Ibl?s (Arabic ?????), is the name given to the primary devil in Islam.
Etymology
The word may be derived from the Arabic verbal root balasa ??????, meaning "he despaired"; therefore, the linguistic meaning of Iblis would be "he/it that causes despair".[1] However, some maintain an etymological derivation from the Greek "Diabolos".[2]
Origin
In contrast with the Christian tradition, the Qur'an names Iblis as a jinn rather than an angel. The Jinn are created from fire , , and in the Islamic tradition are considered to have free will; in Islam, angels are seen as messengers who do not possess free will.Iblis was given power close to that of the angels by God, because he was at one point a pious and humble jinn. When God commanded all of the angels to bow down before Adam, Iblis, full of hubris, jealously refused to obey God's command (seeing Adam as being inferior in creation).; Prior to this act of disobedience, Iblis was called by the name of Azazel.[3]He then claims that if the p
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eblis