The Devil is said to be a fallen angel who was turned out of Paradise because he refused to do homage to Adam.[1] He is called Iblís, a word which is most probably derived from balas, a wicked or profligate person; and also Shaitán (Satan). Besides angels and devils, there are said to be a distinct order of creatures called Jinn (Genii) who were created of fire some thousands of years before Adam. According to tradition the species consists of five distinct orders:—1. Jánn; 2. Jinn; 3. Shaitán; 4. ʾIfrít; 5. Márid.
Their chief abode is the mountains of Qáf, which are supposed to encircle the world.
There are good and evil Genii. If good, they are exceedingly handsome; if evil, they are horribly hideous. The evil genii are said to have been at liberty to enter any of the seven heavens till the birth of Jesus, when they were excluded from three of them. On the birth of Muhammad they were forbidden the other four heavens. They continue, however, to ascend to the confines of the lowest heavens, and there listen to the conversations of the
- ↑ Surat-ul-Bagqr (ii.), 33.
