Shaitan
'adversary') is an evil spirit in Islam,[2] inciting humans and jinn to sin by whispering (وَسْوَسَة waswasa) in their hearts (قَلْب qalb).
Both the hadith literature and Arab folklore usually speak of the shayāṭīn in abstract terms, describing their evil influence only.
The Arabic term šayṭān originated from the triliteral root š-ṭ-n ("distant, astray") and is cognate to Satan.
[15](p276) In the Quranic story of Iblīs, who represents the shayāṭīn in the primordial fall, shows that they are subordinative to and created by God, by means of functioning as tempters.
[15](p278) After convincing sinners to remain in their disbelief, the shayāṭīn betray their followers when faced with God's judgement (Quran 3:175;8:48; 43:38).
254) The emphasis on the devils' evil nature, sometimes veils the Quranic depiction of the shayāṭīn as forces under God's control.[20](pp.
[22] Eminent among them are: Dasim assigned to causing troubles between married couples; Awar, who incites people to commit illicit sexual intercourse (zinā); Sut, who inspires lies and gossip; Tir causing injuries; and Zalambur, assigned to the market and presiding over dishonest and fraudulent business transactions.
74)[22] Islamic theology usually accepts three types of invisible creatures: angels (malāʾikah), djinn, and devils (šayāṭīn).
[28](p21) The evil jinn are distinguished from shayāṭīn by their attributes: Whereas jinn share common characteristics with humans (i.e. they are mortal and die, follow different religions, and can, at least theoretically, be converted to Islam), the shayāṭīn are exclusively evil and are immortal until Judgement Day.
The devils promote their own sinful characteristics among humans, including pride, envy, acquisitiveness, anger, lust, and gluttony.
Ghazali opined that devils might be of a similar nature, that is, that they are celestial immaterial objects influencing human minds.
[35]: 104 [37] According to the Islamic conception of the cosmos, such inspirations are not worldly, but are considered to derive from the celestial realm (malakūt).
[35]: 104 However, devils attempt to distract a human's mind towards earthly matters, drawing it back to the material world.
Najm al-Din Kubra states "the lower soul, Satan, and the angels are not external things to you; rather they are you".
The shayṭān of the movie describes himself as a loyal servant of ʿAzāzīl (another name of Satan in Islamic tradition), whom he venerates as a deity after feeling forgotten by God.
However, in accordance with the teachings of the Quran, Azazil turns out to be unreliable, while God ultimately intervenes on behalf of those who stayed loyal.
By that, the movie validates belief in the Islamic core doctrine of tawḥīd when confronted with unknown challenges and evil.
