Jinn

Praise be to Allah (The Glorified and Exalted).

The existence of
the Jinn race is based on the Qur’an and authentic hadith. Similar to
angels, jinns are part of the unseen world. The word “jinn” comes from
an Arabic root meaning “hidden from sight.” Jinn are commonly referred
to as spirits. The world of the jinn is separate from the world of man,
with its own distinct nature.

Their Creation:

The
jinn race was created before mankind, but after the creation of the
angels. Iblis is the first jinn and is believed to be the father of the
jinn race, just as Adam (peace be upon him) is the father of mankind.
This is mentioned in the following verse of the Qur’an and hadith:

“And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire.” [15:27]

Their Purpose:

The
jinn have the same destiny and fate as man. The jinn race has been
given the freewill to decide to submit to Allah or choose to be
ungrateful. They have also been sent Messengers from among their own,
but the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the last
prophet and messenger, sent to both mankind and the jinn race.

“And I (Allah) created not the jinns and men, except that they should worship Me (Alone).” [51:56]

Similar to man, the jinns will be reckoned on the Day of Judgment:

“‘O
ye assembly of jinns and men! Came there not unto you Messengers from
amongst you, setting forth unto you My signs, 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. So
against themselves will they bear witness that they rejected Faith.” [6:130]

They are Part of The Unseen:

Allah
(The Exalted and Glorified) through His Mercy for man, has placed a
veil over the eyes of mankind, so they cannot see the jinn. However,
animals may see the jinn. For example, horses and dogs can see the
jinn. It is also the case that the jinn can see man. The jinn reside in
their own realm on Earth, existing parallel to the world of man. This
is mentioned in the following verses of the Qur’an:

“Soon shall We settle your affairs, O both ye worlds!” [55:31]

“O
ye Children of Adam! Let not Iblis (Satan) seduce you, in the same
manner as he got your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of
their raiment, to expose their shame: for he and his tribe watch you
from a position where ye cannot see them: We made the devils [i.e. evil
jinn] friends (only) to those without faith.” [7:27]

Types of Jinn:

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that there were three different types of jinn:

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, and 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 [i.e. they appear to be
nomadic].” [Reported by al-Tahhaawi in Mushkil al-Athaar, 4/95, and by
al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 22/214. Shaykh al-Albaani said in
al-Mishkaat (2/1206, no. 4148): al-Tahhaawi and Abu’l-Shaykh reported
it with a saheeh isnaad]

Their Abilities:

The
jinns have abilities beyond that of human beings. Some jinn can fly,
they can appear in different forms, travel quickly, and have an
extraordinary level of strength. Their bodies can also be sustained
underneath the ground, underwater, or in outer space (i.e. flying near
the Earth in the lowest heaven). The jinn have a much longer lifespan
than humans, but they eventually die. Due to the fact that the bodies
of the jinn were created from fire, when they die, their bodies
evaporate into the air. Unlike man, whose body was created from the
Earth, this is why humans decay and become one with the Earth when they
die.

The jinn may also appear in the guise of other creatures.
For example, jinns can take the form of humans. This is mentioned in
the following hadith:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) put me in
charge of guarding the zakah of Ramadan. Someone came to me and started
scooping up some of the food, and I said, “By Allah, I will take you to
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).”-He
[the thief] complained of being in need and having dependents, so Abu
Hurayrah took pity on him and let him go. This happened three times,
and on the third occasion, -Abu Hurayrah said: “I will take you to the
Messenger of Allah. This is the third time and each time you say that
you will not come back, then you come back.” He [the thief] said, “Let
me go and I will teach you something by means of which Allah will
benefit you.” I said: “What is it?” he said: “When you go to bed,
recite Ayat al-Kursi, “Allah. There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal…”
[2:255], until you complete the verse. Then you will always have a
protector [angel] from Allah, and no devil will come near you until
morning comes.” So I let him go, and the next morning I told the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) what had
happened. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said: “He told you the truth, although he is a liar. Do you know
who you have been speaking to for three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?” He
said: “No.” He said: “That was a devil [a shaytaan or evil jinn].”
[al-Bukhari no. 3275]

From the above hadith, various points are
evident. Firstly, the conduct of the shaytaan, an Arabic word which
refers to the evil jinn, is that they frequently lie and speak
untruthfully in order to mislead people. Secondly, the jinn are only
unseen to humans when they are in the form in which they were created.
When the jinns appear in other forms in the world of man, then they can
be seen. Lastly, Ayat al-Kursi can be recited in order to protect an
individual from the harm of the shaytaan.

