The Jinn

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The Qur’aanic View about the Jinn

 

Allah has enlightened us on the subject of Jinn through the seventy second (72nd) Surah Surah Al-Jinn, revealed late in Makkah and various other aayaat in the Holy Qur’aan. 

 

The Holy Qur’aan reveals that Jinn are created from fire whereas the human beings are created from clay. Although they are invisible to human eyes, the jinn can see us. Like human beings they are also entrusted with responsibilities (careers, family life, etc.). They too will be rewarded for their righteousness and will receive punishment for their wickedness. 

 

“I created jinn and mankind only that they may worship me.” 
(Al Zariyat:56) 

 

“Whosoever fears the standing before his Lord, for him there are two paradises.” 

(Rahman:46) 

 

“And among us ( the Jinns ) there are the righteous folk and among us there are far from that; we are sects having different rules.” 
(Jinn:11) 

 

Views from Ahadith

 

Ahadith enlighten us further and some of these are quoted below: 

 

1. Jinn have been given power to change their form and appear in front of human beings in various forms; such as an animal, a reptile, or even a human being. In a hadith from Abu Saeed Khudri , it is believed that a jinn came in the form of a gigantic serpent. It is narrated that:- 

 

“A sahabi , returning from the battle of Khandaq saw his newly wed wife stood outside their house. He could not bear this sight and got extremely angry . He pointed the spear (at her), which he had in his hand , and asked her for an explanation. She asked him to go inside the house and see what was there before taking any further action against her. She was obviously scared by what she had seen. He entered the house and saw a huge python. He (thought he) killed the python but as he was returning, it suddenly attacked him and it was not known which of the two had died first. 

 

Upon learning about the above incident, the Holy Prophet remarked, “Indeed you will find some inhabitants within your household, so whenever you come across any of these warn them three times, if they go away it is alright otherwise you may kill them.”  The serpent, it seems, was a jinn. 

 

Shaytaan, who is also from the family of Jinn, came in the form of an old man on the day of Badr (the famous battle in the year 2 A.H.). He tried to uplift the morals of the kafir fighters but when he saw the army of the angels descending to aid the Muslims, he could not bear the sight of them and ran away. 

 

2. It was the custom of Jahiliyyah to fear the Jinn. Throughout their journey whenever the mushrikeen would break the journey in a desert or in a jungle, They would seek the refuge of the Jinns in that area.  This would encourage the Jinn to cause a lot of disturbance and also increase their revolt. 

 

3. Upon the advent of the Holy Prophet  , many jinns accepted the mission and message of the Holy Prophet . They heard the Qur’aan read by the Noble Prophet  while performing Fajr salaah in Ukaz and they also began to believe in the Prophet . As such, amongst the Jinns, there too are different religions, groups, sects and cults such as Christians, Jews, etc,. Among those who call themselves Muslims there are sects like Ahle Sunnah, Qadiani, Shiahs, etc,. 

 

4. Human beings are superior to Jinns. The Jinns can never harm human beings if tackled in the right manner. When a jinn starts to like someone he follows him or her around. If he does something extraordinary and that person gets frightened, the Jinn will tease him more but if he reacts in a brave manner, the Jinn will disappear. 

 

4.1 Mujahid, a student of Ibn Abbas says:- 

 

“After Ibn Abbas’s death a shaytaan would constantly appear before me in the form of Ibn Abbas whenever I started salaah. This got so worse that at times I was forced to break my salaah. So I decided to confront him next time he appeared and so I hid a dagger in my pocket and started salaah. When he came in front of me, I took out the dagger and jumped on him. He disappeared instantly and thereafter he never came back.” 

