- Iblis: (Arabic إِبْلِيسْ, Romanized Iblīs) [1], also known as Shaitan, is the "leader of the devils" (shayāṭīn) in Islam. According to the Quran (Koran), Iblis was thrown out of heaven after refusing to prostrate before Adam (human). In Sufi cosmology, Iblis embodies the cosmic veil supposedly separating the immanent aspect of God's love from the transcendent aspect of God's wrath. He is often compared to the Christian concept of Satan, both cast out of heaven.
Islamic mysticism: Sufism
For this reason, Sufi masters regard Satan and Muhammad as the two most perfect monotheists [215].
Sufis reject the concept of dualism [215, 216] and instead believe in the unity of all existence [216].
In the same way that Muhammad was the instrument of God's mercy [215], Sufis regard Satan as the instrument of God's wrath [215].
For the Muslim Sufi scholar Ahmad Ghazali, Iblis was the paragon of lovers in self-sacrifice for refusing to bow down to Adam out of pure devotion to God [217].
Ahmad Ghazali's student Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir was among the Sunni Muslim mystics who defended Iblis and asserted that evil was also God's creation.
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| The God made all this and a Serpent |
Sheikh Adi argued that if evil existed without the will of God, then God would be powerless and powerlessness can't be attributed to God [218].
Some Sufis assert that since Iblis was destined by God to become a devil, God will also restore him to his former angelic nature.
Attar compares Iblis's damnation to the biblical Benjamin: both were accused unjustly, but their punishment had a greater meaning. In the end, Iblis will be released from hell [219].
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| What did the great Rumi think? |
Rumi's viewpoint on Iblis is much more in tune with Islamic orthodoxy. Rumi views Iblis as the manifestation of the great sins of haughtiness and envy.
He states: "[Cunning] intelligence is from Iblis, and love from Adam" [220]. More
The Yazidis in Western perception
In William Seabrook's book Adventures in Arabia, the fourth section, starting with Chapter 14, is devoted to the "Yezidees" and is titled "Among the Yezidees."
He describes them as "a mysterious sect scattered throughout the Orient, strongest in North Arabia, feared and hated both by Moslem [Muslim] and Christian [Jesuit], because they are worshippers of Satan." In it he describes the area, including the fact that this territory, including their holiest city of Sheik-Adi, was not part of "Irak" (Iraq) [190].
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| Georges Gurdjieff |
In Peter Ouspensky's book In Search of the Miraculous, he describes some strange customs that Gurdjieff observed in Yazidi boys: "He told me, among other things, that when he was a child he had often observed how Yezidi boys were unable to step out of a circle traced round them on the ground" (p. 36).
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| Peacock Angel (Pavaangyal, Tawûsî Melek) |
Shah claimed this Tawûsê Melek or "Peacock Angel" could be understood, from the Sufi viewpoint, as an allegory of the higher powers in humanity [191]. More
The Great God of the Yazidis
Yazidis believe in one God, to whom they refer as Xwedê, Xwedawend, Êzdan, Pedsha (lit. "King") and, less commonly, Ellah [Allah?] and Heq [Yah-Heq?] [22, 5, 12, 2, 23].
According to some Yazidi hymns (known as qewls), God has 1,001 names; in others, God has 3,003 names [24, 25].
In Yazidism, earth, fire, water, and air are sacred elements that are not to be polluted. During prayer, Yazidis face towards the Sun, which is why they were sometimes called "sun worshippers."
The Yazidi creation myth begins with the description of the emptiness and the absence of order in the Universe. Before the universe's creation, God created a dur ("white pearl" or orb) in spiritual form from God's own pure light and alone dwelt in it [26].
First, there was an esoteric world. After that, an exoteric world was created. Before the creation of this world, God created seven divine beings (oftentimes referred to as the Seven [Arch] Angels in Yazidi literature) to whom God assigned all the world's affairs.
The leader of the Seven Angels was named the "Peacock Angel" (Melek Taus or Tawûsî Melek) [2, 13, 27]. The end of Creation is closely connected with the creation of humankind and the transition from mythological to historical time [5, 14, 12]. More
The Yazidi trinity
The Yazidis believe in a Divine Triad [2, 13, 27]. The supreme, hidden God of the Yazidis is considered to be remote and inactive in relation to creation, except to contain and bind it together within an innate essence [2].
This God's first emanation is the "Peacock Angel," who functions as the ruler of the world [2, 13, 27].
The third is Sultan Ezid. These are the three hypostases of the One God. The identity of these three is sometimes blurred, with ibn Musafir considered to be a manifestation of the Peacock Angel and vice versa; the same applies to Sultan Ezid [2].
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| The Peacock Angel beating Satan |
Muslims and Christians erroneously associate and identify the Peacock Angel with their own religions' conception of the unredeemed evil spirit Satan [2, 13, 27, 29, 12], a misconception that has incited centuries of violent religious persecution (puritanical rape and genocide) of the Yazidis as "devil-worshippers" [2, 13, 27, 30, 31].
Persecution of Yazidis has continued in their home communities within the borders of modern Iraq [2, 13, 32].
Yazidis, however, believe the Peacock Angel not a source of evil or wickedness [2, 13, 27]. They consider him to be the leader of the archangels [a kind of Christian Michael, Buddhist Sakka, Chinese Jade Emperor figure], not a fallen angel [2, 27, 33, 12].
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