shayatin

The Arabic term šayṭān originated from the triliteral root š-ṭ-n ("distant, astray") and is cognate to Satan. It has a theological connotation designating a creature distant from the divine mercy.Mustafa ÖZTÜRK The Tragic Story of Iblis (Satan) in the Qur’an Çukurova University,Faculty of Divinity JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC RESEARCH İslam Araştırmaları Vol 2 No 2 December 2009 page 134

The term is attested in Geʽez. In the Book of Enoch, "angels of punishment prepare the instruments for the säyəṭanə".Grasso, Valentina A. "Historicizing Ontologies: Qur'ānic Preternatural Creatures between Ancient Topoi and Emerging Traditions." Journal of Late Antiquity 16.1 (2023): 160-188. Similarly to the Quranic usage, the term referred to the hosts of Satan.James Windrow Sweetman Islam and Christian Theology: Preparatory historical survey of the early period. v.2. The theological position at the close of the period of Christian ascendancy in the Near East Lutterworth Press 1945 University of Michigan digitalized: 26. Juni 2009 p. 24 Book of Jubilees mentions the shayṭān Mastema, who commands over evil spirits (manafəsəta).

In later Surahs of the Quran, the shayāṭīn might have been substituted by jinn and thus introduced the idea of many devils, while in the Bible there is only one Devil. Paul Arno Eichler describes the theory that shayāṭīn have been taken from pagan beliefs (and thus jinn) as unconvincing, since the idea of a multitude of shayāṭīn is already present in Judeo-Christian tradition.{{efn|{{sc|translation:}} {{in lang|en}}

"The idea that Satan drew a whole hosts into his fall is known as the Jewish concept and is still read from the Bible by Christian sects today. It is not correct to say that the idea of a multiple satans can be traced back to the adoption of jinn into the Islamic idea of Satan, as Goldziher proposed. Muhammad took the idea of multiple satans from the biblical religions. It merely found support by certain ideas of djinn, but only the [non-Quranic] demonic jinn come into consideration for this. There is not a single passage in the Quran that gives rise to the assumption that the unbelieving jinn would become "Shaitans"; this can only be shown by the demonic jinn.

{{sc|original:}} {{in lang|de}}

"Der Gedanke, dass der Satan eine ganze Schar in seinen Sturz hineingezogen habe, ist als jüdische Auffassung bekannt und wird von christlichen Sekten auch heute noch aus der Bibel herausgelesen. Dass die Vorstellung von einer Mehrheit von Satanen auf die Eingliederung der Dschinn in die Satansvorstellung zurückzuführen sei, wie Goldziher meint, ist nicht richtig. Die Vorstellung von einer Mehrheit von Satanen hat Muhammad von den biblischen Religionen übernommen. Sie hat dann in der Eingliederung von gewissen Dschinn eine Stütze gefunden. Hierfür kommen aber einzig die dämonischen Dschinn in Betracht. Es gibt keine einzige Stelle im Koran Anlass zu der Annahme, dass die ungläubigen Dschinn etwa zu "Schaitanen" würden, dass lässt sich nur von den dämonischen Dschinn zeigen."{{rp|style=apa|pages=59}}}} Generally, the term šayṭān appears in traditions associated with Jewish and Christian narratives, while the term jinn represents entities of polytheistic background.{{efn|

From T. Nünlist (2015) Dämonenglaube im Islam{{cite book |editor-last=Nünlist |editor-first=Tobias |title=Dämonenglaube im Islam |location=Berlin and Boston |publisher=De Gruyter |series=Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East |date=2015 |volume=28 |language=de |doi=10.1515/9783110331684 |isbn=978-3-110-33168-4}}{{rp|p=286}}

{{sc|translation:}} {{in lang|en}}

"Simplified, it can be stated that devils and Iblis appear in reports with Jewish background. Depictions, whose actors are referred to as jinn are generally located apart from Judeo-Christian traditions."{{rp|style=apa|pages=48,286}}

{{sc|original:}} {{in lang|de}}

"Vereinfacht lässt sich festhalten, dass Satane und Iblis in Berichten mit jüdischem Hintergrund auftreten. Darstellungen, deren Akteure als jinn bezeichnet werden, sind in der Regel außerhalb der jüdischen-christlichen Überlieferung zu verorten."{{rp|style=apa|pages=48,286}}

