The Story of Jinn, Azazil & Iblis

The Lord of the worlds created the fire of Sammun. From this Fire of Sammun He created the Jinn. And the Jinn created We before of fire flaming (Al-Hijr.27). The first of the Jinn was named Marij and the Lord created second one to be his wife, and she was named Marija. They had a son and they called him Jinn. From them derived all the clans of the Jinn, including Iblis. And the Lord gave them the earth to dwell therein. And they lived and worshipped there for a long time. So much did they worship that the angels grew amazed, and said to the Lord of the Heavens and Earth; Oh our Lord, raise them up to heaven, so that we might learn from them and follow their good example. So the Lord brought Iblis, then Azazil, up to be among the angels and he lived with them in the first heaven. Others remained living on earth and, remained righteous, while a number of them became sinners and transgressed the law, as didi the children of Adam (A.S) after them.

And the earth began to complain of them to the Lord. Oh my Lord, have you created me that I should be peopled by disobedient-folk?. The Lord answered Oh earth, be patient, I shall send prophets among them to lead them back to the straight path. Until that time no prophets had appeared among the Jinn. The Lord sent to them 800 prophets and they killed each one. At last the Lord spoke to Azazil in the first heaven. And He said to him Go. Azazil. Go and fight the unbelievers of your people living on earth. Azazil obeyed and descended onto earth and fought the unbelievers, vanquishing them then the Lord sent down a fire from the skies and it consumed them, so not a trace remained. The only Jinn left alive were the believing and worshipping Jinn.

Again Azazil prayed so eagerly that he was raised up into the first heaven, or according to one narration, he worshipped so much in the first heaven that he was raised up through all the seven heavens and above them. He worshipped on the earth. He worshipped on the heavens, until Adam (A.S) was brought into existence. Then the Lord ordered all the angels to bow down before Adam (A.S).and all the angels obeyed except Iblis.

From Hassan Al Basri (R.A): Iblis worshipped above the seven heavens for more than 70 000 years, until he was raised to the station of Ridwan which is very high station, Ridwan being the guardian of Paradise. Iblis was the guardian of Paradise for 1000 years. Once he read an inscription on the gates of paradise, and it read: There is a servant among the most highly favored servants of the Almighty Lord, and for a long time he will be obedient and serve his Lord well; there will come a day , however, on which he will oppose his Lord and disobey, and he will be driven from His gates and be cursed. Iblis, who was then still called Azazil, read and wondered at this prediction. How can that be.He asked. that one of the closest servants to the Lord should grow disobedient to the Lord of the Worlds and be driven from His Holy Nearness? Oh Lord, he pleaded. Give me permission to curse that rebellious one, whoever he may be. The Lord gave him permission, and Iblis showered curses upon that future sinner for one thousand years, knowing not that it was to be himself.

There is a conflict of opinion between people as to whether Iblis was of the Angels or of the Jinn. But it is written in the Holy Quran, he was one of the Jinn and committed ungodliness against his Lords command.

Because of his extreme virtue and the intensity of his prayers, The Lord raised him up into the heavens to live among the angels. When the Lord ordered them all to bow down and prostrate before Adam (A.S), he refused and his hidden disobedient was exposed.
From: LORE of Light: Stories from the lives of the Prophets

Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (r.a.).

Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (r.a.). earned his livelihood as a professional wrestler. As was the norm, the Leader of Baghdad announced one day, "Today, Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (r.a.). will demonstrate his skills as a wrestler, is there anyone to challenge him." An elderly man shakily stood up with his neck quivering and said, "I will enter the contest with him."

Whoever was witness to this scene could not contain themselves, they burst out howling with laughter, clapping their hands. The King was bound by the law. He could not stop someone who of his own free will entered the bout. The elderly man was given the permission to enter the ring. He was about sixty-five years old. When Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (r.a.). entered the ring, he was dumbfounded as was the King and all the spectators of the Kingdom who were present. The single thought that occupied their minds was, "How will this old man be able to fight?"

The old man addressed Junaid with these words, "Lend me your ears." He then whispered, "I know it is not possible for me to win this bout against you, but I am a Sayyid, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). My children are starving at home. Are you prepared to sacrifice your name, your honour and position for the love of Allah's Prophet and lose this bout to me? If you do this I will be able to collect the prize money and thereby have the means to feed my children and myself for an entire year. I will be able to settle all my debts and above all, the master of both the worlds will be pleased with you. Are you, Oh Junaid, not willing to sacrifice your honour for the sake of the children of Rasulullah (peace be upon him)?"

Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (r.a.). thought to himself, "Today, I have an excellent opportunity."

In a display of fervour Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (r.a.). executed a couple of maneuvers, demonstrating his finesse so that the King does not suspect any conspiracy. Junaid with a great display of antics did not use his strength and allowed himself to be dropped. The elderly man mounted his chest thus entitling him to the prize.

That night, Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (r.a.). had a dream of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who said, "Oh Junaid, you have sacrificed your honour, your nationally acclaimed fame, your name and position which was heralded throughout Baghdad in the __expression of your love for my children who were starving. As of today, your name is recorded in the register of the Auliya Allah(friends of Allah)."

Thereafter, this great wrestler learnt to defeat his nafs (desires) and became one of the most eminent Auliya of his time!

Source: From the book "Tajalliat-e-Jazb" by Shaikh Hakim Muhammad Akhtar.