62 JUDAISM AND ISLAM,
the Jewish commentators understand the words l "the definitely speaking Spirit" to refer to Gabriel. One of Muhammad's own utterances, one which is fully explained only by the 52nd Sunna, is much more striking: 2 "And they will ask thee of the spirit, say: the spirit (proceedeth) at my Lord's command."
With this the teaching about angels is closely connected, and it also had its beginning in Scripture, but appears to have been developed in later days especially through Parseeism. Muhammad is unwearied in his descriptions of angels ; so too are the later Jews in their many prayers on the day of atonement, but these are of rather late origin.3 The angel of death 4 is specially mentioned in Sura XXXII.1l.
While angels were regarded as purely spiritual beings who execute God's commands, a class of beings was imagined who stood between man and the purest spirits; these were mixed spirits, who were made out of fire, 5 who possessed superior mental powers, but who were mostly inclined to evil, they were called 6 demons, but there are numerous other names for them in Arabic. The Talmud has the following statement about them : 7 "Demons
1 rWfflpSl DTI Sanhednn 44.
- Sura XVII. 87. jj ^ ^ ffl Jj
3 Compare Suras XXXV. 1, XXXVII. 1, XL. 7, LXXV1I. 1 ff. LXXIX.IJlff.
4 Sura XXXII. 11.
5 Sura XV. 27.
6
7 fryfn 'ssfptt?