}}

In Islamic tradition, shayāṭīn could be evil jinn, pagan deities, or fallen angels (satans).Lebling, Robert. Legends of the fire spirits: Jinn and genies from Arabia to Zanzibar. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2010. p. 22Palacios, M. A. (2013). Islam and the Divine Comedy. Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis. p. 109: "Ibn Arabi definately states that Iblis is explosed to the torture of ice, and this assertation he bases on the fact that Iblis, like all demons, is a genie and thus created from fire ; his punishment, he infers, must therefore by contrast consist in exposure to the severest cold or zahmharir. Contemporaries of Ibn Arabi had similar grounds accounted for the immunity of the fiends from the effect of fire hell. Thus, Abu-l-Hasan al Ashari argues that the demons, being fallen angels, were created from light and, accordingly, are insensible to torture by fire." Taken from Islamic literary sources, the term shayāṭīn may be translated as "demons", "satans", or "devils".Mehmet Yavuz Seker Beware! Satan: Strategy of Defense Tughra Books 2008 {{ISBN|978-1-59784-131-3}} page 3

{{Islam}}

In the Quran, shayāṭīn are mentioned approximately as often as angels. The shayāṭīn are mentioned less frequently than Šayṭān,{{cite journal |last1= YOUNG|first1= M. J. L.|date= 1966|title= THE TREATMENT OF THE PRINCIPLE OF EVIL IN THE QUR'ĀN|url= http://www.jstor.org/stable/20832847.|journal= Islamic Studies|volume= 5|issue= 3|pages= 275–281|doi= |jstor= 20832847|access-date=November 7, 2021}}{{rp|style=ama|p=278}} but they are equally hostile to God's order (sharīʿa). They teach sorcery to humans ({{cite quran|2|102|s=ns|b=n}}),{{rp|style=ama|p=278}} inspire their friends to dispute with the faithful ({{cite quran|6|121|s=ns|b=n}}),{{rp|style=ama|p=278}} make evil suggestions ({{cite quran|23|97|s=ns|b=n}}){{rp|style=ama|p=278}} towards both humans and jinn ({{cite quran|6|112|s=ns|b=n}}),Teuma, E. (1984). More on Qur'anic jinn. Melita Theologica, 39(1–2), 37–45. and secretly listen to the council of the angels ({{cite quran|15|16–18|s=ns}}).Eichler, Paul Arno, 1928 Die Dschinn, Teufel und Engel in Koran [microform] p. 31. (German) {{cite quran|26|95|s=ns}} speaks about the junud Iblīs, the invisible hosts of Iblīs (comparable to the junud of angels fighting along Muhammad in {{cite quran|9|40|s=ns}}).THE ROLE OF AL-'aql in early Islamic Wisdom with reference to Imam Jafar al Sadiq

Despite their reluctant nature, the shayāṭīn are ultimately under God's command and do not form their own party.{{rp|style=ama|p=278}} According to the Islamic doctrine of tawḥīd, both good and evil are prescribed by God.{{rp|style=ama|p=279}} {{cite quran|2|168|s=ns}} explicitly warns people not to follow the Šayṭān, implying that humans are free to choose between the path of God or the one of Šayṭān.{{rp|style=ama|p=277}} However, Šayṭān only promises delusion and there is no success in following his path ({{cite quran|4|120|s=ns|b=n}}).{{rp|style=ama|p=276}} In the Quranic story of Iblīs, who represents the shayāṭīn in the primordial fall, shows that they are subordinative to and created by God, by means of functioning as tempters.{{rp|style=ama|p=277–278}}Sinai, Nicolai. "Key terms of the Qur'an: a critical dictionary." (2023): 1-840.{{rp|style=ama|p=459}} Šayṭān can only act with God's permission ({{cite quran|58|10|s=ns|b=n}}).{{rp|style=ama|p=276}} God tasks the shayāṭīn as companions to the misbelievers ({{cite quran|7|27|s=ns|b=n}}),{{rp|style=ama|p=278}}{{rp|style=ama|p=452}} and to incite them against each other ({{cite quran|19|83|s=ns|b=n}}).{{rp|style=ama|p=278}} After convincing sinners to remain in their disbelief, the shayāṭīn betray their followers when faced with God's judgement ({{cite quran|3|175|s=ns}};{{cite quran|8|48|s=ns|b=n}}; {{cite quran|43|38|s=ns|b=n}}).{{rp|style=ama|p=277}}{{rp|style=ama|p=452}}

