Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamualaikum wrwb, akhi

i would like to know the difference between shaytan, iblis and jin

shukran 

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Answer:

Difference between Shaitaan Iblis & Jinn

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Jinn: the literal meaning of the Arabic term ‘jinn’ is something which is hidden or cannot be seen, thus it is not possible for a human being to see a jinn and their exact physical properties are kept unknown to man and known only by the Lord and Creator, Allah Subhanah.

The ‘Jinn’ race, like the human race created after them, is a creation of Allah; whom like the humans, Allah Subhanah created and bestowed upon them limited intelligence and a limited free will and involved them in a test for a period of one short and transitory life; and like the human race, they too will be gathered in the Presence of the Majestic Lord on an Inevitable Day of Judgment to give a full accounting of their deeds.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 55 Surah Rahmaan verses 14-15:

14 He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery.

15 And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke.

The Jinns are a complete different and distinct creation of the Lord whom He created from a smokeless flame of fire before He created man; they have their own lives, their own laws, families, emotions of joy, happiness, love, anger, and grief; and they too like the human beings can choose obedience or disobedience of their Lord as they will, for a period of one life time.

Iblees: the literal meaning of the term ‘Iblees’ is one who constantly doubts and despairs. The name ‘Iblees’ is given to that one particular and specific Jinn who chose to disobey and challenge Allah Subhanah during the episode that occurred as related by Allah Subhanah in His Quran during the creation of Hadrat Adam (a.s.).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 50:

50 Behold! We said to the Angels "Bow down to Adam": they bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! Evil would be the exchange for the wrongdoers!

Shaytaan or (plural ‘Shayateen’): The literal meaning of the Arabic term ‘Shaytaan’ is one who transgresses the boundaries of Allah, or is a consistent disobedient or denier of the Truth.

A ‘Shaytaan’ can be one amongst the human beings or amongst the Jinns, for these two races alone have been bestowed a ‘free will’ to choose between obedience and disobedience of their Lord amongst all His creation. All those amongst the Jinns and the human beings who follow the mission of disobedience of ‘Iblees’ are all termed ‘Shaytaans’ by Allah Subhanah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 112:

And so have We (Allah) always set against every Prophet enemies from among Shaitaans of men and Shaitaans of jinns, who inspire one another with flowery discourses by way of deception.

Whenever Allah Subhanah refers to ‘As-Shaytaan’ (The Shaytaan) in the Glorious Quran, it refers to the accursed leader of the Shayateen, Iblees; and whenever the general term ‘shaytaan’ or plural ‘shayateen’ is used, it refers to all those amongst the men and the jinn who follow the mission of disobedience of the accursed Iblees.

Thus in simple layman terms the ‘Jinn’ like the human race are a creation of Allah Subhanah whom He has bestowed with a free will for a limited period of one life time as a test to choose between obedience and disobedience of their Lord.

The ‘Iblees’ is one amongst the Jinn who chose to disobey and challenge the Lord; and all amongst the Jinns and the human race who choose to follow the mission of disobedience of the Lord are all termed and known as the ‘shayateen’.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan