Praise be to Allah,
The word Jinn in Arabic refers to something that is hidden and concealed. Al-Jawhri said, ‘Al-Jaan is the father of Jinn, the plural of which is jeenaan. It says in Qamoos al-muheet,’ jannahu al layl means the night covered him. Everything that is concealed from you is junna anka (concealed from you). Al- Mijannah refers to the land where there are many jinns. Al-Jaan is the plural of Al-Jinn[i]. Hence the fetus is called al-Janeen because he is concealed in the mother’s womb[ii].
Abu Umar Ibn Abdul Barr said: According to the scholars of Arabic language there are different categories of jinn.
- When they mention the jinn in general terms they use the word Jinni.
- If the Jinn is one of those who live in houses with people they call him Aamir (dweller) the plural which is Ummaar.
- If the jinn is one of those who interact with children they call them Arawah (spirits)
- If the jinn is wicked then he is a shaitan (devil)
- If he is worse than that they call him ‘Mareed (Demon)
- If he is worse than that and is strong they call him ‘Ifreet, the plural of which is afareet[iii].
And on insanity is called insanity because it covers the intellect the person who is ‘majnoon is called such because his intellect is covered.[iv]
How do Jinns differ from Humans?
The Jinn are a world of their own, different from that of the humans or the angels. They do, common with humans, such as they also have the ability to, however, possess some characteristics in the ability to think and reflect. Similarly, choose between the path of good and the path of evil in the same manner as humans. They, though, differ from humans in other characteristics, including one very important characteristic: their origin.[v]
Belief in the Unseen
Some of the philosophers claim that the jinn is the evil inclinations in the souls of mankind in the same way that the angels are the inclination for good in the souls of mankind. Some modern-day people allege that the jinns are the bacteria and microbes that modern science has recently discovered. Muhammad al-Bahi, in his commentary on al-Jinn, says that the jinn is the angels. To him, the jinn and angels are one existence without any difference between them. His proof is that the angels also cannot be seen by mankind. Except that he includes among the jinn those who hide from the world of human beings concerning their belief or disbelief and their good or evil.[vi]
Shaykh Al- Islam ibn Taymiyah (May Allah have mercy on him) said,
“All nations believe in Jinn, and they have many stories which would take too long to tell. No one denies the existence of the jinn except a few small groups of ignorant philosophers and doctors and their like. As for the elite of the people, it is narrated that they either believed in the jinn or no opinion was narrated from them concerning the matter.”[vii]
The truth of the matter
The correct position is that the jinn is a third type of being, apart from angels or humans. They are intelligent and understanding creatures; they are not philosophical accidents or germs and are not like microorganisms. They are responsible for their actions and have been ordered by Allah to perform some deeds and to abstain from others.[viii]
Obligation to believe in Unseen
One of the main roots of the Islamic faith is the belief in the unseen, it is the first attribute that Allah has given His Righteous servants in His book. He says,
“This is the Book, there is no doubt in it, a guidance to the Godwary, who believe in the Unseen, and maintain the prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them; [Translation Soorah Al Baqarah verse 2-3]
Jinn is a part of Unseen, and we must believe in their existence following the evidence in the Quran and the Sunnah.
Quranic verses on Jinn
When We dispatched toward you a team of jinn listening to the Quran‘,[ Translation Soorah al- Ahqaf verse: 29]
‘O company of jinn and humans! Did there not come to you apostles from yourselves, recounting to you My signs and warning you of the encounter of this Day?’ [ Translation soorah Al Anam verse:130]
‘O company of jinn and humans! If you can pass through the confines of the heavens and the earth, then do pass through. But you will not pass through except by an authority (from Allah)’. [ Translation soorah Ar Rahman verse 33]
Say, ‘It has been revealed to me that a team of the jinn listened [to the Qurʾān].’ and they said, “Indeed we heard a wonderful Quran.’ [Translation soorah al-jinn verse 1]
Ahadith on Jinn
Narrated Ash-Sha’bi: that ‘Alqamah said: “I said to Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him: ‘Did any of you accompany the Prophet (ﷺ) on the Night of the Jinn?’ He said: ‘None of us accompanied him. One night, while he was in Makkah, we could not find him. We said: “He has been murdered [or] snatched, what has happened to him?” So we spent the worst night a people could spend until the morning’ or ‘it was about dawn when we saw him coming from the direction of Hira.’ He said: ‘They told him about what they had went through.'” “So he (ﷺ) said: ‘Someone from the Jinn came to invite me, so I went to them to recite for them.’ He said: “So we went and saw their tracks and the traces of their campfire.'” Ash-Sha’bi said: “They asked him about their provisions – and they were Jinns of Mesopotamia – so he said: ‘Every bone upon which Allah’s name has not been mentioned, that falls into your hands, and every dropping of dung is fodder for your beasts.'” So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Do not perform Istinja with them for indeed they are provisions for your brothers among the Jinns.“[ix]
Narrated `Abdur-Rahman:
Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri told my father, “I see you liking sheep and the wilderness. So whenever you are with your sheep or in the wilderness and you want to pronounce Adhan for the prayer raise your voice in doing so, for whoever hears the Adhan, whether a human being, a jinn, or any other creature, will be a witness for you on the Day of Resurrection.” Abu Sa`id added, “I heard it (this narration) from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ).”[x]
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
The Prophet (ﷺ) set out with the intention of going to Suq `Ukaz (market of `Ukaz) along with some of his companions. At the same time, a barrier was put between the devils and the news of heaven. Fire commenced to be thrown at them. The Devils went to their people, who asked them, “What is wrong with you?” They said, “A barrier has been placed between us and the news of heaven. And fire has been thrown at us.” They said, “The thing which has put a barrier between you and the news of heaven must be something which has happened recently. Go eastward and westward and see what has put a barrier between you and the news of heaven.” Those who went towards Tuhama came across the Prophet at a place called Nakhla and it was on the way to Suq `Ukaz and the Prophet (ﷺ) was offering the Fajr prayer with his companions. When they heard the Qur’an they listened to it and said, “By Allah, this is the thing which has put a barrier between us and the news of heaven.” They went to their people and said, “O our people; verily we have heard a wonderful recital (Qur’an) which shows the true path; we believed in it and would not ascribe partners to our Lord.” Allah revealed the following verses to his Prophet (Sura ‘Jinn’) (72): “Say: It has been revealed to me.” And what was revealed to him was the conversation of the Jinns.[xi]
Eyewitness Accounts.