The ḥādīth speak about shayāṭīn as malevolent forces, linked to the psychological life of humans.Awn, P. J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Niederlande: E.J. Brill.{{rp|style=ama|p=46}}Spronk, Annemiek. "God’s good plan and evil forces in this world: The place of the devil in traditional Islam." Probing the Depths of Evil and Good. Brill, 2007. 249-256.{{rp|style=ama|p=p. 254}} The emphasis on the devils' evil nature, sometimes veils the Quranic depiction of the shayāṭīn as forces under God's control.{{rp|style=ama|p=p. 255}} However, ḥādīth clarify that God is ultimately in control of both angels and devils and that only God decides whom the devils can take to hell.{{cite journal |last=Erdağı |first=Deniz Özkan |date=2024-02-01 |title=Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in "Semum" |journal=SN Social Sciences |volume=4 |issue=2 |page= |doi=10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w |issn=2662-9283 |doi-access=free}}

Sometimes, specific devils are considered to be tasked with disturbing specific spheres of human activities.{{EI3|last=Lange |first=Christian |title=Devil (Satan)|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_25991}} Eminent among them are: Dasim assigned to causing troubles between married couples; Awar, who incites people to commit illicit sexual intercourse (zinā); Sut, who inspires lies and gossip; Tir causing injuries; and Zalambur, assigned to the market and presiding over dishonest and fraudulent business transactions.{{Cite book| author=Murtada al-Zabidi| author-link=Murtada al-Zabidi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TgJ7DwAAQBAJ&dq=%D8%B2%D9%8E%D9%84%D9%8E%D9%86%D9%92%D8%A8%D9%8F%D9%88%D8%B1&pg=PT533|title=إتحاف السادة المتقين بشرح إحياء علوم الدين 1-14 ج8/itḥāf as-sādah al-muttaqin bi syarḥ iḥyā' ulūmiddīn 14-1|date=2016-01-01|publisher=Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah دار الكتب العلمية|page =534|access-date =23 November 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/09_20200515|archive-date=2020-05-15 |language=ar}}

Although the ḥādīth describe the devils mostly as evil influences, they indicate that they are composed of a body. The shayāṭīn are said to eat with their left hand, therefore Muslims are advised to eat with their right hand (Sahih Muslim Book 23 No. 5004).Burning Issues in Afro-Asiatic Linguistics. (2014). Vereinigtes Königreich: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 143 Shayāṭīn, although invisible, are depicted as immensely ugly (Sahih Muslim Book 26 No. 5428). The sun is said to set and rise between the horns of a shayṭān and during this moment, the doors to hell are open, thus Muslims should not pray at this time (Sahih Muslim 612d Book 5, Hadith 222).{{rp|style=ama|p=p. 45–60}} Satan and his minions battle the angels of mercy over the soul of a sinner; however, they are referred to as "angels of punishment" instead of shayāṭīn (Sahih Muslim 612d: Book 21, Hadith 2622).{{rp|style=ama|p=56}}

However, the ḥādīths also describe the limits of shayāṭīn. Ritual purity is said to attract angels and fend off shayāṭīn, while shayāṭīn are attracted to impurity, filthy, and desacralized places.Marion Holmes Katz Body of Text: The Emergence of the Sunni Law of Ritual Purity SUNY Press, 2012 {{ISBN|978-0-7914-8857-7}} p. 13 Before reciting the Quran, Muslims should take wudu/abdest and seek refuge in God from the shayāṭīn.{{rp|style=ama|p=279}} Reciting specific prayers{{efn|like "A'uzu Billahi Minesh shaitanir Rajiim" or specific Surahs of the Quran, like "An-Naas" or "Al-Falaq"}} is further believed to protect against the shayāṭīn.Rudolf Macuch "Und das Leben ist siegreich!": mandäische und samaritanische Literatur ; im Gedenken an Rudolf Macuch (1919–1993) Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2008 {{ISBN|978-3-447-05178-1}} p. 82 If a shayṭān successfully interrupts a ritual Muslim prayer, the Muslim has to prostrate two times and continue (Sahih Bukhari 4:151).{{rp|style=ama|p=p. 51}} During Ramadan the shayāṭīn are chained in hell (Sahih al-Bukhari 1899).{{rp|style=apa|page=229}} Shayāṭīn are sent by Iblis to cause misery among humans and return to him for report (Muslim 8:138).{{rp|style=ama|p=p. 54}} A shayṭān is said to tempt humans through their veins (Muslim 2174).{{rp|style=ama|p=p. 74}}

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Islamic theology usually accepts three types of invisible creatures: angels (malāʾikah), djinn, and devils (šayāṭīn). While good jinn rarely draw the attention of scholars of the Quran (mufassirūn), the supposed negative influence of evil jinn and devils on humans are studied in depth.Egdunas Racius

