In Islam, Iblis is the figure who refused to bow to Adam and thereby became the devil. The Qur’an presents him as refusing God’s command to prostrate himself before Adam because he considered fire superior to the clay from which humanity was created.
Iblis is named eleven times in the Qur’an, with nine of those references connected to his refusal or its consequences. After his disobedience, he was expelled and given permission to tempt human beings. His story appears in several passages, including Qur’an 2:34, 7:11–18, 15:31–44, 17:61–65, and 38:71–85.
Islamic traditions debate whether Iblis was originally an angel or a jinn. The Qur’an describes him as being “of the jinn” in one key passage, while later theological and narrative traditions explore his status in different ways. The name Shaitan is related but is not normally his proper name: it is a title or term for a devilish tempter, often applied to Iblis.
Iblis is therefore comparable to Satan in broad religious storytelling, but the figures belong to different theological systems. Some Sufi interpretations even portray his refusal as a distorted form of uncompromising devotion, while mainstream interpretations emphasize pride, disobedience, and rebellion.