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How was Adam able to see Satan and his whispering to him in Paradise, even though Allah Almighty said: "Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them"? And why did Satan use the serpent to enter Paradise despite being invisible in the first place? And is it true that a war broke out between humans and jinn in the past, in which humans were victorious? And how were humans able to see the jinn in it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

What aligns with the Quran and Sunnah is most deserving of acceptance. Satan whispered to Adam and his wife, as stated in the Quran. As for what has been reported in some Isra'iliyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) about Iblis entering Paradise through the serpent, it is a possible matter and nothing has come to negate it. Therefore, we neither affirm it nor deny it. Regarding the seeing of Iblis, the noble verse: "Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them," does not absolutely negate seeing him. Rather, it means that they see us in a state where we do not see them. It has been confirmed that the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw devils and jinn on several occasions. There is no text in the Book and the Sunnah that indicates a war between jinn and humans; rather, this is closer to superstitions and Isra'iliyat. The important thing is to know the enmity of Satan towards humans and to beware of him.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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