ISLAMIC EXEGESIS ON THE JINN: THEIR ORIGIN, KINDS AND SUBSTANCE AND THEIR RELATION TO OTHER BEINGS pp. 132–135{{rp|style=ama|p=21}} The evil jinn are distinguished from shayāṭīn by their attributes: Whereas jinn share common characteristics with humans (i.e. they are mortal and die, follow different religions, and can, at least theoretically, be converted to Islam), the shayāṭīn are exclusively evil and are immortal until Judgement Day.{{cite web | url=https://sorularlaislamiyet.com/kaynak/meleklere-iman#_Toc201395582 | title=Meleklere 陌man 禄 Sorularla 陌slamiyet | date=24 June 2008 }} Furthermore, the father of the jinn is al-Jann and the father of the shayāṭīn is Iblis.{{efn|A minority of scholars, such as Hasan Basri and Muqatil ibn Sulayman, disagreed with this view, holding that Iblis is both the father of the jinn and shayāṭīn and accordingly equated with Al-Jann.{{cite web | title=CÂN | website=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi | url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/can--cin | language=tr }} The Mu'tazila, inspired by the disciples of Hasan Basri, are said to hold that not shayāṭīn, but jinn, whisper to humans. Simultaneously, demonic possession, commonly associated with the jinn, is rejected.{{cite book | last=al-Shimmari | first=Mudhi | title=Islam, Migration and Jinn | chapter=The Physical Reality of Jinn Possession According to Commentaries on the Quran (2:275) | publisher=Springer International Publishing | publication-place=Cham | date=2021 | isbn=978-3-030-61246-7 | doi=10.1007/978-3-030-61247-4_4 | pages=65–76}}}} Like the jinn, the shayāṭīn are supposed to be created from fire, because their leader claims to be made from fire (nār).ANTON M. HEINEN ISLAMIC COSMOLOGY A STUDY OF AS-SUYUTI’S al-Hay’a as-samya fi l-hay’a as-sunmya with critical edition, translation, and commentary ANTON M. HEINEN BEIRUT 1982 p. 143{{EI2|last1=Fahd|first1=T. |last2=Rippin |first2=A. |title=S̲h̲ayṭān |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_1054}}Marshall G. S. Hodgson The Venture of Islam, Volume 2: The Expansion of Islam in the Middle Periods, Volume 2 University of Chicago Press, 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-226-34687-8}} p. 449 It is probably this supposed substance they share with the jinn, which allows them to ascend into the air in an attempt to listen to the angels.{{rp|style=ama|p=182}}

Details about the negative influences of the devils largely derive from the Quran and the ḥadīṯ. The devils promote their own sinful characteristics among humans, including pride, envy, acquisitiveness, anger, lust, and gluttony. Some scholars explained their influences from a rationalistic perspective. Al-Ghazali (c. 1058 – 1111) reconciles the literal meaning (Ẓāhir) with Avicennan cosmology based on reason. According to the philosophers (falsafa), the word 'angel' refers to "celestial intellects" or "immaterial souls". Ghazali opined that devils might be of a similar nature, that is, that they are celestial immaterial objects influencing human minds.Tamer, Georges. Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī. Papers Collected on His 900th Anniversary. Vol. 1. Vol. 94. Brill, 2015. p. 103{{rp|p=101}} By that, Ghazali does not mean to deny the reality of devils, rather that devils can only be known by their impact.{{cite book |last1=Russell |first1=Jeffrey Burton |title=Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages |date=1986 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-9429-1 }} p. 60

In his response to the question, how devils, who are conceptualized as creatures of a subtile body (i.e. either fallen angels or evil jinn) in early kalām, can run through the body of humans, he explains that it is not the devil himself, but the effects of the devil (athar ash-shayṭān) that run through human body and influence the soul.{{rp|p=102}} Humans were to discover temptations within themselves,described as devilish whisperings (waswās).{{rp|p=103}} Such devilish whisperings are of the same nature than inspirations (ilhām) of the angels. The only difference between ilhām and waswās lies in the cause: Ilhām is caused by an angel and inspires good that benefits humanity, while waswās is caused by a devil (šayṭān) and inspires sin mostly to enrich the ego.{{rp|p=104}}{{cite journal|last=Zaroug |first=Abdullahi Hassan |title=Al-Ghazali's Sufism: A Critical Appraisal |journal=Intellectual Discourse |date=1997 |volume=5 |number=2 |page=150 |url=https://journals.iium.edu.my/intdiscourse/index.php/id/article/download/396/346/788}} According to the Islamic conception of the cosmos, such inspirations are not worldly, but are considered to derive from the celestial realm (malakūt).{{rp|p=104}} However, devils attempt to distract a human's mind towards earthly matters, drawing it back to the material world.Truglia, Craig. “AL-GHAZALI AND GIOVANNI PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA ON THE QUESTION OF HUMAN FREEDOM AND THE CHAIN OF BEING.” Philosophy East and West, vol. 60, no. 2, 2010, pp. 143–166. {{JSTOR|40666556}}Jurnal Ilmiah ISLAM FUTURA

