Iblis is a jinn who lived before the time of humans. He worshipped Allah and lived among the angels in Heaven. With the creation of Adam (peace upon him), Iblis’s true nature was revealed. He refused to bow to Adam when he was ordered to so; he thought himself superior even though the angels bowed to Adam. He was cast out of Heaven, but Allah granted him a final respite: he will live until the final day, misguiding every soul to not worship Allah (Qur’an 18:20).

(Contrary to other religions, Satan is NOT a fallen angel, since angels are incapable of sinning or disobeying their Creator—Allah.)

Some of the names referring to Iblis and his evil ways:

• Iblis—this name means “despair” or “lost” as he has lost the chance of Allah’s mercy due to his arrogant defiance (his selfish pride and superiority-centric ego)
• Shaitan (Satan)—this name was given to Iblis; he and his followers eat and drink with their left hand
• Taghoot—Iblis is called this because he transgressed and rebelled against his Creator
• Rajeem—this name means “accursed” as he has been cursed by Allah for his arrogance until the Day of Judgment where he will be cast into Hell

Shaitan’s goals:

• To have every human in Hell and never enter Heaven
• To have every human disbelieve in their Creator, worship something other than the Creator (e.g., stars, moon, sun, angels, crystals), engage in polytheism (e.g., paganism, “new age”), self-worship, or material worship (e.g., wealth, power)
• If he’s not able to have them disbelieve (become polytheistic), he makes them involved in heresies (belief that they’re doing good when it’s actually against the Creator’s will) and innovations (doing things contrary to what has been commanded by the Creator)
• Make them sin (bad deeds which cause physical, psychological, and spiritual harm) by way of very small steps that seem insignificant to humans
• Cause enmity and hatred among humans
• Block all paths from obeying the Creator (e.g., whisper to delay prayers, commit small sins and tell them they have plenty of time to repent later)
• Make humans believe they’ll be impoverished if they give to charity
• Touch every child when they’re born, thus making them cry (the only one who was prevented from Shaitan’s touch was Prophet ‘Isa son of Maryam (peace upon them both))
• Make evil deeds look like good deeds (e.g., “love is love”)
• Giving pleasing names to things that aren’t (e.g., calling the forbidden tree “the everlasting fruit tree,” promotion of promiscuity and incest as art, “happy hour” when it’s only for drinking alcohol)
• Cause extreme behaviors (e.g., laziness, procrastination, overzealousness, arrogance)
• Laughs at those who yawn without covering their mouth (it’s advised to stifle yawn, as it’s a sign of laziness)
• Appears to be sincere when advising; makes false promises, cast doubts, make people suspicious of each other, and question everything even when the reality is plainly before them (e.g., “what is a woman?”)
• Make humans fear Shaitan and all the jinn, which makes them easily susceptible to their influence
• Use love and desire to make humans disobey their Creator
• Appear in the forms of what a human desires most (e.g., women, wealth)
• Using his language of music/musical instruments and singing to make humans forget and disobey their Creator
• Have humans believe they’re irredeemable/unable to change/lose hope (e.g., “born this way”)
• Have humans believe that he’s not real (e.g., Satan/the devil is a “metaphor” for evil)

The “Throne” of Shaitan:

• Over a large body of water
• Each day he sends his minions to do their worst and they return to tell Shaitan what they’ve done
• The worst of them would return and say, “I stayed with a man and caused a rift in their marriage until he left her,” and Shaitan would reward that demon

Shaitan’s Soldiers

He has two types of minions: one from the jinn and one from the humans.

• From the jinn: there is one “demon” partnered with every human that causes people to think negatively and act upon negativity.
• From the humans: they pretend to be believers and pious outwardly, but inwardly they disbelieve and scheme with Shaitan.

To the humans who do evil for his sake and regret it: Shaitan lies and deceives them, then he openly laughs and mocks them for their actions, claiming he’s innocent of the consequences of their actions since they, and not Shaitan, chose to do those evil things.

And just like humans have animals for livestock and transportation, the jinn also have animals. And Shaitan is known to use his steeds and other animals to do his bidding.