THE NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JINN BY Abu Abdullah It is a principle of faith for Muslims to believe in the unseen. We believe in angels, Al-Jannah, Hellfire, and of course the greatest of all that is unperceptible by the human eye, the Creator Himself. In this brief article we would like to point to several evidences talking about one of Allah's normally unseen creations, the Jinn or popularly known in Western Culture as "genies". They are another of the creatures of Allah and they are similar to man in that they have families, tribes and can indeed be believers or disbelievers. In the 72nd Soorah called Al-Jinn, Allah mentions what they said about themselves: There are among us some that are righteous, and some having a different way (religious sect, etc.) And we think that we cannot escape from the punishment of Allah in the earth, nor can we escape fom the punishment by flight. And indeed when we heard the Guidance [Qur'aan], we believed therein and whosoever believes in his Lord shall have no fear, either of a decrease in the reward of his good deeds or an increase in punishment for his sins. And some of us are Muslims and of us some are al-qaasitoon (disbelievers who have deviated from the right way). And whosoever has embraced Islam then such have sought the Right Path And as for the Qaasitoon, they shall be firewood for Hell. [Soorah Al-Jinn, Aayah 11 - 15] There are numerous references to the Jinn in the Qur'aan. For the sake of space we cite just a few here that mention their nature. Allah Most High states: And the Jinn We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire. [Soorah Al-Hijr, Aayah 27] Allah states in Soorah Ar-Rahmaan, aayah 15: And the Jinns He did create from a smokeless flame of fire. Because of the nature of the issue there are many misconceptions about the Jinn. One of the most controversial matters, after denial of their existence at all, is whether or not the Jinn have certain abilities such as the ability to change their shape and to appear to people in different forms. Some writers have gone on to declare that there is no evidence of such in the authenic Qur'aan and Sunnah! Another very controversial or uncomfortable matter is that of the ability of the Jinn to enter the human body. In ther words, possession. The abundance of folklore and the supernatural aspect of such concepts lends impetus to much skepticism for many. It also lends itself to exxageration and false reporting. In addition, because of widespread and varied forms of mental illness it is difficult to distinguish between what is a psychological or biological malady affecting the condition of many and the effects of the Jinn. As Muslims who believe in the unseen, we are bound however not to merely look at the matter from an emotional view. We are obliged to look at the evidence within the authentic texts of the Qu'raan the Sunnah and the understanding of the righteoues and knowlegeable scholors of this ummah to know the truth. It is also perhaps useful to mention that the Jinn are indeed another part of 'nature' being that they are creatures of Allah or another species, if we can use the term here, that have their own unique peculiarities in how they interact wih other creatures. To deny the existence of the Jinn or their abilities is to contradict not only authentic hadeeth and Qur'aanic verses, but what has been attested to by literally thousands of people over the ages! There are several examples on this issue that are available even to the non-specialist that have been translated into the English language that contradict and clearly refute denial of the Jinn and their abilities to be seen or take different forms or even possess human beings. 1. "There are three types of Jinn: One flies through the air. Another type consists of snakes and dogs. A third type is based in one place but travels about." Al-Haakim, At-Tabaraani, Al-Bayhaqi also transmits it in Names and Attributes with a sound isnaad) 1 2. Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal relates from Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (radiallahu 'anhu): 'The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) got up to pray the morning prayer and I was praying behind him. He recited and became confused in the recitation. When he finished the prayer he said, "If you could have only seen me grabbing Iblis and how I kept on throttling him until I felt the coolness of his spittle between my thumb and index finger. If it had not been for the supplication of my brother Sulayman, morning would have found him tied to one of the pillars of the mosques so that the children of Madinah could have played with him." 2 3. It is reported that Shaytan took on the form of an old man of Najd when the Quraysh gathered in the Dar An-Nadwa to discuss the Messenger (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and whether they should kill him, imprison him, or expel him. Shaytan suggested to them that they should kill him. 3 4. Muslim relates from Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (radiallahu 'anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "A group of jinn in Madinah has become Muslim. If one of you sees any of these resident jinn, he should issue it a warning for three days. Then if it appears to you after that kill it for it is a Shaytan." [Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1213, no. 5557] 4 5. The Messenger of Allah stated, "Whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me. Shaytan does not take on my form" [Muslim and Al-Bukhaari] 5 6. Also, "When you hear the cock crowing, then ask Allah for His bounty for it has seen an angel. When you hear the braying of a donkey, then seek refuge in Allah from Shaxytan for it has seen a shaytan." [Al-Bukhaari transmits it from Abu Hurayrah] 6 7. The jinn can enter a human body, as Ibn Taymiyyah says in Majmu' Al-Fatawa, [24:276], is established by the agreement of the Imaams of the people of the sunnah and the community (ahlus-sunnah wal jama'ah). 7 8. In the saheeh, the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "Shaytan runs through the son of Adam like blood." 