Quranic Terms
Question:
Can you please clarify the words shaytan and Iblis? Was Iblis a shaytan or a jinn?
Reply:
The following is a brief description of the Quranic terms you inquired about:
1- Proper names
Iblis (Satan in English) is a proper name; the name of the one who disobeyed God by refusing to bow to Adam.
Similarly, Adam is a proper name; the name of the first man.
2- Creature/species
The words: angels, jinn and humans are all types of creatures.
3- Descriptions
The word shaytan (devil in English) is a description and not a type of creature.
The word shaytan (devil) in the Quran simply means a wicked disbeliever. It is a description just like the word Mumin (believer) is a description and not a type of creature. A shaytan (devil) can be a human or a jinn (6:112).
Examples:
Iblis (Satan): he is a jinn (creature) and he is a devil (description).
Adam: he is a human (creature) and he was a Mumin/believer (description).