06.04.2016 Views

Angels, Demons and all the Hosts

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

ANGELOLOGY<br />

M. M. NINAN<br />

_____________________________________________________________________________<br />

Satan in Islam<br />

نيطايش (plural: ) ناطيش)‏ (Shaitan) or Shayṭān ‏(سيلبإ ( Iblis In Islam, <strong>the</strong> Devil is known as<br />

Shayatin). According to <strong>the</strong> Qur'an, God created Iblis out of "smokeless fire" (along with <strong>all</strong> of<br />

<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r jinn) <strong>and</strong> created man out of clay. The primary characteristic of <strong>the</strong> Devil, besides<br />

hubris, is that he has no power o<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong> power to cast evil suggestions into <strong>the</strong> heart of<br />

men, women, <strong>and</strong> jinn. God created at least three intelligent races: angels, jinns, <strong>and</strong><br />

humans, of which <strong>the</strong> latter two have been granted free will to choose between good <strong>and</strong> evil.<br />

“And We created you (humans), <strong>the</strong>n fashioned you, <strong>the</strong>n told <strong>the</strong> angels: F<strong>all</strong> ye prostrate<br />

before Adam! And <strong>the</strong>y fell prostrate, <strong>all</strong> save Iblis, who was not of those who made<br />

prostration.<br />

He said: "What hindered <strong>the</strong>e that thou didst not f<strong>all</strong> prostrate when I bade <strong>the</strong>e?" (Iblis)<br />

said: "I am better than him. Thou created me of fire while him Thou didst create of clay".<br />

Qur'an 7:11–12<br />

This has actu<strong>all</strong>y created a <strong>the</strong>ological paradox.If Iblis is an angel he has no freewill according<br />

to Islamic <strong>the</strong>ology <strong>and</strong> he is just a robot angel <strong>and</strong> he cannot disobey God. The alternative<br />

is that Iblis is not an angel but a jinn or angels have free will. The apparent contradiction can<br />

be removed if we underst<strong>and</strong> that <strong>the</strong> word “angel” as a term including <strong>all</strong> types of beings<br />

from special purpose robots to free willed beings. This is <strong>the</strong> way out <strong>the</strong> sufi <strong>the</strong>ologists<br />

took.<br />

“Renowned Sunni exegete <strong>and</strong> historian al-Tabari wrote:….<br />

“According to al-Qasim- al-Husayn- Hajjaj- Ibn Jurayj- Salih, <strong>the</strong> mawla of al-Taw'amah <strong>and</strong><br />

Sharik b. Abir Namir, ei<strong>the</strong>r one or both of <strong>the</strong>m- Ibn `Abbas: There was an angelic tribe<br />

of jinn, <strong>and</strong> Iblis belonged to it. He governed <strong>all</strong> in between <strong>the</strong> heaven <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> earth.<br />

200

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!