Images et imaginaires du mal dans les représentations de l’Orient musulman
Images of Evil in the Iconography of the Muslim Orient

Summary/Abstract: In the Islamic world, the creatures most closely related to the Devil are the jinns, which refused to honour Adam, the first human being. Jinns have been created by God with the fire of Hell; they are invisible to human beings but are able to take any appearance they want, most often that of horned animals. Not all jinns are considered bad, some of them do accept the message of the Qur’an, and will be saved on Judgement Day. On the contrary, the devils and their chief, Iblîs, are definitely damned souls. In the Medieval Islamic world, there are several other creatures associated with the Devil, such as the monstrous races of the Dog Men, the eschatological people of Gog and Magog, and several cruel kings such as Dahhak. In certain cases, some daemons may be called upon to help men. For example, when making talismans, magicians use to summon planetary daemons. In all these cases the representation of evil creatures is associated with hybridization, blackness, and ugliness.

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