JIN

JINN ARE THE CREATURES MADE UP OF FIRE

> What Are the Jinn?
>
>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).