Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

The word shaitan (pl. shayatin) is derived from the verb shaana, meaning to detain someone in order to divert him from his intention. Another view suggests that the word is rooted from the Hebrew, satan, meaning a cord. The word shaitan is used 70 times in the Koran in the singular form, including six times in the indefinite (4:117, 15:17, 22:3, 37:7, 43:36, 81:25), plus 18 times in the plural, shayatin, which is always definite.

Shaitan is a force that opposes God in the hearts of men. He whispers his insidious suggestions in their ears and makes his proposal seductive to him. Man is endowed with manifold faculties and is free to use them as he wills. These faculties include his impulses. If he uses these faculties in accordance with the laws of God, constructive results, which are conductive to benefit the interest of all mankind, follow. If, on the other hand, he uses his faculties in a manner repugnant to the laws of God, the results are destructive. The impulses that induce man to use his faculties in contravention of the Divine Laws is called shaitan. The common English equivalent for this world, namely devil, does not properly express the Koranic sense of the original term. The word shaitan has also be used for defiant or rebellious human beings; in other words, for such men as defy the laws of God themselves and also induce others to defy those laws. Since destructive activity inevitably brings frustration and sorrow, shaitan has also been called Iblis, which means a disappointed being who fails to secure happiness in life.