GetWiki

{{Short description|Supernatural creatures in Arab culture and Islam}}{{About|the supernatural creature}}{{Good article}}File:Brooklyn Museum - Arghan Div Brings the Chest of Armor to Hamza.jpg|thumb|right|In this illustration from the Hamzanama, the flaming eyes of the ifrit Arghan (Div (mythology)|the Div]] are slightly crossed and his orange skin spotted all over; he carries a chest over the waters on behalf of Hamza.BOOK, Sleigh, Tom, The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees, Graywolf Press, 2018, chapter: 1.11, 978-1-555-97986-7, ){{Islam}}Ifrit, also spelled as efreet, afrit, and afreet ( ({{pronunciation|Q936678-ar.ogg|listen|help=no}}), plural {{transliteration|ar|ʿafārīt}}), is a powerful type of demon in Islamic culture. The ʿafārīt are often associated with the underworld and identified with the spirits of the dead, and have been compared to evil geniī loci in European culture.BOOK, Westermarck, Edward, Ritual and Belief in Morocco: Vol. I (Routledge Revivals), Routledge, 2014-04-23, 978-1-317-91268-2, 387, In Quran, hadith, and Mi'raj narrations the term is always followed by the phrase "among the jinn". In later folklore, they developed into independent entities, identified as powerful demons or spirits of the dead who sometimes inhabit desolate places such as ruins and temples. Their true habitat is the Jahannam or underworld.{{EI2|last=Chelhod |first=J. |title=ʿIfrīt |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3502}}

Etymology

File:MakhanEmbracedByAnEfreeti.jpg|thumb|upright|Makhan embraced by an ifrit. Illustration to Nizami Ganjavi's poem Hamsa. BukharaBukharaThe word ifrit appears in Surah an-Naml: 39 of the Quran, but only as an epithet and not to designate a specific type of demon.BOOK Some Western philologists suggest a foreign origin of the word and attribute it to Middle Persian afritan which corresponds to Modern Persian {{Nastaliq|}} (to create), but this is regarded as unlikely by others. Johnny Cheung argued that there is a Zoroastrian spirit called an āfriti- in the Avestan language. He suggests that this Avestan term might be the ultimate source of Arabic ‘ifrīt."JOURNAL, Cheung, Johnny, On the (Middle) Iranian borrowings in Qur'ānic (and pre-Islamic) Arabic, 2016, 15, HAL,weblink 26 December 2023, en, In folklore, the term developed into a designation of a specific class of demon, though most Islamic scholarly traditions regard the term as an adjective. Popular beliefs were elaborated in works such as in al-Ibshihi's Mustatraf. They became identified either as a dangerous kind of demon (shayṭān) preying on women, or as spirits of the dead. In Turkish, the term is used for demons of the underworld.JOURNAL, Erdağı, Deniz Özkan, Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in "Semum", SN Social Sciences, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 4, 2, 2024-02-01, 2662-9283, 10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w, free,

Islamic scriptures

File:Kitab al-Bulhan --- devils talking.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The ifrit Al-Malik al-Aswad (The Black King) sitting on the right listening to the complaints of jinn; from a manuscript in the late 14th century Book of WondersBook of WondersIn Islamic scriptures the term ifrit is always followed by the expression of the jinn.{{EI3 |last=Szombathy |first=Zoltan |title=Ê¿IfrÄ«t |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_32379}} Due to the ambiguous meaning of the term jinn, which is applied to a wide range of different spirits, their relation towards the genus of jinn remains vague. However, within the Islamic scriptures themselves, the term is apparently used as an epithet to describe a powerful or malicious spirit of undefined nature.Vincent Crapanzano The Ḥamadsha: A Study in Moroccan Ethnopsychiatry University of California Press 1973 {{ISBN|9780520022416}} p. 136In the Quran itself, such an ifrit is mentioned in Quran 27:38-40. The ifrit offers to carry the throne of Bilqis, the queen of Sheba, to King Solomon: "An ifrit from the jinn said: 'I will bring it to you before you rise from your place. And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work." However, the duty is not given to him, but to somebody who is endowed with knowledge of the scripture. An "ifrit among the jinn" is mentioned in a hadith of Muhammad al-Bukhari, attempting to interrupt the prayers of the prophet MuhammadBOOK

