Ifrit, also spelled afreet, afrit, afrite, efrite, ifreet, or efreet, Arabic (male) ʿifrīt or (female) ʿifrītah (Arabic: 'ʻIfrīt': عفريت, pl 'ʻAfārīt': عفاريت), in Islamic mythology and folklore, a class of powerful malevolent supernatural beings.
Etymology[]
The exact meaning of the term ifrit in the earliest sources is difficult to determine. It does not occur in pre-Islamic poetry and is only used once in the Qurʾān, in the phrase “the ifrit of the jinn” (Qurʾān 27:39), where it seems to designate a rebellious member of the jinn (supernatural beings). The phrase recurs in the Hadith (narratives recounting Muhammad’s words, actions, or approbations).
Arabic philologists generally assigned it the triconsonantal root ʿ-f-r, to which they attached the meanings “rebellious” and “strong.”
Myths & Legends[]
Ifrits live in a society structured along ancient Arab tribal lines, complete with kings, tribes, and clans. They generally marry one another, but they can also marry humans. While ordinary weapons and forces have no power over them, they are susceptible to magic, which humans can use to kill them or to capture and enslave them. As with the jinn, an ifrit may be either a believer or an unbeliever, good or evil, but is most often depicted as a wicked and ruthless being.
Appearance[]
Popular tales generally depict an enormous winged creature, either male or female, who lives underground and frequents ruins. They tend to be made of smoke and fire.
Behavior[]
The term Ifrit subsequently came to refer to an entire class of formidable rebellious beings as it's name has a good chance of meaning "strong" and "rebellious". Beyond these attributes, though, the characteristics of an ifrit remained vague and unstable, and the term is often indistinguishable in later literature from the mārid, another wicked and rebellious demon.
Modern Depictions[]
In many recent depictions of the Ifrit in popular modern culture, it is generally considered a powerful fire spirit or elemental. In some cases, the name Ifrit is used to refer to the king of fire creatures.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
The literal meaning of ifrit is “wicked”.
Ifrits are more commonly known as demonic types of jinn, but it is also another Anglo-Arabic word for demons in general (especially jinn and fallen angels, it's only used for demons in Islamic and Arabo-Persian contexts)
Unlike Iblis, taghut, ghoul and marid, ifrits are known as a type of jinni instead of a rank (although the word used in the Quran as an epithet) along with fiery jinn, flier jinn and animalistic jinn.
External links[]
Ifrit - Britannica
| Islamic mythology | |
|---|---|
| Celestial Beings | Angel • Peri • Houri • Ascended demon |
| Demons | Šayṭān • Siʿlāh • Qarīnah • Ḥinn |
| Archangels | Ǧibrīl • Mīkāl • Malak al-Mawt • ʾIsrafīl • Mālik • Riẓ́wān |
| Other Characters | Allah • Iblīs/Satan • Al-Mahdiyy/Messiah |
| Other Creatures | Jinn • Qarīn |