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The Quran and Sunnah (Prophet's sayings) indicate that the jinn exist, and
that there is a purpose for their existence in this life, which is to worship
Allah Alone, with no partner or associate. Allah says (interpretation of the
meanings):
"And
I (Allah) created not the jinn and humans, except they should worship Me
(Alone)." [Al-Thariyat 51:56]
"O
assembly of jinn and mankind! Did there not come to you Messengers from
amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses…?" [Al-An'aam 6:130]
The
world of the jinn is an independent and separate world, with its own distinct
nature and features that are hidden from the world of humans. Jinns and humans
have some things in common, such as the possession of understanding and the
choice between the way of good and the way of evil. The word jinn comes from
an Arabic root meaning "hidden from sight". Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"…
Verily he (Shaytaan / Satan) and his qabeeluhu [his soldiers from the jinn or
his tribe] see you from where you cannot see them…" [al-A'raaf 7:27]
Allah
has told us in His Book the essence from which the jinn were created. He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And
the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire." [Al-Hijr
15:27]
"And
the jinn did He create from a smokeless flame of fire." [al-Rahmaan
55:15]
According
to a hadeeth narrated by 'Aa'ishah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) said:
"The
angels were created from light, the jinn were created from fire, and Adam was
created from that which has been described to you (soil)." (Reported by
Muslim, 5314).
Types
of jinn
Allah
has created different types of jinn. Among them are some that can take on
different forms, such as dogs and snakes; some who are like flying winds with
wings; and some that can travel and rest. Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
'The
jinn are of three types: a type that has wings, they fly through the air; a
type that looks like snakes and dogs; and a type that stops for a rest then
resumes its journey." Saheeh (authentic).
The
jinn and the sons of Adam
Every
individual among the sons of Adam has a jinn who has been appointed to be his
constant companion (qareen). Ibn Mas'ood said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
'There
is not one of you who does not have a jinn appointed to be his constant
companion.' They said, 'And you too, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'And me
too, but Allah has helped me and he has submitted (became a believing Muslim),
so that he only helps me to do good.'" (Reported by Muslim, 2814).
Their
powers
Allah
has given the jinn powers that he has not given to humans. Allah has told us
about some of their powers, such as the ability to move and travel quickly. An
'ifreet (genie) from among the jinn guaranteed to the Prophet Sulaymaan
(Solomon), peace be upon him, that he would bring the throne of the Queen of
Yemen to Jerusalem in a moment faster than that needed for a man to get up
from where he was sitting. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"An
'ifreet (strong genie) from the jinns said: 'I will bring it [her throne] to
you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong,
and trustworthy for such work.' One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture
said: 'I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!' - then when
Sulaymaan saw it placed before him, he said, 'This is by the Grace of my
Lord…'" [al-Naml 27:39-40]
The
food and drink of the jinn
The
jinn eat and drink. Ibn Mas'ood said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
'Someone
from among the jinn called me, and I went with him and recited Quran for
them.' He took me and showed me the traces of where they had been and the
traces of their fires. They asked him for food and he said, 'You can have
every bone on which the name of Allah has been mentioned that comes into your
possession, as meat, and all the droppings as food for your animals.' The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, 'So do not use [these
things] for cleaning yourselves [after relieving oneself], for they are the
food and provision of your brothers.'" (Reported by Muslim, 450).
The
believing jinn may eat any bone on which the name of Allah has been mentioned,
because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not
permit them to have anything on which Allah's name has not been mentioned -
those are for the kuffaar (disbelievers) among the jinn.
The
beasts of the jinn
According
to the hadeeth narrated by Ibn Mas'ood, that we have quoted above, the jinn
asked the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for provision,
and he said to them: "…and [you can have] all the droppings as food for
your animals."
The
dwelling-places of the jinn
The
jinn live on this earth where we do. They are mostly to be found in ruins and
unclean places like bathrooms, dunghills, garbage dumps and graveyards. Hence
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us to take
precautions when entering such places, by reciting the athkar (prayers)
prescribed by Islam. One of these was reported by Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah
be pleased with him), who said:
"When
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered the
toilet, he would say,
'Allahumma
innee a'oothu bika min al-khubuthi wa'l-khaba'ith (O Allah, I seek refuge with
You from the evil ones, male and female).'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
142; and Muslim, 375).