Their Dwellings:

The
jinns usually live in unclean places, such as: garbage dumps, toilets,
ruins of buildings, etc. They also gather in the cemeteries during the
night, reside in buildings or homes that have been abandoned for over
forty days, and they congregate at construction sites. Besides these
dwellings, the jinns are also known to live underground and within
water. Because of their dwellings most jinn carry a foul stench. Many
of them avoid the daylight and usually come out during the night.

Zayd ibn Arqam reported:
The
Apostle of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “These privies
[public bathrooms] are frequented by the jinns and devils [i.e. any
jinn in general]. So when anyone amongst you goes there, he should say:
‘I seek refuge in Allah from male and female shaytaan.’” [Dawud: Book
1: Hadith 6]

Narrated Jabir:
The Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) said, “When night falls, then keep your children close to
you, for the devils spread out then. An hour later you can let them
free; and close the gates (i.e. doors) of your house (at night), and
mention Allah’s Name thereupon (i.e. Bismillah), and cover your
utensils (i.e. foods), and mention Allah’s Name thereupon, (and if you
don’t have something to cover your utensil) you may put across it
something (e.g. a piece of wood, etc.).” [Bukhari: Book 4: Volume 54:
Hadith 500]

Their Needs:

Similar to humans, the
jinns require food, water, and rest in order to survive. In the
following hadith, it is mentioned that some jinn eat bones:

Ibn Mas’ood reported:
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
Qur’an for them.” He [the Prophet] took us and showed us the traces of
where they had been and the traces of their fires. They [the jinn]
asked him [the Prophet] 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.’” [Muslim no. 450]

Their Animals:

Similar
to humans, the jinn have their own animals as part of their world. This
is alluded to in the following hadith, in which their animals eat
droppings in order to sustain themselves.

Ibn Mas’ood reported:
The
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“…all the droppings as food for your animals.’” [Muslim no. 450]

Their Civilization:

Similar to mankind, the jinn race has its own languages, nations, leaders, cultures, customs, religions, and so forth.

Their Religions:

Some
of the jinns are Muslims and others the contrary. In the following
verses of the Qur’an, Allah mentions a group of jinn who had become
Muslims after hearing the recitation of the Qur’an.

“Say: It
has been revealed to me that a company of Jinns listened (to the
Qur’an). They said, ‘We have really heard a wonderful Recital! It gives
guidance to the Right, and we have believed therein: we shall not join
(in worship) any (gods) with our Lord. And Exalted is the Majesty of
our Lord: He has taken neither a wife nor a son.’” [72:1-3]

The Qareen:

Every
human has a jinn companion throughout his or her life, which is called
the qareen. The qareen is different from other jinn, because it
specifically stays with its human host throughout the life of the
human, by shadowing the person. The man has a male qareen and the woman
has a female companion. It is sometimes the case that an individual
will die and other will say, "I have seen the spirit (or ghost) of
so-and-so." What they have seen is either the qareen of the dead or
another jinn in the guise of the deceased. This life involves man being
tested by Allah (The Exalted). The qareen is evil (a shaytaan) and
whispers for man to commit sins and disobey Allah. Therefore, it is
part of the trial in this life that every individual must overcome and
not engage in the evil temptations of his constant companion. The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also had a qareen, but Allah
made him become a Muslim:

Ibn Mas’ood said:
The Messenger of
Allah (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,
“Me too, but Allah has helped me and he has submitted, so that he only
helps me to do good.” [Muslim no. 2814]

The Believer suppresses
his qareen by obeying Allah and adhering to His religion, until the
qareen becomes weak and unable to stop the Believer from doing good,
except what Allah Wills. The sinner, by his disobedience and evil
actions, gives his shaytaan the strength to encourage him to do evil
and discourage him from doing good. The Believer has to fear Allah and
strive against his qareen, by obeying Allah and His Messenger (peace
and blessings be upon him). It is wisdom and insight in a Believer to
realize that the qareen of other individuals may succeed in causing
that person to falter at any moment. Therefore, the Muslim should not
place himself or his children in a vulnerable position, alone with
other individuals, which may lead to being harmed. After the human
counterpart dies, it is possible for the qareen to still live on,
considering that jinns naturally live longer than humans. The Muslim
should be aware of his constant companion as much as possible and
resist his sinful temptations.