 

4.2 Similarly, Hazrat Thanwi rahmatullahi alaihe has narrated that:- 

 

“Once in the city of Kufa, in Iraq, a merchant arrived and was searching for a rented accommodation. All the properties were full and someone directed him to a house which was empty and believed to be haunted. He was so tired that he did not care and decided to rent the property. When he was retiring to bed a  huge black jinn came in front of him. He immediately started to recite the ‘Ayatul Kursi’. The jinn also followed his recitation and when he read the words, ‘Wala ya’uduhu hifzuhuma’ (‘And their ( the sky and the earth) safeguarding does not burden him’)  the Jinn could not follow and stopped. The person understood the consequences of the words and recited the same words again and again until the jinn faded away. The merchant went to sleep and in the morning when he got up he saw the burnt ashes in the place where the jinn appeared. He was burnt by the power of Allah.” 

 

Actions& Precautionary Measures

 

5. As mentioned above human beings are superior to Jinns and as such can eliminate contact and any harm caused by them, if we adopt the ways taught to us by our Holy Prophet . These are:- 

· Try not to stay ‘Naa paak’ (in the state of impurity) for a prolonged period. 

· Perform salaah five times daily; 

· Constant rememberance of Allah through zikr (the heart of a zakir is alive whereas a non -zakir’s heart is dead); 

· If confronted by a Jinn then recite Auzu billah ......; Lahawla wa la quwwata..... and  the last two chapters of Qur'aan, Qul auzu birrabinas and Qul auzu birabil falaq; 

· Recite daily a few pages of  Surah Baqara as shaytaan does not have the ability to enter a room in which Surah Baqara is read. 

 

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Question: Is there any truth behind the myth that humans can be possessed by jinns? 

 

Answer: To exorcise (expel evil spirits) on humans is an act which had been practiced by the Prophets alaihimus salaam themselves and the pious, using those ways regarding which Allah Ta’ala commanded. 

 

Prophet Isaa used to practice this as well as our Noble Prophet .

 

Imam Ahmed has narrated in his Musnad and Imaam Abu Dawood in his Sunan the hadith of Matr ibn Abdur Rahman Al-Anaq. He says: 

‘Umm Aban binte al-Wazi ibn Zare ibn Aamir Al-Abdi narrates from her father that her grandfather Az-Zare’ went to the Holy Prophet   with his possessed, insane son (or his nephew (sister’s son). She says my grandfather said: 

 

“When we came to the Holy Prophet  I said, ‘I have  come to you with my son (or nephew) who is possessed so that you pray to Almighty Allah for him.” The Prophet  said, “Bring him to me.” 

 

He further says, “I took him to the Holy Prophet  while the child was mounted. I dismounted him and took off his travel clothes and made him wear a pair of beautiful clothes. Then I grasped him by the hand and led him to the Messenger of Allah  who said, “Bring him close to me and put his back towards me.” 

 

He also commanded for his clothes to be taken off. Then he raised his hands and put them on the child’s back in such a way that I saw his armpits. He was saying, “Come out O’ enemy of Allah! Come out O’ enemy of Allah!” Then the boy began to gaze with his true eyes and not with the previous gaze. 

 

Then the Holy Prophet  made him sit in front of him and sent for some water with which he wiped the child’s face and the  Holy Prophet   prayed for him. 

 

After the Holy Prophet’s   prayer for the child, no one in the group was superior to the child (i.e. in intelligence and understanding).’ 

Imaam Ahmad says in his Musnad that Abdullah ibn Nameer narrated to us from Uthman ibn Hakeem, he says: 

 

“Abdur Rahman ibn Abdul Aziz informed us about Ya’la ibn Murrah that he said, ‘Surely I have seen three things from the Messenger of Allah  which no one has seen before me nor will anyone see them after me. 

 

I went with the Holy Prophet  on a journey. When we had covered a little distance we passed by a woman who was sitting down with a child. She said, ‘O’ Messenger of Allah , this child has been inflicted with a calamity and we have been inflicted because of him. I cannot count the amount of fits he has during a single day.’ 

 

The Holy Prophet  said, ‘Bring him to me.’ The woman lifted the child towards him and placed the child between the Holy Prophet  and the saddle. 

 

They lifted him up and the Holy Prophet  spat at him three times. 