8 9. On the Day of Badr, Satan approached the polytheists in the form of a man called Suraaqa Ibn Malik and promised the polytheists aid and victory on that day. Concerning this event, Allah has revealed the following: "And when Satan made their deed seem fair to them and said, 'No one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector." [Al-Anfaal 48] But when the armies met and Satan saw the angels descending from the sky, he fled. [The verse continues] "But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am innocent of you. Lo! I see that which you do not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment." 9 10. Abu Hurayrah (radiallahu 'anhu) reported a famous incident recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari about when he was guarding the zakaat of Ramadhan and encountered and intruder on three separate occasions that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) confirmed was indeed a devil. [Vol. 3, p. 289, no. 505] 10 11. "Snakes are the forms of the transmutations of the shape of the jinn in the same way that the apes and swine were transmutations of the tribe of Israel." 11 12. Abdullah the son of Imam Ahmed Ibn Hanbal said, "I said to my father, 'Some people say that the jinn does not enter the body of the possessed.' He said, 'O my son, they are lying. It is that which speaks by his tongue." 12 13. Ibn Taymiyyah also wrote, "None of the leaders of the Muslims rejects the notion that the jinn enters into the body of the possessed and others. Those who reject it and claim that the Islamic laws states it to be false are stating a lie concerning Islamic law, as there is no proof therein that denies its occurrence." Ibn Taymiyyah also mentioned that some of those who deny that the jinn enter the body of the possessed include the M'utazilahs such as al-Jubbai and Abu Bakr Ar-Raazi. [Majmoo' Al-Fatawa vol. 19, p. 12] 13 14. "Those who devour interest rise up like one stumbling from Satan's touch." [Qur'an 2:275] Al-Qurtubee commented, "This verse contains proof of the incorrectness of those who deny possession by the way of the jinn claiming that it is the result of natural causes, as well as those who claim that Satan does not enter humans nor does he touch them." [Al-Jaami' Al-Murjaan fee Ahkaam Al-Jaan, p. 109] 14 There is much more, but I think I have sufficiently proved my point enough to make it clear that 1) Seeing the jinn is possible if it takes a dense form outside its natural state 2) The jinn may indeed enter a person though one cannot assert that all psychological or biological maladies are attributable to them. 3) There is indeed evidence in the Qur'aan and authenticated hadeeth. Several major scholars, Imam Ash-Shaafi'ee among them, assert that only the prophets could see the jinn on the basis of Aayah 7:27. However this refers to jinn while in their natural state and nevertheless proves that they can be seen. 15Dr. Bilal Philips states: "It appears that those who deny the possibility of diabolical possession rely on two sources - Qur'aanic texts and logic - while those who affirm it rely on three - Qur'aanic texts, texts from the sunnah and logic." 16 He includes in his book an entire section in refutation of those who deny possession. The eminent contemporary schlr Muhammd Saleh al-'Uthaimeen stated in answer to the following questions: Q. How would a person know if he has in fact been possessed by a jinn? A. Unnatural or irrational behavior may be the result of a nervous condition or mental illness or it could be a result of the possession by a jinn. How it may happen is unknown. Q. What can we do to break the influence of a jinn if someone is under such an influence? A. First, I must point out to you that every thing that afflicts you may not be due to the jinn because the jinn are not such that should cause us to be overly worried about them causing these problems. It is incorrect to believe that everything that inflicts a person is because of the jinn. There are some people who claim that they are possessed by Jinn if they catch a cold! However, if someone is determined to indeed be inflicted by one and the jinn actually speaks from within that person, then ayaat of the Qur'aan must be read upon that person that point to the forbiddance of [thulm] wrongdoing to others, and jinn are [merely] creatures, and that Allah has power over them. This should be done forcefully by the reader until the jinn is between his hands [i.e. under his control] to the extent he can be killed. We pray that the above brief article sheds at least some light on the nature and capabilities of the Jinn, ameen. [1] p. 7, The Jinn In the Quran and the Sunnah, Mustafa Ashour, Dar Al Taqwa Ltd. Publisher. See also The Exorcist Tradition In Islaam, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Dar Al-Fatah Publishers which is perhaps the most extensive, detailed and thoroughly referenced work in English. It is a doctoral thesis that gives statistics and accounts of jinn possession and those who treat it in different parts of the Muslim world. [2] Ibid. p. 6 [3] Ibid. p. 9 [4] Ibid. p. 9 This refers to the fact that the jinn may take the form of a black snake that the companions could indeed see in their dwellings. See also p. 35, The World Of The Jinn And Devils, Dr. Sulayman Al-Ashqar. [5] Ibid. p. 33 [6] Ibid. p. 38 [7] Ibid. p. 45 [8] Ibid. p. 46 see Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 3, pp. 142 -143. no. 255 [9] p. 33 - 34, The World Of The Jinn And Devils, Dr. Sulayman Al-Ashqar, Al-Basheer Publications and Translations [10] Ibid. p. 33 [11] Ibid. p. 37 Recorded by At-Tabaraani and Abu Ash-Shaikh in Al-Udhma with a saheeh chain. This does not mean that the snakes that are in existence today are from the transmuted jinn but it makes the point clear that they do take on different shapes and forms. [12] Ibid. p. 8 [13] Ibid. p. 8 [14] p. 79 The Exorcist Tradition In Islaam, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Dar Al-Fatah Publishers [15] Ibid. pp. 55 - 56 [16] Ibid. p 87 |