When Adam and Eve were "born", the Djinn refused to worship Man. The ethereal beings were considered perverse and vicious, and wouldn't conform to worshipping Man, even though prophets were sent out to save them. Therefore, they were banished from the Earth and sent to live in islands far across the sea. According to the Qur'an, the Islamic Holy Book, Iblis was one of the more important Djinn. When God (Allah) ordered him to bow before Adam and prostrate himself, Iblis refused, seeing Adam as inferior to him as he was made of clay. God then cast him out of heaven until the Day of Judgement came upon the Earth.
It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels prostrate to Adam, and they prostrate; not so Iblis; He refused to be of those who prostrate.
(Allah) said: "What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay."
Qur'an 7:11-12
Iblis was cast out of heaven and given the title of "Shaitan", roughly translated as "evil" or "devil". He defiantly claims that if the punishment for his act will be witheld until the Day of Judgement,