Some
jinns are Muslims and some are kaafirs (disbelievers)
Allah
tells us that some of the jinn said (interpretation of the meaning):
"And
some of us are Muslims, and of us some are al-qaasitoon (disbelievers - those
who have deviated from the Right Path). And whosoever has embraced Islam, then
such have sought the Right Path. And as for the qaasitoon, they shall be
firewood for Hell.'" [Al-Jinn 72:14-15]
The
Muslims among the jinn are of different levels as regards righteousness and
taqwa (God- consciousness). Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"[Some
jinn said:] 'There are among us some that are righteous, and some the
contrary; we are groups, each having a different way (religious sects,
etc.)'" [Al-Jinn 72:11]
The
story of how the first jinn of this ummah ( nation) became Muslim was narrated
by 'Abd-Allah ibn 'Abbaas, who said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) went out with a group of his Companions heading for the
marketplace of 'Ukaath. This was when the shayaateen (devils) were prevented
from getting any news from heaven, and shooting stars had been sent against
them. The shayaateen went back to their people, who said, 'What is the matter
with you?' They said, 'We cannot get news from heaven, and shooting stars were
sent against us.' Their people said, 'Nothing is stopping you from hearing
news from heaven except some new event that must have happened. Go and look in
the east and the west of the earth, and see if you can find out what it is
that is stopping you from hearing news from heaven.'
Those
who went out in the direction of Tihaamah came upon the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) in Nakhlah, when he was on his way to 'Ukaath,
and found him leading his Companions in Fajr prayer. When they heard the
Qur'aan, they listened to it and said, 'By Allah, this is what is stopping us
from hearing news from heaven.' When they went back to their people, they
said,
'O
our people, we have heard a wonderful Recital (the Quran). It guides to the
Right Path, and we have believed therein, and we shall never join (in worship)
anything with our Lord (Allah). [Al-Jinn 72:2 - interpretation of the meaning]
Then
Allah revealed to His Prophet (peace be upon him) the words (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Say
(O Muhammad): 'It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn listened (to
this Quran)…' [al-Jinn 72:1], and Allah revealed to him what the jinn had
said." (Reported by al-Bukhari, 731).
Their
reckoning on the Day of Resurrection
The
jinn will be called to account on the day of Resurrection. Mujahid (May Allah
have mercy on him) said, concerning the ayah (verse) (interpretation of the
meaning): "… but the jinn know well that they have indeed to appear
(before Him) (i.e., they will be brought to account)" [al-Saffat 37:158]
"They
will be brought to judgement." [Saheeh al-Bukhari]
Protection
from the harm of the jinn
Because
the jinn can see us while we cannot see them, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
taught us many ways to protect ourselves from their harm, such as seeking
refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytaan, reciting Soorat al-Falaq and
Soorat al-Naas (the last two Soorahs of the Qur'aan), and reciting the words
taught by Allah in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say:
'My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of the
shayateen (devils). And I seek refuge with You, my Lord, lest they may attend
(or come near) me.'" [Al-Mu'minoon 23:97-98]
Saying
Bismillah (in the Name of Allah) before entering one's home, before eating or
drinking, and before having intercourse will also keep the Shaytaan from
entering the house or partaking with a person in his food, drink and sexual
activity.
Similarly,
mentioning the name of Allah before entering the toilet or taking off one's
clothes will prevent the jinn from seeing a person's 'awrah (private parts) or
harming him, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"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 al-Tirmidhi, 551; Saheeh al-Jaami', 3611).
Strength
of faith and religion in general will also prevent the jinn from harming a
person, so much so that if they were to fight, the one who has faith would
win. 'Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ood (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "A man
from among the Companions of Muhammad ( peace be upon him) met a man from
among the jinn. They wrestled, and the human knocked down the jinn. The human
said to him, 'You look small and skinny to me, and your forearms look like the
front paws of a dog. Do all the jinn look like this, or only you?' He said,
'No, by Allah, among them I am strong, but let us wrestle again, and if you
defeat me I will teach you something that will do you good.' The human said,
'Fine.' He said, 'Recite:
'Allah!
None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever-living, the One Who
sustains and protects all that exists…' [Aayat al-Kursi - al-Baqarah 2:255 -
interpretation of the meaning].
The
human said, 'Fine.' He said, 'You will never recite this in your house but the
Shaytan will come out of it like a donkey breaking wind, and he will never
come back in until the next morning.'" (Reported by al-Darimi, 3247).