Assalaamu alaykum dear Scholars. According to a report found in the text Makaaid Ash-Shaytaan by Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya, Iblees has five sons, he has appointed each of them on one of his affairs, their names are: Thabr, Al-A'war, Musawwat, Daasim, and Zulunboor. My question is the following: is this statement authentic or weak? My second question is: are there any other authentic hadths or texts from the sunnah that mention the names of the five sons of Iblees or the names of the offspring of Iblees? Your assistance in the matter will highly be appreciated. May Allaah reward you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

We have not come across any authentic Prophetic text in this regard. However, Abu Ash-Shaykh Al-Asbahaani wrote in Al-‘Athamah (5/1682), reporting from Mujaahid about the saying of Allaah (which means): {Then will you take him and his descendants as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you?} [Quran 18:50]; that he said:

“Iblees (Satan) laid five eggs: Zalanboor, Daasim, Thabr, Miswat, and Al-A'war. Al-A'war is responsible for Zina (fornication or adultery; He beautifies it and entices people to commit it); Thabr is responsible for calamities (He orders people to rip their clothes, slap their cheeks and make the call of ignorance when stricken by calamity); Miswat is responsible for lies, which he casts people's mouths while they do not know its source); Daasim enters people’s homes: if a person entered his home and did not say 'Salaam', then he enters with him, and if he ate and did not mention the name of Allaah (i.e. say Bismillaah), then he eats with him, and he shows him the items in the house that he cannot find (of which he does not know where they are); as regards Zalanboor, he is the devil of the markets, he sticks his flag in every market between the heaven and the earth.”

Al-'Ayni said in Sharh Al-Bukhari, “Mujaahid narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas, 'It was reported to us that Iblees has many children but that he relies on five of them: Shabr, Al-A'war, Miswat, Daasim, and Zalanboor…'” [End of quote]

However, we have not come across any scholar who authenticated what was reported from Ibn ‘Abbaas and Mujaahid.

Finally, there is no benefit in knowing such a matter, and there is no harm in ignoring it. A person must protect himself from the devils through the supplications for that purpose (such as reciting chapters 112, 113 and 114) and abiding by the sharee'ah, by striving hard against the devil, and by encouraging the people to stick to the religion and avoid following the steps of the devil.

Allaah knows best.