Jinns in America:

Bigfoot:

The
notorious American Bigfoot is considered to be a large hairy hominoid
that lives in the forest. This creature is known by numerous other
names from around the world: Yeti, Sasquatch, Yowie, Abominable
Snowman, Skunk Ape, Barmanou, etc. Long before modern Americans gave
eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot, many of the Native American tribes that
had lived in North America were well acquainted with the creature. Some
tribes considered Bigfoot as their “brother” from the forest, which was
a spirit that lived underground and surfaced during the night, in order
to feed. Some Native Americans also mention in their legends that
Bigfoot was capable of making himself appear visible and invisible.
Another tribe, the Dakota Indians, considered Bigfoot to exist in
another dimension and to appear in the world of man when they had
reason. This jinn is perhaps the third type mentioned in the section
“Types of Jinn,” the one that stops for a rest then resumes its
journey, living a nomadic existence.

Mothman:

Mothman
was the name given to a creature that appeared in Point Pleasant, West
Virginia in the 1960s. The creature was man-like in appearance,
possessed two large wings on its back, and was excessively hairy. The
persons who came into contact with the Mothman, mentioned that it could
travel quickly and fly. This creature has been seen around the world.
For example, in Zanzibar, there is a creature known as “Bat Wings,”
which is described as being similar in appearance to the Mothman. This
is the jinn that has wings and flies. This was mentioned in the section
“Types of Jinn.”

Werewolf of Wisconsin:

In the
state of Wisconsin, there have been numerous sightings of a large
creature that walks erect and has the features of a dog, which include:
claws, a snout, and excessive hair. Among the first sightings was by a
man who spotted the “werewolf” east of Jefferson, Wisconsin. While
driving during the night, the man spotted the beast digging in an old
Indian mound. He described it as standing erect over six feet, having a
muzzle, and claws with three fingers and a twisted thumb. The man came
back to the spot the next night and found the same beast. In the second
encounter, the man said he heard the creature utter something that was
not tangible. The beast went away from the man and eventually vanished
from sight.

The so-called “werewolf” or dog form of the jinn is
well known around the world. In fact, in Arabia, this was the manner in
which the jinn were commonly seen when they encountered Arabs in the
world of man. This is the type of jinn that looks like a dog and is
mentioned in the section “Types of Jinn.” The jinn from Wisonsin, is
mentioned to have been seen digging in an Indian mound, which is a
graveyard, this is probably because he was searching for bones to eat.
The following account mentions the encounter of a Muslim with a jinn
that appeared in this form:

Strength of faith and religiosity in
general will also prevent the jinn from harming a person, so much so
that if a Muslim were to fight with a jinn, the one who has faith in
Allah would win.

‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
A
man from among the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) met a man [i.e. male] 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 [the jinn] said, ‘Recite, “Allah! None has the right
to be worshipped but He, the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and
protects all that exists…”’ [2:255]. The human said, ‘Fine.’ He [the
jinn] said, ‘You will never recite this in your house but the Shaytaan
will come out of it like a donkey breaking wind, and he will never come
back in until the next morning.’” [al-Darimi no. 3247]

Narrated
‘Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Ka’b that his father told him that he had a
vessel in which he kept dates. He used to check on it and found that
the number was decreasing. So he kept guard on it one night and saw a
beast that looked like an adolescent boy. He said: “I greeted him with
salaams [peace] and he returned my greeting, then I asked him, ‘What
are you, a jinn or a human?’ He said, ‘A jinn.’ I said to him, ‘Show me
your hand.’ So he showed me his hand, and it looked like a dog’s paw
with dog’s fur. I said, ‘Do all the jinn look like this?’ He said, ‘I
know no one among the jinn who is stronger than I.’ I said, ‘What made
you do what you did [i.e., taking the dates]?’ He said, ‘We heard that
you are a man who loves charity, and we wanted to have some of your
food.’” Ubayy asked him, “What will protect us from you?” He said,
“This ayah, Ayat al-Kursi.” Then the next day he [Ubayy] went to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and told him (about
what had happened) and he [the Prophet] said, “The evil one spoke the
truth.”

Unidentified Flying Objects:

UFO sightings
have always been plentiful. Although many of them may be aircrafts or
lights, some of them are jinn. For example, during World War II, many
war pilots spotted circular balls of light flying and encircling their
planes. These lights appeared interested in the aircrafts and would
also engage in a game of “cat and mouse” with the pilots. This type of
activity continues to happen to pilots in modern times. Since jinns can
change their form into various appearances, including the circular
light appearance, these were jinn. The Kung! tribe (Bush Men) living in
the southern part of Africa have also complained that evil spirits
appear to them in this form during the night. It is also the case that
some video footage has showed these spherical lights creating crop
circles. There have also been accounts by individuals who have had
jinns living within their homes, mentioning the fact that the jinn
appear as circular spheres of light.


And Allah (The Glorified and Exalted) Knows Best.