ABSTRACT
The refusal of Satan to prostrate himself before Adam and the dialogue between Satan and God occurs several times in the Qur
) an. Satan, after having been
expelled from intimacy with God, says in 38.82-83: ‘I surely will lead every one of them astray except your sincere slaves
among them.’ And God replies rather grimly: ‘I shall fill hell with you and with those who follow you, together’ (38.85). It is clear that punishment can only
take place if the punished understand the reason for the punishment. In 34.20 God says, in confirmation of Satan’s warning to man, ‘And Satan indeed found
his calculation true concerning them, for they follow them, all except a group of true believers.’ Likewise, we read in chapter 14.22:
Blame can only be associated with those
who possess the power of reason and free will. These verses show that Satan, like the rest of the angels, is a thinking independent. Just as verses occur in the Qur
) an concerning the angels and the
devils, there also are verses that clearly
and vividly describe the jinn (spirits or invisible beings, either harmful or helpful). In 46.18 reference is made to those who, invited to believe in Islam, spurn it as just another ancient fable or superstition: ‘Such are those in whom the
word concerning nations of the jinn and mankind which have passed away . . ..
