What has been one of the most discussed topics of the current entertainment world with a religion-centric theme is the question of the Devil (Satan, Iblis, Lucifer - whatever floats your boat), and his eternal damnation.
He was an angel, created by Allah out of fire. Adam was the first human being, created from mud. Doesn't Allah love all his creations equally? Why did he ask one of his creations to bow before another? Doesn't that mean he was forcing one to acknowledge superiority/inferiority over the other? In this case, an angel and a human being.
Iblis refused to do so, and so he was damned to Hell for eternity. But children make mistakes, why such a harsh punishment? This means that on the Day of Judgment, Iblis will be sent to Hell. And so, Satan promised that he would take as many people with him to Hell as possible.
What I didn't understand for so long was, if he was destined to go to Hell, why would he do anything else differently? If you tell an alcoholic that he is going to die the next week irrespective of if he stops drinking or not, he is going to continue drinking. Why already condemn Satan to Hell for one single mistake? Where is the All-Merciful God that we believe in?
This is where the nuances of the story come into play. What we know, what I have discussed above, is mainly the story that we grow up with. What most people fail to realize is that (and this is purely from an Islam point of view, I have heard a little about Lucifer's Cage, and I do not claim to be an expert in any religion) he was not sent to Hell immediately.
He was told that, for his act of disobedience, he will be condemned to Hell on the Day of Judgement. (Does Lucifer's cage not lie in isolation? He has not been condemned to the atrocities of Hellfire, not yet.)
The takeaway here is not that he was eternally damned. It is that he was given a time until the Day of Judgement to right his wrong. And his mistake, ladies and gentlemen, was not refusing to obey his Creator.
His mistake was the lack of repentance he so blatantly displayed while declaring that he would damn as many souls as he could.
His rage was such that he took it upon himself to lead souls astray. Rage; or wrath. Pride, that he was better. Two of the seven sins. Whichever way you look at it, it's not the disobedience that is being relayed as wrong. It is, and has always been, the pure lack of repentance for a wrong done.
This brings me to the point that has evaded me for so long. What this story teaches us, beyond what has already been discussed; is the power of repentance.
Even a soul who has been condemned to Hell (even Lucifer), has a chance at redemption. The catch - genuine repentance. Satan chose a different path, to lead souls to the Pit; but the mere fact that he has not been thrown into Hell yet should tell us that he has been given ample time to make up for his sins.
I might be wrong, I might have missed something; but religion is open to interpretation. I do not claim to be an expert of any sort, I encourage a healthy discussion in matters such as these. A different perspective is always welcome, you know where to leave your thoughts.
(My inspiration for this piece, as usual, stems from the most unusual of places - Supernatural, the TV show. The question of Lucifer never got me thinking until this show, and I am thankful for the number of questions it evokes in anyone perceptive to subtext, and open to a few challenging questions on religion.)