Islamic folklore

In Islamic folklore, the afarit became a class of chthonic spirits, inhabiting the layers of the seven earths,BOOK, Sebastian, Günther, Dorothee, Pielow, 18 October 2018, Die Geheimnisse der oberen und der unteren Welt: Magie im Islam zwischen Glaube und Wissenschaft, de, The Secrets of the Upper and Lower Worlds: Magic in Islam between faith and science, BRILL, 9789004387577, 597, BOOK, Stephan, Conermann, 2014, History and Society During the Mamluk Period (1250-1517), V&R unipress GmbH, 9783847102281, 25, generally ruthless and wicked, formed out of smoke and fire.{{efn|The description "smoke and fire" is contrary to the jinn in Quranic traditions, who are created out of smokeless (clear) fire, but is in accord with a common tradition depicting the devils (shayāṭīn), as created out of smoke.}}BOOK , BOOK But despite their negative depictions and affiliation to the nether regions, afarit are not fundamentally evil on a moral plane; they might even carry out God's purpose. Such obligations can nevertheless be ruthless, such as obligation to blood vengeance and avenging murder. Further, an ifrit can be compelled by a sorcerer, if summoned.

Egypt

Although afarit are not necessarily components of a person, but independent entities, a common belief in Islamic Egypt{{efn|Although the identification of afarit with ghosts is usually associated with Muslims in Egypt, it is also attested among Muslims in India, Syria, and Javan Muslims in Cirebon.BOOK, A.G., Muhaimin, 2006, The Islamic Traditions of Cirebon: Ibadat and Adat among Javanese Muslims, ANU E Press, 978-1-920942-31-1, 38, BOOK, Gebhard, Fartacek, 2010, Unheil durch Dämonen?: Geschichten und Diskurse über das Wirken der Ǧinn; eine sozialanthropologische Spurensuche in Syrien, de, Evil from Demons?, Stories and discourses on the works of the djinn; a socio-anthropological search for clues in Syria., Böhlau Verlag Wien, 9783205784852, 68, BOOK, Frederick M., Smith, 2012, The Self Possessed: Deity and spirit possession in South Asian literature and civilization, Columbia University Press, 978-0-231-51065-3, 570, }}associates afarit with part of a human's soul.BOOK, el-Sayed, al-Aswad, 2002, Religion and Folk Cosmology: Scenarios of the visible and invisible in rural Egypt, Westport, CT, Praeger / Greenwood Publishing Group, 9780897899246, 103–104, 153, {{rp|style=ama|pages=103–104}}Probably influenced by the Ancient Egypt idea of Ka, the afarit are often identified with the spirits of the dead, departing from the body at the moment of death. They live in cemeteries, wander around places the dead person frequently visited, or roam the earth close to the place of death, until the Day of Judgment. A person who died a natural death does not have a malevolent ifrit. Only people who are killed give rise to a dangerous and active ifrit, drawn to the blood of the victim. Driving an unused nail into the blood is supposed to stop their formation.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Aeromancy, 2006, The Element Encyclopedia of the Psychic World, 10, Harper Element, Such afarit might scare and even kill the living or take revenge on the murderer.BOOK, Robert, Lebling, Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and genies from Arabia to Zanzibar, I.B. Tauris, 2010, 978-0-85773-063-3, 151–153, {{rp|style=ama|page=153}} Martyrs, saints and prophets do not have a ghost, and therefore no ifrit.{{rp|style=ama|page=153}}

Morocco

In Moroccan belief, the afarit form a more powerful type of demon, compared to the jinn and other supernatural creatures. They have more substantial existence, and are greater in scale and capacityBOOK, Vincent, Crapanzano, 1973, The Ḥamadsha: A study in Moroccan ethnopsychiatry, University of California Press, 9780520022416, 137, than other demons.BOOK, Edward, Westermarck, 23 April 2014, Ritual and Belief in Morocco, I, Routledge Revivals, Routledge, 9781317912682, 263–264, Their physical appearance is often portrayed as having monstrous deformities, such as claw-like or thorny hands, flaming eyes or seven heads.Just as with jinn, an ifrit might possess an individual. Such persons gain some abilities from the ifrit, such as getting stronger and more brave, but the ifrit renders them insane. With the aid of a magical ring, the afarit might be forced to perform certain orders, such as carrying heavy stones.

