The rebellion of Iblis is recorded multiple places in the Qu’ran, but is summarized as:
When God created Adam, He ordered the angels to bow before the new creation. All of the angels bowed down, but Iblis refused to do so. He argued that since he was created from fire, he is superior to humans, who were made from clay-mud, and that he should not prostrate himself before Adam. As punishment for his haughtiness, God banished Iblis from heaven and condemned him to hell.
15:26 Indeed, We created man from sounding clay moulded from black mud.
15:27 As for the jinn, We created them earlier from smokeless fire.
15:28 ˹Remember, O Prophet˺ when your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to create a human being from sounding clay moulded from black mud.
15:29 So when I have fashioned him and had a spirit of My Own ˹creation˺ breathed into him, fall down in prostration to him.”
15:30 So the angels prostrated all together—
15:31 but not Iblîs, who refused to prostrate with the others.
15:32 Allah asked, “O Iblîs! What is the matter with you that you did not join others in prostration?”
15:33 He replied, “It is not for me to prostrate to a human You created from sounding clay moulded from black mud.”
15:34 Allah commanded, “Then get out of Paradise, for you are truly cursed.
15:35 And surely upon you is condemnation until the Day of Judgment.”
15:36 Satan appealed, “My Lord! Then delay my end until the Day of their resurrection.”
15:37 Allah said, “You will be delayed
15:38 until the appointed Day.”
15:39 Satan responded, “My Lord! For allowing me to stray I will surely tempt them on earth and mislead them all together,
15:40 except Your chosen servants among them.”
15:41 Allah said, “This is the Way, binding on Me:
15:42 you will certainly have no authority over My servants, except the deviant who follow you,
15:43 and surely Hell is their destined place, all together.
Qu’ran 18:50
And [mention] when We told the angels, “Prostrate yourselves before Adam,” and they all prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs. He was of the jinn, but he disobeyed his Lord’s command. Do you [seriously consider] choosing him and his descendants as allies instead of Me when they are your enemies? How despicable a bargain this is for the unjust?
Qu’ran 21:29
If any of them should say, “I am a god besides Him“, such a one We should reward with Hell: thus do We reward those who do wrong
۞ وَمَن یَقُلۡ مِنۡهُمۡ إِنِّیۤ إِلَـٰهࣱ مِّن دُونِهِۦ فَذَ ٰلِكَ نَجۡزِیهِ جَهَنَّمَۚ كَذَ ٰلِكَ نَجۡزِی ٱلظَّـٰلِمِینَ ٢٩
Who are the Jinn?
In Islam, jinn are supernatural beings created by Allah from “smokeless fire,” as described in the Qur’an (Surah Al-Hijr, 15:27 and Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:15). They exist in a parallel world, invisible to humans, but they have their own communities, societies, and even religions, similar to humans. They can be good, evil, or neutral, and have free will to choose their path, just like humans do.
The Qur’an recounts that some jinn believe in Allah, follow His guidance, and live righteously, while others do not. Some jinn, such as Iblis (Satan), disobey Allah’s commandments. Jinn are believed to be capable of shapeshifting and may appear in various forms, even occasionally interacting with humans, though this is rare and generally viewed with caution. They are also said to influence human thoughts or actions, which is why Muslims recite prayers for protection from any potentially harmful jinn.
