AlienQ - BANNED FOR LIFE

He's a lot like the Christian Satan. According to sacred Islamic texts, a supernatural being named Azazel was cast down to Earth for refusing to bow down to God's creation, Adam. Once demoted, Azazel—whose name then became Iblis—collaborated with a serpent (and in some stories, a peacock) to tempt Adam and Eve with forbidden fruit (or in some versions, wheat). Yes Folks Adam and Eve in the Garden is within the Koran.

For the most part, the Quran uses two interchangeable names for this character. Iblis comes from the Greek diabolos and corresponds to the English "devil." The other name, Shaitan, comes from the same Hebrew root as the English "Satan." By the 10th century, the figure of Iblis had taken on special meaning for the Sufi mystics. According to Sufi tradition, Iblis refused to bow to Adam not because Iblis was arrogant (as the original story suggests), but because he was determinedly monotheistic—he refused to bow to anyone other than God.

While Iblis became a more complex character who represented (for the Sufis, at least) piety and sacrifice, Shaitan served as a more general embodiment of evil. Like the Christian Satan, Shaitan spends his time whispering naughty ideas and seducing people into sin. He also lords over the lesser forces of evil—especially his children, the shaitans. But he's not an all-powerful Antichrist who rules hell and battles God from a throne of fire. In some contexts, he's described not as a fallen angel but as the most powerful jinni, a form of lesser spirit.

What does he look like? Muslims don't have a clear iconography for Iblis, and there's no Shaitanic counterpart to the red-skinned, pitchfork-wielding demon of Christianity. During the hajj, Shaitan is represented by a featureless stone pillar or wall. Pilgrims "stone Satan" by throwing rocks at the wall.

In Iran, where the Ayatollah Khomeini first dubbed the United States "the Great Satan" in the late 1970s, the words might evoke the divs, or devils, of Persian mythology. These were often depicted as gnarly-looking creatures with horns, dark skin, and protruding teeth. (Ancient literature describes the invasion of Persia by a particularly nasty monster called the White Div.) Posters from the Iranian revolution sometimes depicted Jimmy Carter or Uncle Sam in a demonic guise. In this one, a figure representing Israel and America stands over the shah, who is intertwined with a serpent.

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Deej

rent the movie fallen... with denzel...

explains everything

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AlienQ - BANNED FOR LIFE

"The World of the Jinn and Devils"
Ibn Abdul Barr said, "The jinn, according to the scholars of the language, are of different types:

If one is mentioning the jinn purely of themselves, the are called jinni.*
If one is mentioning the jinn that live among mankind, they are called aamar whose plural is amaar.
If one is mentioning the ones that antagonize the young, they are called arwaah.
If one is mentioning the evil ones that antagonize humans they are called shaitan for the singular [and shayateen for plural].
If they cause even more harm and become strong, they are called afreet."


Notice the similar sound between jinni and english's "genie". TV and other media have twisted the concept of jinn; however, it is interesting to note its origin is from Islam. "I Dream of Jeannie" is a TV show based around a Genie (jinni, plural of jinn). In this show, Jeannie, the genie, frequently was given a request and the requestor never quite got what was requested as she was always creating unintentional mischief. However we understand that the shaitan among the jinn antagonize humans, not that they are kind beings who accidentally mess up on occasion. Those who seek aid (such as asking for favors or making request) from the jinni will find deception and a twisted type of aid that doesn't really meet the requestor's original request, but that satisfies the shaytaanic jinn's desire for evil.

An Ifrît (strong) from the jinns said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work." [The Qur'an 27:39

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Kevin Marx

Fallen was a great show.... very well done I thought

Deej

Fuck yea, its one of my all time favorites...top 10 probably...

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