Ibilisi est le nom swahili du diable, emprunté à l'arabe Iblis. Sur la côte est-africaine, marquée par l'islam depuis des siècles, il désigne la figure du mal de la tradition musulmane: le djinn de feu qui refusa de se prosterner devant Adam et fut chassé du paradis. Le terme peut aussi nommer un démon en général.

Quelle est la différence entre Ibilisi et shetani en swahili ?

Les deux mots relèvent du même registre. Ibilisi vient de l'arabe Iblis et renvoie d'abord au diable coranique, la grande figure du mal. Shetani, du même arabe Shaytan, désigne plus largement les démons et esprits malfaisants. Dans l'usage courant swahili, ibilisi peut aussi prendre ce sens élargi de diable ou d'esprit mauvais.

Pourquoi Iblis a-t-il été chassé du paradis ?

Selon le Coran, quand Dieu ordonna aux anges de se prosterner devant Adam, Iblis refusa, se jugeant supérieur parce qu'il avait été créé de feu et Adam d'argile. Pour cet orgueil et cette désobéissance, il fut maudit et rejeté, obtenant toutefois de pouvoir égarer les humains jusqu'au Jour du jugement.

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IBILISI

neutral

Demon

☥ SpiritSwahili →Swahili — SwahiliElder

Gender: MasculineSign: diable

Ibilisi is the name, in the Swahili language, of the devil, borrowed from the Arabic Iblis. On the East African coast, deeply Islamised since the Middle Ages, this term designates the great figure of evil of the Muslim tradition. According to the Quran, Iblis was driven from paradise for refusing to bow before Adam when God ordered the angels to do so: he argued that he had been created of fire, while Adam had been shaped of clay, and was condemned, while obtaining the respite to tempt humans until the Day of Judgement. Iblis is identified with Shaytan, the tempter, and counted among the djinns, beings of fire, rather than among the angels. In the Swahili area, the word ibilisi has taken on a meaning at once precise — that of the Quranic demon — and broader, that of a malevolent spirit or a devil in general, beside the term shetani. It belongs to a set of coastal beliefs in which Islam mingles with local representations of spirits. Ibilisi is thus not a deity proper to an autonomous pantheon, but the Swahili and East African form of a figure shared by the whole Muslim world.

Powers & Attributes

devil

Role in the ROHO universe

Antagonist of the threshold. IBILISI marks the borders of what the Mabioni must contain. Bound to the Swahili pantheon. Its alignment depends on the invoker's protocol.

Sacred Mask

An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of devil, embodiment of the power of Ibilisi

Era

Ancient cycle

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ibilisi?

Ibilisi is the Swahili name of the devil, borrowed from the Arabic Iblis. On the East African coast, marked by Islam for centuries, it designates the figure of evil of the Muslim tradition: the djinn of fire who refused to bow before Adam and was driven from paradise. The term can also name a demon in general.

What is the difference between Ibilisi and shetani in Swahili?

The two words belong to the same register. Ibilisi comes from the Arabic Iblis and refers first to the Quranic devil, the great figure of evil. Shetani, from the same Arabic Shaytan, designates more broadly demons and malevolent spirits. In everyday Swahili usage, ibilisi can also take this broadened sense of devil or evil spirit.

Why was Iblis driven from paradise?

According to the Quran, when God ordered the angels to bow before Adam, Iblis refused, judging himself superior because he had been created of fire and Adam of clay. For this pride and disobedience he was cursed and cast out, obtaining however the power to lead humans astray until the Day of Judgement.

Related spirits

LISA NDULI MTWAA ROHO SHIDA NGOMA

Sources and references

Jan Knappert, Myths and Legends of the Swahili (1970)