page_title: Iblis
section_title: Disputed essence
hierarchical_section_title: Iblis / Disputed essence
caption_attribution_description: فارسی: نگارهٔ ابلیس در شاهنامهٔ تهماسبی English: Painting of Iblis in The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp
context_page_description: Iblīs is a figure frequently occurring in the Quran, commonly in relation to the creation of Adam and the command to prostrate himself before him. After he refused, he was cast out of heaven. For many classical scholars, he was an angel, but is regarded as a jinn in most contemporary scholarship. Due to his fall from God's grace, he is often compared to Satan in Christian traditions. In Islamic tradition, Iblis is often identified with ash-Shaitan, often known by the epithet ar-Rajīm. However, while Shaitan is used exclusively for an evil force, Iblis himself holds a more ambivalent role in Islamic traditions.
context_section_description: Iblis may either be a fallen angel or a jinni or something entirely unique. This lack of final specification arises from the Quran itself, while Iblis is included into the command addressed to the angels and apparently among them, he is identified as a jinni ('الجِنِّ') in Surah 18:50, who are usually seen as a creature apart from the angels in Islamic traditions. Both Western academics and Islamic scholars debated the essence of Iblis.
caption: Depiction of Iblis in the epic poem Shahnameh
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