Iblis has long been a figure of speculation among Muslim scholars, who have been trying to explain the ambiguous identification of Iblis in the Quran as either angel or Jinn, a contradiction in terms, as angels are created of light and are incapable of sin, while jinn are created of mist. Iblis appears as a giant, turtle like Angel with no rear legs and a long tail. But these reasons only bespeak the weakness of these people's knowledge, for there is nothing objectionable in that God should have created the categories of His angels from all kinds of things that He had created: He created some of them from light, some of them from fire, and some of them from what He willed apart from that. He assumed that the angels who praise God's glory day and night are superior in contrast to the mud-made human and their bodily flaws. 26, no. [26], Sufism developed another perspective of Iblis' refusal by regarding Muhammed and Iblis as the two true monotheists. Modern Muslims accuse the Yazidis of devil-worship for venerating the peacock. The conjunction fa in the Arabic text [kana min al-jinn fa-fasaqa ‘an amri Rabbihi] is indicative of the reason, as in the Arabic phrase saraqa fa quti’at yaduhu which means, “he stole, so his hand was cut off”, i.e., that was because he stole; or the phrase saha fa sajada which means, “he forgot so he prostrated”, i.e., that was because he forgot. [29][30] while for Ahmad Ghazali Iblis was the paragon of lovers in self sacrifice for refusing to bow down to Adam out of pure devotion to God [31] Ahmad Ghazali's student Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir was among the Sunni Muslim mystics who defended Iblis, asserted that evil was also God's creation, Sheikh Adi argued that if evil existed without the will of God then God would be powerless and a powerless can't be God [32], However, not all Sufis are in agreement with a positive depiction of Iblis. [70] Scholars who regard Iblis as an angel, do not see Iblis' refusal as an act of sin, to which angels are incapable of, but as a sign of predestination. He was one of the Jinn;) meaning, his original nature betrayed him. And they fell prostrate, all save Iblis, who was not of those who make prostration. Iblis being an angel in Islam was generally accepted among classical scholars, while most contemporary scholars insist he always had been a jinn. The apparent meaning is that the reason for his disobedience of his Lord was the fact that he was one of the jinn. Once an angel, Iblis turned into a Jinn by his act of disobedience. When the angels took prisoners, Iblis was one of them and carried to heaven. God gave him authority over the lower heavens and the earth. Scholars such as Tabari,[36] Ash'ari,[37] Al-Tha`labi,[38] Al-Baydawi[39] and Mahmud al-Alusi,[40] regard him as an angel. As for God's statement that he was , it is not to be rejected that everything which hides itself (ijtanna) from the sight is a 'jinn', . … The English translation of the first part of the verse ‘We said to the angels bow down to Adam: they bowed down except Iblis’, gives us the impression that Iblis was an angel. 1. “The Creation Story in ‘Sūrat Al-Baqara," with Special Reference to Al-Ṭabarī's Material: An Analysis.” Journal of Arabic Literature, vol. [21] As a mere creature, Iblis cannot be the cause or creator of evil in the world; in his function as Satan, he is merely seen as a tempter who takes advantage of humanity's weakness and self-centeredness and leads them away from God's path. This is not literal fire. – user12537 Aug 1 '15 at 21:25. add a comment | 2. No where does the Qur’an say Iblis was an angel. I did some research, and I found several article discussing on weather Iblis is a Jinn or an angel. Its head extends from the front of its shell on a fairly long and flexible neck. Iblis - angel or jinn? Therefore according to that sentence Iblis may be an angel or may not be an angel, but we come to know from Surah Al Kahf chapter 18 verse 50 that Iblis was a Jinn. [57] Jacques Waardenburg argues, that Iblis identification with the jinn in later Surahs, is a result of synthesis of Arabian paganism with Judeo-Christian lore.