Vol. 17. No. 2, Februari 2018, THE INTERTWINED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NAFS (CARNAL SOUL), AQL (REASONING) QALB (HEART) Hyder Gulam

Australian National Imams Council p. 207 A similar conceptualization on angels and devils is given by Ali Hujwiri.SHIGERU KAMADA*

A STUDY OF THE TERM SIRR (SECRET) IN SUFI LATA'IF THEORIES p. 18

Some scholars differentiate between the waswās al-shayṭān and waswās al-nafs ("vices" also called dīv in Persian literature).{{cite journal|last=Çakin |first=Mehmet Burak |title=SÜLEYMÂN-NÂME'DE MİTOLOJİK BİR UNSUR OLARAK DÎVLER |journal=Turkish Studies Language and Literature |volume=14 |issue=3 |date=2019 |pages=1137–1158 |doi=10.29228/TurkishStudies.22895 |issn=2667-5641|doi-access=free }}Michael Anthony Sells. Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Qurʼan, Miraj, Poetic and Theological Writings. Paulist Press, 1996. {{ISBN|978-0-809-13619-3}}. page 143 Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi argues that the latter are internal to humans and result from passion (hawā). Others equate nafs and the whisperings of the shayāṭīn. Najm al-Din Kubra states "the lower soul, Satan, and the angels are not external things to you; rather they are you".

Athari scholar (al-atharīyah) Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (1292–1350) elaborates on three possible states of a human soul (heart), depending on its relationship with devils: the first one is devoid of ʾīmān (faith), the devil does not whisper since he is already in complete control of that soul; the second heart is illuminated by ʾīmān, the devil whispers to, sometimes winning and sometimes losing; the third heart is brimming with ʾīmān and light (nūr) like heaven, from which the veils of passion have been lifted, so whenever a devil were to approach this heart, the devils are burned by a meteor when they approach.{{cite journal | last1=Briki | first1=Walid | last2=Amara | first2=Mahfoud | title=Perspective of Islamic Self: Rethinking Ibn al-Qayyim's Three-Heart Model from the Scope of Dynamical Social Psychology | journal=Journal of Religion and Health | volume=57 | issue=3 | date=2018 | issn=0022-4197 | doi=10.1007/s10943-017-0414-0 | pages=836–848}}

In 2008 Hasan Karacadağ published the movie Semum about one of the shayāṭīn.{{efn| {{sc|Translation:}} {{in lang|en}}
"Based on a hadith, Karacadağ argued that Semum was not a Jinn and came from the same lineage as Satan." {{sc|Original:}} {{in lang|tr}}
Karacadağ, bir hadisten yola çıkarak Semum'un bir Cin olmadığını ve Şeytan ile aynı soydan geldiğini savundu.{{cite web | url=https://www.yenisafak.com/hayat/semum-eski-misir-dili-kiptice-konusacak-61997 | title='Semum' eski Mısır dili Kıptice konuşacak | Aktüel Haberleri }}}} The shayṭān was released from hell. Jealous of humans, the shayṭān seeks out to harm and torment humans, and takes possession over the body of a woman.The Routledge Dictionary of Turkish Cinema, Gonul Donmez-Colin, Routledge, 2013 {{ISBN|978-1-317-93726-5}} p. 130 The movie deals with questions regarding good and evil in Islamic thought. The shayṭān of the movie describes himself as a loyal servant of ʿAzāzīl (another name of Satan in Islamic tradition), whom he venerates as a deity after feeling forgotten by God. However, in accordance with the teachings of the Quran, Azazil turns out to be unreliable, while God ultimately intervenes on behalf of those who stayed loyal. By that, the movie validates belief in the Islamic core doctrine of tawḥīd when confronted with unknown challenges and evil.

• Asrestar
• Dajjal
• Ghoul
• Marid
• Qareen
• Seven deadly sins
• Superstitions in Muslim societies

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Characters and Names in Quran}}

Category:Demons in Islam

Category:Jahannam

Category:Occultism (Islam)