Do Demons exist?

Let’s strive to find reality!!

The word demon is often used to represent an evil existence. It is considered a supernatural entity.

Satan is a character, Quran says may be from humans or Jins. Demons are Satanic Jins which are non-physical beings. They posses special powers, these powers are not universal but rather limited in nature and scope.

The purpose of demons is to encourage all humans to sin by challenging their faith in God. Temptations can come from the flesh(nafs), the world, and the devil.

There are two extreme behaviors about the existence of demons.

• One relates every evil,every problem to the demons
• Second deny even the existence of demons just because according to them Demons’ existence has not yet been proven by scientific method.

Let’s evaluate both viewpoints on the basis of available knowledge and strive to find reality. I would divide this discussion into two parts on the basis of sources of knowledge(this classification of sources of knowledge is very similar to the classification proposed by Ibn e Khaldun):

• Demons in History or Narrative knowledge
• Demons in Science

Demons in Narrative Knowledge

Demons in Mesopotamia(3500-550BC)

The ancient Iraq (Mesopotamians) believed that the world was populated by powerful demons—semi-divine spirits that affected many aspects of human life.

Demons in Ancient Egypt(3000-550BC)

Although it’s not clearly understood, the idea of evil spirits was also found in the ancient egypt. A notable feature about the existence of Egyptian demons is that most of them appear to have been emissaries of the gods. According to Lucarelli (2010, p.2-3), demons in ancient Egypt were subordinate to the gods and acted under the command of superior deities. This hypothesis can be considered valid with the help of a formulation in the Oracular Amuletic Decrees which refer to a spell for protection against “malevolent gods who make a wrt demon against a man” (Edwards, 1960).