 

Then he said, ‘In the name of Allah. I am his servant. Come out O’ enemy of Allah.’ Then he returned the child to the woman and said, ‘Meet us on our return, at this place, and inform us about his actions.” 

 

The narrator says, “We went and then we returned to find her in that place. She had three goats with her. The Noble Prophet  asked, ‘What is the condition of your child?’ 

 

She replied, ‘I swear by the name of the Divine Being who sent you with the truth that up to now we have not perceived anything from him. Sacrifice these goats.’ 

 

The Holy Prophet  said, ‘Get down and take one goat from her and return the rest.” Then he narrated the remaining hadith. 

Wakee’ narrates that Al-Amash conveyed to us from Al-Madinah ibn Amr who narrates from Ya’la ibn Murrah who says that his father said: 

“A woman came to the  Holy Prophet  with her child who was insane. The Holy Prophet  said, ‘Get out O’ enemy of Allah, I am the Messenger of Allah.’ 

 

He says the child became healthy and the woman gifted to the Prophet  two rams, some cheese and butter. The Holy Prophet  said, ‘Take the cheese, butter and also one of the rams but return the other to her.’” 

 

Ya’la ibn Murrah Ash-Thaqafee   says, “I have seen three things from the Holy Prophet ,” then he narrated a hadith and in it he said, “Then we travelled and passed by some water. A woman came to the Holy Prophet   with her son who was possessed by a jinn. The Holy Prophet  took hold of his nose and said, ‘Come out, surely I am Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.” 

 

The narrator says, “Then we went and when we returned from our journey we passed by that place. That woman came to the Holy Prophet  with a goat’s child and some milk. 

 

The Holy Prophet  ordered her to take the goat’s child back and ordered his companions   to drink the milk. Then he enquired about her child she replied, ‘In the name of the Being who sent you with the truth we have not seen anything wrong with him after you went.” 

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Detailed reading Here

 

CONTENTS

Introduction

Proof of Existence of Jinns

Sects

Hierarchy Of Jinn (fig1)

Distribution (fig2)

Names

Presence - Walk - Throne

Death& after death
 

Reward& Punishment
 

Magic of Jinn’s
 

Missiles

A bit of sound advice
 

Invocations( Duas )
 

Exorcism

Solutions

[ummtaalib]

Question

Salaam

I have a “quite a few” questions regarding Jinns.

1. Firstly I’ve have heard that there are more Jinns than humans, if that is true does that mean that there are more than 6 Billion Jinns?

2. Coz Jinns also have 2B Muslims too, does that mean that Man & Jinn are equal, will we both judged the same way or is 1 regarded higher than the other? coz a Jinn prays at a Mosque that I know & they wanted 2 knock it all down so they could rebuild it, but they had 2 get permission from the Jinn First & also he prays at a certain place, so no1 is allowed 2 pray there. Its the only Mosque that I know which a Jinn prays.

3. Do they have their own Mosque in which they pray or can they only pray at Human Mosques?

4. Have there been any Messengers that were Jinns sent just 2 tell the truth 2 Jinns?

5. Prophet Suliman (peace be upon him) could control the Jinns, what did he do 2 the Jinns, did he make them all Muslim?

6. A Witch, whos feet are backwards are they also a Jinn or a different thing altogether?

7. Can a Jinn posses u just like that, coz Jinns are suppose 2B in toilets, can those Jinns harm or posses u?

8. And Finally Will Jinns only been seen by Humans if they want themselves 2B seen. Is it true that sometimes a Photo Camera can take a picture of a Jinn & same with a camcorder when the person taking it cannot see it?

Jazakallah

 

 

Answer

Bismillah

Al-jawab billahi at-taufeeq (the answer with Allah’s guidance)

1) Undoubtly the creation of the Jinn came before the creation of man, because Allah Ta’ala says,

 

“And indeed, We created man from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud. And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire.” (15:26,27)

 

This verse clearly states that the Jinn were created before man.

 

2) Allah Ta’ala created the Jinns for the same purpose as that for which he created mankind.

