A Study on the Meaning of Satan in the Holy Qur an Based on the Arabic Culture at the Time of Revelation

Referring to the Arabic culture is among the necessary things for the interpretation of the Qur’an, without which the interpreter will not be able to understand the accurate and correct meaning of the Quranic words and verses. Using an analytical-historical method and referring to the Arabic culture at the time of revelation, the present paper seeks to investigate the meaning of the word "Satan" in the context of various Quranic verses. In Arabic culture, the term “Satan” was used to mean a long rope is used for getting water from deep wells; but later on, the meaning was generalized and came to mean any malignant, destructive and harmful creature, including man, Jinn or animal. The meanings of the term “Satan” in the Qur’an, to which this analysis indicates, include: the Devil and his troops, harmful rebellious jinns, tempting people, gossips, heads of hypocrites, ugly and horrifying snakes, and microbe.