Ifrit

The ifrit Arghan are slightly crossed and his orange skin spotted all over; he carries a chest over the waters on behalf of Hamza, from a illustration in the Hamzanama[1]

Ifrit, also spelled as efreet, afrit, and afreet (Arabic: عفريت, romanizedʿifrīt, lit.'[ʕifriːt]' (listen), plural عفاريت ʿafārīt), is a powerful type of demon in Islamic culture. The ʿafārīt are often associated with the underworld and identified with the spirits of the dead, and have been compared to evil geniī loci in European culture.[2] In Quran, hadith, and Mi'raj narrations the term is always followed by the phrase "among the jinn". In later folklore, they developed into independent entities, identified as powerful demons or spirits of the dead who sometimes inhabit desolate places such as ruins and temples. Their true habitat is the Jahannam or underworld.[3]

  1. ^ Sleigh, Tom (2018). The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees. Graywolf Press. pp. chapter: 1.11. ISBN 978-1-555-97986-7.
  2. ^ Westermarck, Edward (2014-04-23). Ritual and Belief in Morocco: Vol. I (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. p. 387. ISBN 978-1-317-91268-2.
  3. ^ Chelhod, J. (1960–2005). "ʿIfrīt". The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition (12 vols.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3502.