Allah Ta’ala says,

 

“And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).” (51:56)

On this basis, the Jinns are accountable and subject to commands and prohibitions. Whoever obeys Allah and His Rasul, Allah will enter him in paradise.

On the day of ressurection, Allah Ta’ala will say, addressing the Kuffar of the jinn and mankind, rebuking them:

 

“O you assembly of jinns and mankind! “Did not there come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?” They will say: “We bear witness against ourselves.” It was the life of this world that deceived them. And they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.” (6:130)

 

They will also be punished in Hell like humans.

 

“(Allah) will say: “Enter you in the company of nations who passed away before you, of men and jinns, into the Fire.” Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before), until they will be gathered all together in the Fire. The last of them will say to the first of them: “Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire.” He will say: “For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.” (7:38)

In another place, “And surely, We have created many of the jinns and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.” (7:179)

 

3) Both are possible.

 

4) Allah Ta’ala says,

 

“O you assembly of jinns and mankind! “Did not there come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?” They will say: “We bear witness against ourselves.” It was the life of this world that deceived them. And they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.”

 

Messengers to Jinns were human. Al Suyooti (RH) said, “The majourity of scholars, of the earlier and later generations, say that there has never been a Messenger or prophet among the Jinns. What makes it more likely, that human messengers were also the messengers to the Jinns is what the Jinn said when they heard the Quran.

 

“And (remember) when We sent towards you (Muhammad SAW) Nafran (three to ten persons) of the jinns, (quietly) listening to the Quran, when they stood in the presence thereof, they said: “Listen in silence!” And when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners. They said: “O our people! Verily! We have heard a Book (this Quran) sent down after Moosa (Moses), confirming what came before it, it guides to the truth and to a Straight Path (i.e. Islam).” (46:30)

 

The message of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is universal and is addressed to both humans and Jinns.

 

“Say (O Muhammad SAW): “It has been revealed to me that a group (from three to ten in number) of jinns listened (to this Quran). They said: Verily! We have heard a wonderful Recital (this Quran)! It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed therein, and we shall never join (in worship) anything with our Lord (Allah). ” (72:1,2)

 

5) There is no mention that he made them Muslims. Yes, they were subdued to his control. Allah Ta`ala blessed him with authority over them.

Allah Ta’ala Says,

 

“He said: “My Lord! Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me: Verily, You are the Bestower.”

“So, We subjected to him the wind, it blew gently to his order whithersoever he willed,”

“And also the Shayâtin (devils) from the jinns (including) every kind of builder and diver,”

“And also others bound in fetters. “

“[saying of Allah to Sulaiman (Solomon)]: “This is Our gift, so spend you or withhold, no account will be asked.” (38:35-39)

 

Allah Ta’ala also says,

” And to Solomon (We subjected) the wind, its morning (stride from sunrise till midnoon) was a month’s (journey), and its afternoon (stride from the midday decline of the sun to sunset) was a month’s (journey i.e. in one day he could travel two months’ journey). And We caused a fount of (molten) brass to flow for him, and there were jinns that worked in front of him, by the Leave of his Lord, and whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the torment of the blazing Fire. “

 

“They worked for him what he desired, (making) high rooms, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their places). “Work you, O family of Dâwud (David), with thanks!” But few of My slaves are grateful. “

 

“Then when We decreed death for him [sulaimân (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinns) of his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick, so when he fell down, the jinns saw clearly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment.” (34:12-14)

 

6) We have not seen shayateen and Jinns, hence we cannot comment on their feet.

 

7) Verses of the Quraan and du’as for Seeking refuge and effective in repelling the Evil Jinn:

 

Say ” ‘Audhu billah” (I seek refuge in Allah) and other zikr (remembrance of Allah, Ta’ala) when the evil whisper of Shaitaan comes upon you, such as

1) when becoming angry,
2) having confusing or disobedient thoughts,
3) when approached by arrogants who dispute the Truth of the Ayats of Allah Ta’ala,
4) when about to recite Qur’an,
5) or when in any situation that Quran and Sunnah teaches you is a result of the Shaitaan.

