ifrit

ifrit, in Islamic mythology and folklore, a class of powerful malevolent supernatural beings.

The exact meaning of the term ifrit in the earliest sources is difficult to determine. It does not occur in pre-Islamic poetry and is only used once in the Qurʾān, in the phrase “the ifrit of the jinn” (Qurʾān 27:39), where it seems to designate a rebellious member of the jinn (supernatural beings). The phrase recurs in the Hadith (narratives recounting Muhammad’s words, actions, or approbations).

Arabic philologists generally assigned it the triconsonantal root ʿ-f-r, to which they attached the meanings “rebellious” and “strong.” Ifrit subsequently came to refer to an entire class of formidable rebellious beings. Beyond these attributes, though, the characteristics of an ifrit remained vague and unstable, and the term is often indistinguishable in later literature from the mārid, another wicked and rebellious demon.

Popular tales generally depict an enormous winged creature of smoke, either male or female, who lives underground and frequents ruins. Ifrits live in a society structured along ancient Arab tribal lines, complete with kings, tribes, and clans. They generally marry one another, but they can also marry humans. While ordinary weapons and forces have no power over them, they are susceptible to magic, which humans can use to kill them or to capture and enslave them. As with the jinn, an ifrit may be either a believer or an unbeliever, good or evil, but is most often depicted as a wicked and ruthless being.