Praise be to Allah,
The jinns live upon the same earth as humans do. Most of them can be found among the ruins and dilapidated areas, as well as the places where there are many impure things, such as bathrooms, hashish dens, the places of the camels, cemeteries. For that reason, as Ibn Taimiyyah (May Allah have mercy on him) said, those people who are close to Satan usually inhibit such areas. There are hadiths that say that one should not pray in bathrooms due to the impurities present and because it is the abode of Satan, or in cemeteries as this leads to polytheism and it is also a home for the devils[i].
Jinns prefer places deserted by mankind, and some of them reside in refuse areas, but there are some who live with humans. The prophet (PBUH) used to set out to the desert to call Jinn to Allah, recite the Quran for them and teach them about Islam.
Dawud reported from ‘Amir who said:
I asked ‘Alqama if Ibn Mas’ud was present with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the night of the Jinn (the night when the Prophet met them). He (Ibn Mas’uad) said: No, but we were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one night and we missed him. We searched for him in the valleys and the hills and said. He has either been taken away (by jinn) or has been secretly killed. He (the narrator) said. We spent the worst night which people could ever spend. When it was dawn we saw him coming from the side of Hiri’. He (the narrator) reported. We said: Messenger of Allah, we missed you and searched for you, but we could not find you and we spent the worst night which people could ever spend. He (the Holy Prophet) said: There came to me an inviter on behalf of the Jinn and I went along with him and recited to them the Qur’an. He (the narrator) said: He then went along with us and showed us their traces and traces of their embers. They (the Jinn) asked him (the Holy Prophet) about their provision and he said: Every bone on which the name of Allah is recited is your provision. The time it will fall in your hand it would be covered with flesh, and the dung of (the camels) is fodder for your animals. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Don’t perform istinja with these (things) for these are the food of your brothers (Jinn).[ii]
They also reside in rubbish areas, because they eat the food left by humans, as was stated in the hadith of ibn Masud(R.A).
They also reside in dirty premises like toilets, water closets. For it was narrated by Zaid bin Arqam that Prophet (PBUH) said,
Narrated Zayd ibn Arqam:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: These privies are frequented by the jinns and devils. So when anyone amongst you goes there, he should say: “I seek refuge in Allah from male and female devils.”[iii]
It is more likely that the believing Jinn does not reside in filthy places whereas the unbelieving Jinn does not feel comfortable with the pleasant scents and perfume, especially the scent of musk. The Muslim jinn loves it as Muslim Humans do[iv].
They also reside in caves. It was narrated on the authority of Qatadah from Abdullah bin Sarjis that the prophet (PBUH) prohibited urinating in a hole or a cave. People asked Qatadah: but what is unpleasant about urinating in a cave?’ He replied: it is said that they are homes of jinn[v].
Wicked Shaykhs who practice satanic rituals
Sheikh al-Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah said: “The jinn are found mostly in deserts, old ruins, and places of impurity like bathrooms, toilets, graveyards, and places where wicked sheiks associate with Shayateen and then gather to practice their satanic ritual”[vi]
Ibn Abu ad Dunya reported a Mawquf[vii] tradition, on the authority of Yazid Ibn Jabir, one of the most trusted followers: “There is Muslim jinn residing in the ceilings of Muslim homes. Whenever the people eat, the jinns descend and eat with them; Allah sends them to protect that household.”[viii]
Jinn in the house
It is narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillah that he heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say:
“When a man enters his house and mentions Allah when he enters and when he eats, the Shaytaan says: ‘You have no place to stay and no dinner.’ But if he enters and does not mention Allah when he enters, the Shaytaan says, ‘You have found a place to stay.’ And if he does not mention Allah when he eats, he says: ‘You have found a place to stay and dinner.’”[ix]
Marketplaces
Many of them are in places that may be sources of evil, such as the marketplaces. The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave the following advice to one of his Companions,
“If you can, do not be the first one to enter the marketplace. And do not be the last to leave it. For they are the places of Satan and therein he raises his banner.[x]
The devils live in the same houses in which people live. One can stop them from entering or repel them from such houses by mentioning dhikr upon entering those houses, by remembering or mentioning Allah dhikr), reciting the Quran specifically surah al-Baqara and the verse of the Throne (verse 255 of that surah). The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that the devils spread out and roam about increasingly when the dark first comes, and, therefore, he has advised Muslims to bring in their children during that period of time.
