Is Satan a “fallen” angel?
Most commentators of the Qur’anic account of Creation do not view Satan as a fallen angel. Rather, he is believed to be one of the jinn, a class of God’s creation distinct from angels. The jinn, like angels, exist in the unseen world, and cannot ordinarily be perceived by human beings. Like humans, however, the jinn have been endowed with free will, and thus can choose to act according to God’s commands. When God commanded Iblis (the personal name of Satan), a leader among the jinn, to bow before Adam in recognition of human eminence among God’s creations, he rebelled and was cast out with his followers. Iblis asked God for a respite until the Day of Judgement to prove that he could undermine humankind’s claim to superiority. A recurrent theme in all of God’s revelations to humanity is that of Satan’s machinations against humankind. The Qur’an repeatedly warns against deviating from the “straight path” by falling prey to Satan’s temptations. Satan has no independent source of power ove
