Ifrit

Ifrit, also spelled as efreet, afrit, and afreet (Arabic: عفريت, romanized: ʿifrīt [ʕifriːt] , plural عفاريت ʿafārīt), is a powerful type of demon in Islamic culture. The ʿafārīt are often associated with the underworld and identified with the spirits of the dead, and have been compared to evil genii locorum in European culture. In Quran, hadith, and Mi'raj narrations the term functions as an epithet, always followed by the phrase "among the jinn". Due to the ambiguous meaning of the term jinn, their relation to other spirits is often unclear.

In Arabic dialects, the term is a substantive referring to independent entities, powerful chthonic demons or ghosts of the dead who sometimes inhabit desolate places such as ruins and temples. Their true habitat is the Jahannam or underworld.

Etymology

The word ifrit appears in Surah an-Naml: 39 of the Quran, but only as an epithet and not to designate a specific type of demon. The term itself is not found in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, although variants such as ifriya and ifr are recorded prior to the Quran. Traditionally, Arab philologists trace the derivation of the word to Arabic: عفر, romanized: ʻafara, lit. 'to rub with dust, to roll into dust'. It is further used to describe sly, malicious, wicked and cunning characteristics.