The devils come out in the first part of the night
It is narrated from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not let your animals and children go out when the sun has set, until the first part of the night is over, for the devils come out when the sun sets, until the first part of the night is over.”[xi]
The devils run away from the call to prayer and cannot stand listening to it.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu’z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When the call to prayer is made Shaytan retreats, passing wind, so that he will not hear the adhan. When the adhan is completed he comes back, until, when the iqama is said, he retreats again. When the iqama is completed, he comes back, until he comes between a man and his self and says, ‘Think of such and such, think of such and such,’ which he was not thinking about before, until the man does not know how much he has prayed.”[xii]
The places where the devils sit or gather
The devils love to sit between the shade and the sunlight. It was narrated from Ibn Buraidah, from his father, that the Prophet(ﷺ) :
“forbade sitting between the shade and sun.”[xiv]
For this reason, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade the Muslims to sit in such places[xv].
Our constant companion
Abdullah b. Mas’ud reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
There is none amongst you with whom is not an attache from amongst the jinn (devil). They (the Companions) said: Allah’s Messenger, with you too? Thereupon he said: Yes, but Allah helps me against him and so I am safe from his hand and he does not command me but for good[xvi].
May Allah allow us to understand the Sahih Sunah of the Messenger (saws), may Allah allow our sincere hearts to be guided to the path of the first three generations of Islam.
Compiled and copied from sources:
[i] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 24
[ii] Reference: Sahih Muslim 450a
[iii] Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani) Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 6
[iv]Protect yourself from Jinn and the Shaytaan written by Wahid Abd-Al Salam Bali -Page 18
[v] Grade: Da’if (Al-Albani): Sunan Abi Dawud 29
[vi] Ibn Taymiyyah’s “Majmu’ al-Fatwah”: (19/40-41). Quoted in Expelling Jinn
From Your Home Written by, Majdi Muhammad Ash-Shahawi Translated by Omar Ahmed Kassir. Page 17
[vii] Mawquf “Stopped,” narration from a companion without mentioning the Prophet ~. It can be elevated to Marfu’ if it is of the nature of “we were commanded to… ” and the like.
[viii] Transmitted by Ibn Abu ad-Dunya’ in “Maka’id ash-Shaytaan” (4), Abu ahs-Shaykh in his “Al-Adhamah” (1171), Ibn Hajar in “Fat’h alBari” (6/397398), as-Siyyuti’s in “Ad-Dur al-Manthur” (3/47), AshShabli’s “Akaam al-Murjaan” (p.30) and as-Siyyuti’s “Lafdh al-Murjaan” (p.20).
Quoted in Expelling Jinn From Your Home Written by, Majdi Muhammad Ash-Shahawi Translated by Omar Ahmed Kassir. Page 17
[ix] Reference : Sahih Muslim 2018a
[x] Reference: Riyad as-Salihin 1842. The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr. Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 25
[xi] Reference : Sahih Muslim 2012e
[xii] Sunnah.com reference: Book 3, Hadith 6
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 3, Hadith 6
Arabic reference: Book 3, Hadith 152
[xiii] Grade: Hasan (Darussalam) Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 1642. In-book reference : Book 7, Hadith 5
English translation : Vol. 1, Book 7, Hadith 1642
[xiv] Grade: Hasan (Darussalam), Sunan Ibn Majah 3722
[xv] The world of the Jinn and Devils by Dr. Al-Ashaqar, Translated by Jamal Zarabozo, page 25
[xvi] Reference: Sahih Muslim 2814a