THE DIABOLICAL SUGGESTIONS OF THE DECEITFUL EBLIS, IN TEACHING THE FRIEND OF EDRIS TO MAKE STATUES OF STONE, AND THE BEGINNING OF IDOLATRY AMONG MEN.

Historians have related that Edris—u. w. b., etc.—had, before his ascent to heaven, a friend on earth, who never separated from the company of his lordship the refuge of prophecy; and as substances are endowed with certain inseparable qualities, in the same manner, also, the said friend was never separated from the noble threshold, and after being deprived of the exalted society of Edris, he never ceased his lamentations, and was highly distressed. Eblis inquired about the cause of his misfortune, and was informed by the man that all his desolation and grief arose from the absence of Edris, and from the loss of the blessing and advantage of his company. Eblis said: ‘If thou wilt, I shall make for thee a statue in the similitude of his person, and by associating therewith thou wilt become pacified.’ The friend agreed, and Eblis constructed a figure representing Edris, at the sight of which the pain of having lost his former companion was diminished. He erected it in his house that no one might see it, and every morning and evening he visited it in order to blot out the rust of grief from the speculum of his mind. It happened that this man suddenly died in his house; as the people had not seen him for several days, they entered his dwelling, and, opening the door, found him dead near a statue, which fact greatly astonished them. On that occasion Eblis made his appearance among them in the shape of a man, saying: ‘Edris and this man who was his friend worshipped this statue of the living God, and therefore their prayers were granted.’ The fraud of Eblis took effect, and every one of the people fabricated an idol, and worshipped it. Thus idolatry spread in the world. Some have asserted that it originated when the children of Adam were guarding their father’s corpse in a coffin, bearing it along wherever they went, and, according to Adam’s command, not allowing Qabil or his children to behold it. Thus Satan got an opportunity to execute his deceit, and going to Qabil and his children he said: ‘If you think fit, I shall prepare for you a statue resembling the body of Adam, which will always remain with you.’ They agreed, and Satan made the promised figure, which the children of Qabil placed into a coffin, and kept with them at home and abroad. In course of time every nation had a statue like the above, and after the lapse of years they by degrees commenced to worship these statues.

Others have said that after the decease of Edris there arose some pious men whose names were as follows: Wadd, Soowâ, Yaghuth, Ya’vuq and Nasser*; whenever one of them attained the mercy of Allah [i.e. when he died] his adherents fabricated a statue in his likeness for their consolation, and kept it in the house; when these adherents died, Satan persuaded their descendants that these statues were gods; they believed his words, and began to adore them. These idols having been lost in the deluge which happened during Nûh’s time, Eblis again found them, and gave one to each tribe. Thus he presented Wadd to the Beni Kalb, Soowâ to the tribe Hozayil, Yaghuth to the tribe Mazhaj, Ya’vuq to the tribe Qoza’a, and Nasser to the tribe Hamyar. This despicable religion flourished until Islâm was established. There are also various opinions about the beginning of fire-worship, one of which has been narrated in the story of Qabil. Some maintain that the religion of ignolatry originated in Ebrahim’s time, since Satan suggested to the people that the cause of Ebrahim’s not having been injured by fire was because he had worshipped it.* Others assert that as God —w. n. b. e.—threatened mankind with fire by means of the prophets, Satan said to the people: ‘You ought to adore fire, then it would not burn you on the day of the resurrection.’ From all these opinions, however, it does not appear when this blamable custom originated. Another party affirms that when Zartusht [Zoroaster] came forward with his pretensions to prophetship in the time of Gushtasp [Darius?], and made a book called ‘Zend’ [Avesta], whence one who believes in it is surnamed Zendiq, he invited people to worship fire, saying: ‘Whoever worships fire in this world, God—w. n. b. e.—will not afflict him therewith in the next.’