 

“And if an evil whisper from Shaitan (Satan) tries to turn you away (O Muhammad SAW) (from doing good, etc.), then seek refuge in Allah. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” (Fussilat 41:36)

 

“And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitân (Satan) then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.” (Al-A’raaf 7:200, 201)

 

Verily, those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious – see V.2:2), when an evil thought comes to them from Shaitân (Satan), they remember (Allâh), and (indeed) they then see (aright).

 

“Verily, those who dispute about the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, without any authority having come to them, there is nothing else in their breasts except pride [to accept you (Muhammad SAW) as a Messenger of Allâh and to obey you]. They will never have it (i.e. Prophethood which Allâh has bestowed upon you). So seek refuge in Allâh (O Muhammad SAW from the arrogants). Verily, it is He Who is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” (Ghaafir 40:56)

 

“So when you want to recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Shaitan (Satan), the outcast (the cursed one).” (An-Nahl 16:98)

 

In Al-Muwatta 51.10

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, “When the Messenger of Allah was taken on the Night Journey, he saw an evil jinn seeking him with a torch of fire. Whenever the Messenger of Allah turned, he saw him. Jibril said to him, ‘Shall I teach you some words to say? When you say them, his torch will be put out and will fall from him.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Yes, indeed.’ Jibril said, ‘Say, ‘I seek refuge with the Noble Face of Allah and with the complete words of Allah which neither the good person nor the corrupt can exceed, from the evil of what descends from the sky and the evil of what ascends in it, and from the evil of what is created in the earth and the evil of what comes out of it, and from the trials of the night and day, and from the visitations of the night and day, except for one that knocks with good, O Merciful!”

 

Audhu bi wajhi’llahi’ l-karim wa bi kalimati’llahi’t-tammati. Allati la yujawazu hunna barra wa la fajir, min sharri ma yanzil min as-sama, wa sharri ma yaruju fiha, wa sham ma dhara’ fi’l-ard, wa sharri ma yakhruju minha, wa min fitani’l-layli wa’n-nahar, wa min tawariqi’l-layli wa’n-nahar illa tariqan yatruq bikhayr ya Rahman!

 

The Ayat “Al-Kursi” (2:255) is well-known as a means for repelling mischievious jinn…

Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever, Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great (Ayat-ul-Kursi). (Al-Baqara 2:255)

 

In Majmu, vol. 19, p. 55, Ibn Taymiyyah says,

 

“The numerous people who have experienced these events all confirm the amazing effectiveness of this verse in warding off jinn and breaking their spells. It [editor's note: ayat al-Kursi] has a great effect in repelling devils from humans, from the possessed and from those picked out by jinn, such as wrongdoers, people with bad tempers, those who follow their desires and lusts, musicians and those who become ecstatic through whistling and clapping. If these verses are read over them with sincerity to Allah, the jinn will leave. It will put an end to the mirages created by the jinn. It will also disclose the falseness of those, the brothers of the jinn, who perform miraculous acts. The jinn inspire their devotees with some knowledge that the ignorant think are miracles that Allah grants His pious servants. In fact, they are simply Shaytaan’s acts of deception over his devotees, of those whom have earned Allah’s wrath and those who have gone astray.”

 

Narrated An-Nu’man ibn Bashir:

Allah’s Messenger said, “Two thousand years before creating the heavens and the Earth, Allah inscribed a book of which He sent down two verses with which He concluded surat al-Baqarah. The Devil will not come near a house in which they are recited three nights.” [Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition.] (Tirmidhi 2145)

 

Jinns in the toilet may harm a person or see one undress:

So, mentioning the name of Allah before entering the toilet or taking off your clothes will prevent the jinn from seeing a person in a state of undress or harming him. The Prophet (sallahu alahi wa sallam) says: To put a barrier that will prevent the jinn from seeing the `awrah of the sons of Adam, let any one of you say Bismillah when entering the toilet. (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

 

You should recite this Du’a before entering toilet.