Many people of our times and of the previous times have witnessed something of the jinn, even though many who had seen them or who had heard them were not aware that they were jinn. They thought that they were ghosts, spirits, invisible men, creatures from outer space, and so forth. The famous scholar of hadith, Al Amash said, A jinn appeared among us. I said to him, what is your favorite food? He said, Rice. We brought some to him and I would see the spoon goes up and down but could not see anyone. I said, do you also have people of desires [and innovations] among you like what we have? He said, yes. I said, what is the situation of the Rafidha [extreme Shia] among you. He said they are the worst of us.[xii]
Inability to see is not proof of their non-existence
There are many other things that we cannot see, yet still exist. We cannot see an electrical current flowing through a wire, yet we confirm its existence. As we see its effects in lights and other electrical things. The air that we breathe and live on is unseen, yet we can feel it. The spirits form the basis of our life, by which we live and by without which we would die, yet we still do not know its essence but believe in its existence[xiii].
Creation of the Jinn
Allah has informed us that the jinn have been created from fire as He says in the Quran,
‘And the jinn did We create aforetime of essential fire’ (Translation soorah Al-Hijr verse 27).
He says,
‘And the jinn He did create of a smokeless flame of fire’. [Translation of Soorah Ar-Rahman verse 15]
According to Ibn Abbaas, Ikrimah, Mujaahid, Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on them), and others the meaning of marajin-min-nar, is the extremity of the flame, and in one narration it is described as the purest and best (of fire). An-Nawawi said in his commentary to Sahih Muslim, The smokeless flame of fire is that mixed with the blackness of the fire.[xiv]
When the fire is ignited, the portion of the flame at the very top is called marr’j. Allah has created the Jinn from the very top of the flame.[xv]
Iblis said, ‘I am better than him, you created me from fire, but you created him from clay.’[Translation of Soorah Al-Araa’f verse 12]
If someone says, how can you take the sayings of the Iblis as proof, knowing that he lies?” We say that proof is not in the sayings itself but in the confirmation by Allah and Allah does not confirm falsehood.[xvi]
The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has informed us that the angels were created from light and the Jinn were created from fire. He made a distinction between their two sources. This refutes the claim of those who say that the jinn and the angels are nothing but one and the same beings.[xvii]
When were they created?
There is no doubt that the jinn was created before mankind, as Allah says,
‘Verily We created man of potter’s clay of dark mud altered. And the Jinn did We create aforetime of a flameless fire‘ [Translation Soorah Al Hijr verse:26-27].
This verse clearly states that the jinn was created before mankind. Some of the earlier scholars were of the opinion that they were created a thousand years before mankind, but for that statement, they have no proof in either the Quran or the sunnah.[xviii]
Allah Knows Best
Sources:
[i] Al qamoos Al-Moheet by Al-Fyroozabadi, Page 210, quoted in The Jinn and the Human Sickness, Remedies in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah by Dr Abdul Mundhir Khaleel ibn Ibraheem Ameen. Translated by Naseeruddin al Khattab. Page 31
[ii] Lisaan al Arab by Ibn al Mudhir page 13, 92,93. Quoted in The Jinn and the Human Sickness, Remedies in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah by Dr Abdul Mundhir Khaleel ibn Ibraheem Ameen. Translated by Naseeruddin al Khattab. Page 31
[iii] The Jinn and the Human Sickness, Remedies in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah by Dr Abdul Mundhir Khaleel ibn Ibraheem Ameen. Translated by Naseeruddin al Khattab. Page 31
[iv] Jinn by Sheikh Dr Muhammad Raslan page 7
[v] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 5
[vi] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 8
[vii] The Jinn and the Human Sickness, Remedies in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah by Dr Abdul Mundhir Khaleel ibn Ibraheem Ameen. Translated by Naseeruddin al Khattab. Page 33
[viii] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 9
[ix] Grade:Sahih (Darussalam) Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3258
[x] Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 609
[xi] Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 773
[xii] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 12
[xiii] Protect yourself from Jinn and the Shaytaan written by Wahid Abd-Al Salam Bali -Page 15
[xiv] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 6
[xv] Jinn by Sheikh Dr Muhammad Raslan page 8
[xvi] Protect yourself from Jinn and the Shaytaan written by Wahid Abd-Al Salam Bali Page 16
[xvii] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 12
[xviii] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 7