Evil ones among humans and jinn

The devils that God made enemies of the prophets, in the commentary on al-An'am 112, are a kind that includes devils from humankind and devils from the jinn. Muhammad Rashid Rida reports the disagreement on this, and then prefers, with Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, the view of Mujahid, Qatada and al-Hasan. ¹

Rida relates from 'Ikrima and al-Suddi that all devils are descendants of Iblis, and that there are no devils among humankind. He answers this view with a verse of al-Baqara that tells of people who, when they go apart with their devils, say they are with them, which in his view shows that humankind has devils. ¹ Al-An'am 112

Rida reports that Mujahid, Qatada and al-Hasan said that there are devils among humankind as there are among the jinn, and Ibn Jarir al-Tabari favours this view on the basis of the report of Abu Dharr, who asked the Prophet ﷺ about seeking refuge from the evil of the devils of humankind and the jinn, and Abu Dharr then asked whether humankind has devils. ¹

Rida reports from Ibn Abbas that every rebellious transgressor among the jinn and humankind is a devil. Rida himself holds that the corrupting devils are the wealthy leaders, the arrogant and the chiefs of falsehood who oppose the prophets, those who love leadership gained through falsehood and the affluent who fear for their comfort, and not ordinary people. ²

Rida observes that in his time deception through ornate speech had reached a remarkable level among the devils of politics, who deceive parties and peoples and present enslavement as freedom and misery as happiness by changing names. This is Rida's observation from his own time, and it is attributed to him. ³

Rida presents both views and says the correct one is what was related from Mujahid, Qatada and al-Hasan, that there are devils among humankind, and he rejects the other view with evidence. These preferences are attributed to him.