The notions of good and evil are central to almost every religion, and Islam is no different. Muslims believe that evil is a result of the interference of Shaytan, the Arabic word for devil. Shaytan tempts humans to choose evil, and a moral Muslim must use his natural instinct to make the right choice.

1 Origin Islam's shared origin with Judaism and Christianity results in a similar story about the origin of evil in the world, but it differs in many key ways from Jewish and Christian teachings. In Islam, the devil, who is sometimes called Iblis and sometimes Shaytan, rebels against God after the creation of humanity. When God orders all spirits to bow down to Adam, the devil refuses and God rejects him until Judgement Day. From that beginning, the devil promised to tempt humanity with evil and turn them away from God's path.

2 Free Will One of the central tenets of Islam is the notion of free will. God does not force belief or moral practice on humanity; He grants free will to humans as a personal test for each individual. Free will is the source of man's religious accountability, because life would be meaningless if God dictated all human action. It would also mean that all evil came directly from Him. Instead, evil has its source in human decisions and the temptation of the devil.

3 Virtues and Sins Although our natural instinct can help us choose between good and evil, the teachings of Islam help individuals further differentiate between these two. Islam preaches the virtues of justice, mercy and forgiveness in order to achieve a moral life in line with the preaching of the holy text, the Quran. On the other hand, the 70 major sins of Islam, such as worshiping other beings as the equal of God, committing murder or failing to pray, are sources of evil.