When challenged to explain himself, Iblis did not back down. Many modern commentators would consider this refusal to be a sign of courage, growth, empowerment, individual autonomy, or whatever the latest slogan happens to be. Some might see this in the light of a child becoming an adult by standing up to his father for the first time and dealing with him on equal terms. But AL-LAH is not a father, except metaphorically, for He does not age or die, nor is He in need of children to satisfy Himself, manifest His qualities, or communicate with us. Neither does a human father create his children, possess absolute power, or deserve unconditional obedience. In equating GOD’s authority to that of a father who can be questioned and defied, modern critics of monotheism commit the same mistake made by Iblis (which is no coincidence).
Prior to his defiance, Iblis had distinguished himself as the angels had, by the polarity of their servanthood vis-à-vis GOD’s Lordship. But by refusing, Iblis acquired a new personality, one which has since been transmitted to his descendants and become a defining feature of a class of persons known as shayatin (devils) in the plural or Shaitan (Satan) in the singular. Their whole purpose in life is to justify and magnify that initial act of opposition, to make it as real and pervasive as possible – to subvert the very order of the universe if they can.
Unlike the angels whose personalities are formed around a complementary contrast to GOD, the devils have made their spiritual conflict with AL-LAH the very essence of their lives’ work. But at the heart of this satanic mission lies a vital contradiction (another very personable trait). They remain creatures of AL-LAH, and are dependent on His reprieve for their continued activity. Furthermore, they know that He is GOD, acknowledge His Supremacy, and fear Him accordingly. In that sense, at least, they are closer to Him than the vast majority of the human race. (Satan is not an atheist.)
[Recall] when Satan beautified their deeds for them and said, “No one among mankind can triumph over you today, and truly I am guarding you.” But when each army saw the other, he retreated, saying, “I am free of you; I see what you do not. I fear AL-LAH – and GOD is strict in punishment.” (Q8:54)
وَإِذْ زَيَّنَ لَهُمْ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ وَقَالَ لاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمْ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ النَّاسِ وَإِنِّي جَارٌ لَكُمْ فَلَمَّا تَرَاءَتِ الْفِئَتَانِ نَكَصَ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ وَقَالَ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِنْكُمْ إِنِّي أَرَى مَا لاَ تَرَوْنَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ وَاللَّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
Let us grant him this much: it takes an awful lot of chutzpah to know this, to say this, and yet to keep on working against the One you fear. Only beings of bottomless pride and indomitable resolve – certainly nothing inanimate – could muster the energy to continue with such a hopeless cause.
So does a devil have a personality? Tons of it, obviously – more than most humans appear to have. And are devils persons? Not only are they persons, they can take over, i.e., possess in part or in total, human identities. We may have had a personal encounter with a devil (not the Devil, for ‘he’ is legion) on many occasions without realizing it. For Satan is a master of disguise as well as deception, and can take various forms without breaking a sweat.
You may think that this is all pious tale-telling and folklore, since you have probably never seen a devil (nor an angel, for that matter) or felt him working on you. But if a person is defined by the extent to which he consciously distinguishes himself from his surroundings, visibility in a visible environment is certainly not the only path to take. And just to be clear, a person is never seen, only inferred, i.e. believed to exist on the basis of indirect evidence. As I mentioned earlier, there are credible reasons to deny the reality of a single, persistent self in anyone; it could be nothing but an illusion derived from faulty mental habits.
In any case, a devil’s invisibility in a human, sight-bound world is a distinct personal advantage that in no way contradicts his intentionality, intelligence, or capacity for mischief.
Indeed he and his tribe see you whence you do not see them. Indeed We made the devils guardians for those who have no faith. (Q7:27)
إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ تَرَوْنَهُمْ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ
As for his not being ‘felt’, particularly in our modern, Western, scientific milieu, what better disguise can there be than a cloak of invisibility and anonymity that allows him to go on working unchecked and unsuspected? Our relationship with Satan has become so symbiotic in this fast-paced, media-driven, secular culture that it now feels ‘natural’ – the way things have been, should be, and always will be. A satanic environment in which no one recognizes Satan is ideal (for him); neither the person nor the act is detected, but the influence of both is enhanced.
The GOD You Already Know 