Reported by Anas ibn Malik (ra) who says: When the Messenger of Allah (sallalalhu alaihi wa sallam) entered the toilet, he would say, ‘Allahumma inni a`udhu bika min al-khubuthi wal-khabaith (O Allah, I seek Refuge with You from all offensive and wicked things [evil deeds and evil spirits]).’ (Bukhari)

Recite Surahs Al-Falaq (Chapter 113) and An-Nas (Chapter 114)..

 

Narrated Abu Sa’id al-Khudri :

The Prophet used to seek protection against the Jinn and the evil eye till surahs al-Falaq and an-Nas were revealed. After they were revealed he stuck to them and discarded everything beside them. [Transmitted by Tirmidhi] (Al-Tirmidhi 1019)

 

Narrated Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

Allah’s Messenger used to seek refuge in Allah from jinn and the evil eye in men till the Mu’awwidhatan came down, after which he made use of them and abandoned everything else. [Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan gharib tradition] (Al-Tirmidhi 4563)

 

8) They are called Jinns because they conceal themselves from people’s sight.

 

Allah Ta’ala says,

O Children of Adam! Let not Shaitan (Satan) deceive you, as he got your parents (Adam and Hawwa (Eve)) out of Paradise, stripping them of their raiments, to show them their private parts. Verily, he and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinns or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see them. Verily, We made the Shayatin (devils) Auliya (protectors and helpers) for those who believe not. (7:27)

 

Many people in our times and in the past have seen things like that, even though many of those who have seen or heard them did not realize that they were Jinn; they (Jinns) claimed that they were ghosts, angels. The most truthful report of this type is the report that the messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) saw the Jinn and that he spoke with them and they with him, that he taught them and recited the Quran to them.

 

(The world of the Jinns & Devils, by Dr Umar S. Alashqar)

And Only Allah Ta’ala Knows Best.

 

————————————–
Moulana Qamruz Zaman

London, UK

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[ummtaalib]

Some Aspects Concerning the Jinn

 

Photo matt mosher, “Ghost Fog”

 

By Mawlana Qari Muhammad Tayyib al-Qasimi

Translated by Mohammad Javed Qasmi

 

Rights of Jinns

Jinns too live in this world having basic rights to food, shelter and security, which nobody can deny them. The way they live in desolate and deserted places, they have right to live in our houses too. Hadiths tell us that Jinns live in every house. We do not perceive them because they mind their own business and do not interfere with ours, and when a wicked one of them creates troubles in our lives, we say that this home or person is possessed and consult an exorcist who imprisons or burns the troublesome Jinns with his exorcism. However, we are allowed to stand against and even fight with Jinns, in case they persist in their wickedness.

 

Various Religions of Jinns

As for the pious and Muslim Jinns, we need not to worry about driving them out of our houses; rather their strength and goodness may come helpful for us. However, wickedness and trouble making is not tolerable even of human beings let aside of Jinns.

 

It is a fact that Jinns include all types of individuals: good and bad; Muslims and pagans; Jews and Christians as Qur’an clearly points out.

Before the prophethood of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, Jinns were allowed to go up near the doors of the heaven and eavesdrop on a few Diving words from angles’ conversation. Then back down on earth, they would pass on those words with lots of fabrications and concoctions to their followers, and they fooled common folk claiming that they knew the future. When after the prophethood of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم they got banned from climbing up to heaven, they grew anxious to know the main reason which restricted their eavesdropping. Some of the Jinns undertook to find out the actual reason for the restriction. They roamed around from east to west and north to south. A few of them happened to pass by the [city of Makkah] and heard Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم reciting the Glorious Qur’an. Hearing such unique, unprecedented and impressive words, they understood that it was the guidance that restricted their transgression. They went away and informed their brethren:

 

“Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recitation. It guides to the Right Path and we have believed therein (this Qur’an)” (Qur’an 72:1,2).

