'Iblis' refers to a figure in a narrative, for which there is an Islamic and Christian variant. In the former, it occurs in the Quran and in the latter, the Book of the Rolls. Both harbor three Rifts: In the First Rift, the divinity orders the host to give fealty or fidelity to humanity, but Iblis refuses. In the Second Rift, Iblis is cursed and exiled by divinity for refusing submergence to humanity. In the Third Rift, Iblis vows struggle against the expansion of humanness across all worlds.
The point above is not to describe the narrative but to point out that Iblis occurs in it and that this figure and his story are not confined to Islam.
The point above is not to describe the narrative but to point out that Iblis occurs in it and that this figure and his story are not confined to Islam.
The textual figure of Iblis is a symbol of the umbral side of divinity, humanity, and of nature. That is, Iblis is a figure in a narrative that is emblematic of the shadow of belief or faith, the self, and of borders or barriers separating worlds, where worlds is here understood as times, ages, or epochs, places or realms, or relatively distinct or differentiated groups of living things or sentient beings.
Prior to its textual use, the word Iblis may have originated as an epithet, with the ultimate original meaning having been to "remain in grief"; that is, to be in "despair" of divine mercy in being lifted or recused from the curse or the exile imposed on it and that reveals the primordial incipience of the figure. This epithet could also be stretched or applied to various groups, kinds, or castes.