Shabakism

A story circulates among the Shabak community in Northern Iraq about a certain ifrit who incensed Ali by his evil nature long before the creation of Adam.{{efn|It is a common belief among Muslims that Muhammad's creation precedes that of Adam. Shia sources, often add Ali to the human beings predating the creation of Adam and the earth.M.J. Kister Adam: A Study of Some Legends in Tafsir and Hadit Literature Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of The Qur'an, Oxford 1988 p. 129}} Consequently, for the ifrit's wickedness, Ali chained the ifrit and left him alone. When the prophets arrived on earth, he appeared to all of them, beginning with Adam, and begged them for his release, but no prophet was able to break the chains. When Muhammad met the ifrit, he brought him to Ali for release. Ali was merciful to the ifrit, and decided to release him under the condition that he surrenders to the will of God.BOOK, Matti, Moosa, 1987, Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat sects, Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University Press, 978-0-815-62411-0, 69,

In fiction

Afarit appear already in early poems, such as those of Al-Maʿarri (973–1057), who describes his protagonist visiting a paradise with "narrow straits" and "dark valleys" for afarit, between heaven and hell.Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn Amira El-Zein 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-815-65070-6}} page 20 In later works, the afarit are mentioned among the narratives collected in One Thousand and One Nights. In one tale called "The Porter and the Young Girls", a prince is attacked by pirates and takes refuge with a woodcutter. The prince finds an underground chamber in the forest leading to a beautiful woman who has been kidnapped by an ifrit. The prince sleeps with the woman and both are attacked by the jealous ifrit, who changes the prince into an ape. Later a princess restores the prince and fights a pitched battle with the ifrit, who changes shape into various animals, fruit, and fire until being reduced to cinders.BOOK, Anne E., Duggan, Donald, Haase, Callow, Helen J., Folktales and Fairy Tales: Traditions and Texts from around the World, 2nd, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, Santa Barbara, California, 2016-02-12, 978-1-61069-254-0, 2, 402, In "The Fisherman and the Jinni" an ifrit, locked in a jar by the Seal of Solomon, is released but later tricked by the fisherman again into the jar. Under the condition that the ifrit aids him to achieve riches, he releases the ifrit again.BOOK, Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew, The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters, Routledge, 2016-04-01, 978-1-317-04425-3, 166–169, The latter ifrit, however, might be substituted by a marid, another type of powerful demon easily tricked by the protagonist.NEWS, Leon Hale, Arabic mythology is worth revisiting, Houston Chronicle, January 13, 2002, The latter portrayal of an ifrit, as a wish-granting spirit released from a jar, became characteristic of Western depictions of jinn.Afarit feature frequently in film and video games. In the Final Fantasy video game series, an ifrit appears as a summonable spirit and an enemy. Like its mythological counterpart, it is a spirit of fire and can use an iconic spell called Hell-Fire.Ruth Ayaß, Cornelia Gerhardt The Appropriation of Media in Everyday Life John Benjamins Publishing 2012 {{ISBN|9789027273376}} p. 205 In the fifth season of True Blood (2012), an ifrit seeks vengeance for murder of Iraqi civilians by U.S soldiers.Hudson, Dale. "'Of course there are Werewolves and Vampires': 'True Blood' and the Right to Rights for other Species." American Quarterly, vol. 65, no. 3, 2013, pp. 661–687., www.jstor.org/stable/43822924. In both the novel American Gods (2001) and the television adaptation by Neil Gaiman an ifrit disguised as a taxi-driver appears, trying to get used to his new role, seeking intimacy in a lonely world.Tara Prescott Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century: Essays on the Novels, Children's Stories, Online Writings, Comics and Other Works McFarland, 11.02.2015 {{ISBN|9780786494774}} p. 25.

See also

• Archdemon
• Dybbuk
• Genie in popular culture
• Imp
• Oni
• Zabaniyya

Explanatory notes

{{Notelist}}{{clear}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• {{Wiktionary inline|عفريت}}

{{Characters and Names in Quran}}{{Authority control}}