One of my college roommates read the following excerpt to me in undergrad, and it has carried with me ever since. It is a rendition of Satan in the Islamic tradition, and I wanted to see how people respond to it.. Here it is (per fair use, the following <300 word excerpt falls under "relative amount" as it is a 300+ page book).
==========================
In Islam, Satan is identified as the single angel who, setting himself apart from all other angelic beings, refused God's command to bow down before Adam on the day of his creation. When questioned by the Creator as to why he disobeyed, the Devil answered that he bowed down solely to the divine, and not to any of the created. Unrepentant, he also argued that God's will determined all things, so it would not have been possible for him to refuse God's command unless God himself had allowed him to do so.
For this, he was banished from the Heaven and was taken away from the presence of God. No more does the eye of God enlighten him; no more will the touch of God give him joy.
But in spite of his punishment, he has never lost his love for God.
He alone, of all the beings in the cosmos, loves God without gain, without hope, without even the possibility of feeling loved in return. Thus, seen objectively, this unrequited love is the most pure of any. The Devil serves without reward.
Even when bearing the burden of eternal separation, the Devil has taken on the thankless and usually misunderstood task of creating obstacles for human beings. What few realize is that, through rising above these obstacles, we are able to rise to where he cannot go, stepping over him in our ascent toward our own higher natures. The Devil toughens us, forces us to stay awake, and offers lessons as no other angel can. Would we ever have learned to walk if our parents had continuted to carry us everywhere? Our troubles and temptations, even if truly given to us by the Devil, are still ultimately gifts of God.
Fadiman, J., Frager, R. The Essential Sufism, pp.235-236.
What do you think? How does this impact your image of Satan in other western religions, such as Christianity? Muslims: does this gel with your concept of Satan in your religion?
I look forward to being bettered by this discussion!