Forms of Devils: Beautiful or Ugly?
Compiled by: Dr. Rida ʿAbdullāh Pasha (ḥafiẓahullāh)
Question:
Can devils (shayāṭīn) assume both beautiful and ugly forms?
Answer:
Let us begin with the Qur’ān:
❝ طَلْعُهَا كَأَنَّهُ رُءُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ ❞
“Its fruit-stalks are as though they are the heads of devils.”
(Surah As-Sāffāt: 65)
According to the scholars, the comparison with the “heads of devils” is due to the repulsiveness and foul appearance of the fruit, thus indicating the hideous nature of shayāṭīn.
Statement of Imām Wahb ibn Munabbih (رحمه الله):
“The hair of the devils rises upward toward the sky. Allah likened the tree of Zaqqūm to their heads, indicating that devils are foul in appearance (قبيح المنظر).”
Another Qur’ānic Reference:
❝ وَجَعَلُوا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجِنَّةِ نَسَبًا ۚ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمَتِ الْجِنَّةُ إِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ ❞
“And they made a lineage between Him and the jinn, but the jinn certainly know that they will be brought forth [for punishment].”
(Surah As-Sāffāt: 158)
Comment of Imām Mujāhid (رحمه الله):
“The polytheists claimed that the angels are the daughters of Allah. Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) asked them, ‘Who are their mothers?’ They replied, ‘The female leaders of the jinn.’”
This indicates the misguided beliefs of the polytheists, associating jinn with Allah and attributing divine offspring to them—an utterly false and blasphemous claim.
Conclusion:
The devils (shayāṭīn) are fundamentally described in Islamic texts as ugly, repulsive, and evil in appearance. The Qur’an itself likens their heads to the fruit of the accursed tree Zaqqūm, known for its loathsome look and taste.
Though it is possible that shayāṭīn may appear in deceiving or misleading forms as part of their trickery, their true form, as referenced by the Qur’an and early scholars, is one of hideousness and ugliness.