 

It shows that they [the Jinns] were disbelievers, who later accepted Islam. Thus, there emerged two categories of them: Muslims and non-Muslims. More they said:

 

“And we shall never join in worship anything with our Lord (Allah)” (Qur’an 72:2).

 

It indicates that some of them were monotheists and some polytheists.

 

Further it was said:

 

“And He, exalted is the Majesty of our Lord, has taken neither a wife nor a son (for offspring or children)” (Qur’an 72:3).

 

This tells that some of them were Christians, who believed that Allah Almighty has a wife and son.

 

More, they said:

 

“And that the foolish among us (i.e. Iblis or the atheists among the Jinn) used to utter against Allah that which was an enormity in falsehood” (Qur’an 72:4).

 

This verse clearly establishes that some of them, out of their foolishness, were habitual of attributing their false ideas to Allah and spread a set of lies [in] the name of religion and revelation.

 

From the above paragraphs, it has been proved that there are various sects and religions among Jinns; but still their basic rights are intact. All that could be done is to punish wrongdoers as in human cases, but their rights cannot be denied. There is even a juristic debate if humans and Jinns can intermarry.

 

Jurists’ Discussion

Some jurists allow intermarriage between humans and Jinns arguing with the fact that Jinns are as sensible as humans and equally governed by the Islamic Shari’ah and its commandments. Moreover they can take human appearance too.

While some others, looking at the fact that marriage is permissible only between those who are genetically similar, deny it and say that marriage between Jinns and humans is like marriage between a goat or cow and a human being, which is not allowed, as partners are genetically dissimilar.

 

Prophet Muhammad Preaching to Jinns

It is narrated in a Hadith that once a delegation of Jinns from Nasībīn came to Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and requested, “O Messenger of Allah! A group of our brothers has assembled in a place, you are cordially requested to come over there and deliver some wise words and let us know commandments related to us as well as answer some of our queries.”

 

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم went there with Abdullah Ibn Masood رضي الله عنه. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم reached the foothill where the Jinns were assembled, he drew a circle and commanded Abdullah Ibn Masood رضي الله عنه to stay within it.

 

Abdullah Ibn Masood رضي الله عنه reports that he saw peculiar people passing by the circle but unable to enter, though their voices were heard. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم delivered to them words of wisdom and taught Islamic commandments, [amongst them] was that humans should avoid using bones to purify themselves after responding to [the call of nature], because bones serve as provision for Jinns. Violation of their rights to livelihood, therefore, [is] prohibited, as a Hadith says that when humans take meat off off bones and throw out [the bones], Jinns get them full of meat. The Hadith also states that humans used bones for purifying themselves after attending [to the call of nature]. Jinns complained about it to Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and he prohibited its use for this purpose. All this insures the protection of Jinns’ rights and we are not allowed to interfere with them. Likewise, it is unlawful to remove them from their abode unless they cause trouble.

 

Nature of Address to Jinns

[…] Jinns are addressed like humans [and] not separately as they have no Shari’ah exclusively for them. They have to follow the same Shari’ah as humans. So the Jews among Jinns believe in Musa عليه السلام and follow the Torah that was sent to human Jews. Likewise, Jinns among Christians and Muslims do not have a book of their own, but follow Isa عليه السلام and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم respectively and adhere to the books sent to human Christians and Muslims. So they are of course addressed and asked to follow Islamic commandments but through humans.

 

Why Prophets Not Sent Among Jinns?

Angels are all virtue with no shadow of vice, whereas Jinns are mostly rife with vice and possess little virtue; and for prophethood, not only dominance of virtue is required but a full portion of it. Therefore, no prophet was sent among Jinns lest they fail to pass on [practicing the Shari’ah], because of the [dominance of evil within] them. Jinns were addressed indirectly through humans so that they learn how to keep away from flaws and mistakes in understanding and conduct. Therefore, they were asked to follow the prophets sent among humans.

 

Extracted from Human Being: A Distinguished Creature.

Courtesy of Al Qamar Publications

Note: This article has been edited for spelling, grammar, and style.

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