إبليس
Iblīs
Topic
The devil, who refused to prostrate to Adam and now tempts humanity; in the Quran he is one of the jinn, not an angel.
What it means
The Quran says Iblis refused to prostrate to Adam, saying “I am better than him: You created me of fire and him of clay” (7:12). He asked for respite until the Day of Judgement and vowed to lead people astray, though “you have no authority over My servants” (7:14–18, 15:42). He is “one of the jinn” (18:50) and not an angel. “The Devil” and “devils” (shayāṭīn) also refer to evil beings who whisper to people (114:4–6).
Often misunderstood as
That Islam teaches Satan is an angel who rebelled, as in some Christian tradition.
What the sources say
The Quran says that angels “do not disobey God in what He commands them” (66:6), so Iblis, who disobeyed, is not one of them. The Prophet taught believers to seek refuge from Satan and said that he flows in the human being like blood (Sahih al-Bukhari); the remedy is the remembrance of God.