Devil, humanity and evil: A comparative study of Al-Syahid and Tikungan Iblis

Kholil, Ahmad and Rahayu, Mundi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1089-2551 (2026) Devil, humanity and evil: A comparative study of Al-Syahid and Tikungan Iblis. Presented at Konferensi Internasional HISKI 35, 26-27 Oktober 2026, Yogyakarta.

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Abstract

This study examines the existence and function of the figure of Iblis in al-Syahid by Taufik al-Hakim and Tikungan Iblis by Emha Ainun Nadjib. Employing a comparative literary approach and in-depth textual analysis, the study investigates how characterization, dialogue, irony, and religious symbolism shape distinct understandings of Iblis within Arab and Indonesian cultural contexts. The analysis is grounded in the concept of theodicy and the philosophical notion of "necessary evil"—the idea that the presence of evil enables moral choice, spiritual testing, and the recognition of goodness. In al-Syahid, Iblis’s desire to repent gives rise to a theological paradox: religious authorities reject his repentance because the absence of temptation would destabilize established concepts of sin, virtue, punishment, and salvation. Thus, Iblis emerges as a necessary component of the religious moral order. In Tikungan Iblis, however, evil is not solely inherent in a supernatural figure; it operates through human desire, political power, materialism, intellectual arrogance, and religious hypocrisy. The study argues that both works transform Iblis into a critical mirror for humanity. While al-Hakim questions institutional religion's reliance on the binary opposition between good and evil, Nadjib demonstrates how human beings internalize and reproduce evil in their daily social lives.

Item Type:	Conference (Paper)
Keywords:	devil; comparative literature; religion; play; human agency
Subjects:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2005 Literary Studies > 200524 Comparative Literature Studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities > Department of English Language and Letters
Depositing User:	Dr Mundi Rahayu
Date Deposited:	29 Oct 2026 13:22

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