Iblis
Iblis, or
Enais, in
Muslim mythology the counterpart of the
Christian and
Jewish devil. He figures oftener in the
Qur'an under the name Shaitan, Iblis being mentioned 11 times, whereas Shaitan appears in 87 passages. He is chief of the spirits of evil, and his personality is adapted to that of his Jewish prototype. Iblis rebelled against
Allah and was expelled from Paradise. The Koranic legend is that his fall was a punishment for his refusal to worship Adam. Condemned to death he was afterwards respited till the judgment day (Qur'an vii. 13).
See Gustav Weil, The Bible, the Koran and the Talmud (London, 1846).