr (ثبر) is one of the five sons of Iblis mentioned by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. He is a devil who causes calamities and injuries. His four brothers are named: Awar, Zalambur (زلنبور), Sut (مسوط), and Dasim (داسم). Each of them is linked to another psychological function, which they try to encourage to prevent humans spiritual development.
In Manichaean cosmology, the world of darkness, which invaded the world of light in a lustful desire to mingle with the light, is ruled by five evil Archons, who together make up the Prince of Darkness. The Father of Greatness parries the assault by evoking a number of entities, who sacrifice themselves and are absorbed by the Prince of Darkness; however, tricked by the Father of Greatness, their existence now depends on the light they absorbed. To prevent the light particles from returning into their divine origin, they counter by giving birth to two demonic beings: Sakla and Nebroel. As the strict anti-thesis of the pure light, the Prince of Darkness can not create ex nihilo, but only by copulation.
References
- ↑ Peter J. Awn Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblis in Sufi Psychology BRILL 1983 ISBN 9789004069060 p. 58
- ↑ Patrick Hughes, Thomas Patrick Hughes Dictionary of Islam Asian Educational Services 1995 ISBN 978-8-120-60672-2 page 135
- ↑ Peter J. Awn Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblis in Sufi Psychology BRILL 1983 ISBN 9789004069060 p.58
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