(something
hidden or which cannot be seen)
The
above is the root meaning of the word Jinn. The existence of the Jinn is firmly
established by the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah and the consensus of the
Scholars (Ijma’) It suffices to say that the word Jinn and its derivatives
occur more than 29 times in the Qur’an. A related word "shaytan" and
its plural "shaytana" together occur more than 80 times. In fact,
there is an entire Surah called Surah Al-Jinn, which speaks in clear explicit
terms about the Jinn.
The
reality, which we have to affirm, is that the Jinn live in an established world
unseen to us. They eat and drink, and procreate. Similar to Humans, some are
righteous while others are not.
The
Jinn were created before the creation of mankind. Their origin is from fire.
The Qur’an verified these facts in Surah Al-Hijr:
"And
verily, We created mankind from sounding clay of altered smooth mud and the
jinn We created from smokeless fire."
(Qur’an
15:26-27)
The
creation was also reported by Ibn Abbas (ra):
"Two
thousand years before (mankind) was created, there were Jinn on (the Earth),
and they caused corruption on it and shed blood. Then Allah sent against them a
troop of Angels who beat them and cast them away to islands in the seas. So,
when Allah said: ‘I am placing (mankind) generations after generations on
Earth,’ They (the Angels) said, ‘Will You place therein one who will cause
corruption and shed blood’ (Al Baqarah, 2:30), That is: Just as those Jinn
did?? Then Allah said: ‘I know that which you do not know.’"
Al-Hakim
We
can not ordinarily see the Jinn, unless they take a material form, which is
usually in an unpleasant or ugly form such as a snake or a black dog, as
opposed to angels who take pleasant and handsome forms. They can also take a
human form. For example: In the battle of Badr, a kind of Jinn known as Iblis,
assumed the form of a man named Suraqah Ibn Malik, and urged the disbelievers
to move forward to the battle, saying:
"There
is none who can overcome you today"
(Qur’an
8:48)
Then
Allah sent the Angel Jibreel against him and when Iblis saw him, he cried out
to the disbelievers: "I have nothing to do with you ! I see that which you
do not see! I fear Allah, and Allah is severe in retribution," and then he
fled.
There
are 3 types of Jinn as described in the following authentic Hadith:
The
Prophet Muhammad (saws) said:
"There
are 3 types of Jinn; One type flies through the air, another type consists of
snakes and dogs. A third is based in one place but travels about."
Tabarani
and Buhaqi
Jinni:Is
a term used by the Arabs to refer to one Jinn.
The
3 types of Jinn are as follows:
1 Amir: (Resident Jinn) used to mean that he
is one of those who lives with people.
2
Shaytan: Used for a Jinni who is malicious and has become wicked.
3
Ifrit: Used for a Jinni who is stronger and more powerful than a Shaytan.
The
way of life for the Jinn is just like Human Beings. For Example: they are
accountable for their actions, just as Human Beings are.
Allah
says in the Qur’an:
"I
created Jinn and Mankind only in order that they might worship Me."
(Qur’an
51:56)
There
are believers amongst them, who will be rewarded, and disbelievers, who will be
punished, as they admit in the following verse from the Qur’an:
"And
indeed there are amongst us, Muslims and amongst us, wrongdoers. As for those
who accept Islam, they have sought out the right path. And, as for the
wrongdoers, they will be firewood for Jahannam."
(Qur’an
72:14-15)
Whenever
Allah sent a Prophet to mankind, the Jinn of that time could also receive his
message. Thus, some Jinn came to Prophet Muhammad (saws) one night and he
recited Qur’an to them, and taught them about Islam.
Muslim
They
eat and drink, and have Fiqh regulations similar to ours. Just as we eat meat
of animals slaughtered in the name of Allah, so do the believers among the Jinn
. In addition, the Jinn are allowed to eat the bones of such animals.
With
regard to this, the Prophet (saws) has instructed us not to use animal bones
for istinja (i.e. to clean the private parts after relieving one’s self).
The
Jinn also have conjugal relations; as evident from this verse:
"Therein
(in heaven) are (women) of modest gaze, whom neither human being nor Jinn have
touched before."
(Qur’an
55:56)
Another
verse establishes that they beget children:
"Will
you then take (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors in preference to Me,
although they are an enemy to you?"
(Qur’an
18:50)
The
Jinn, as any other living creature, will also die. This is mentioned in the
Qur’an:
"Allah
will say, ‘Enter you in the company of nations who passed away before you, of
men and Jinn, into the Fire."
(Qur’an
7:38)
Iblis,
however, has been given respite up to the Day of Resurrection.
"Allah
said, you are, then, among those given respite up to the day of the time known
(and appointed)."
(Qur’an
38:81-82)
Iblis
is the Jinn who disobeyed Allah’s command to prostrate to Adam (as), and was
consequently expelled from Heaven. Allah had promised him eternal Hell, but he
had asked Allah to give him time before going to Hell to win over Adam’s
descendants as their followers. Allah had granted him time, and Iblis has
worked towards the destruction of mankind ever since. Shaytan is the term used
to refer to Iblis and other disbelieving Jinn.
Iblis
has his throne in the sea, and he sends out his dispatchments of shaytan to
aggravate people. The dearest of them to him is the one who causes the most
fitna (tribulation).
One
of his workers comes and tells him "I did not leave (my victim) until I brought
about separation between him and his wife." Iblis draws him near and says
to him, "Yes, You (are the best)."
Muslim
Because
of this evil nature of the shaytan, the term "shayatan" is also used
for those disbelieving human beings that are active in corrupting and fighting
righteousness. Allah has said:
Thus,
have We made, for every Prophet, an enemy, the shaytan of mankind and Jinn,
inspiring one another with, adorned speech by way of deception."
(Qur’an
6:112)
One
of the shaytan’s endeavors in their attempt towards human destruction is to go
up to the heaven’s and eavesdrop any news to carry on to earth. This news will
be passed on to the fortune-tellers.
A’isha
(ra) said that she asked the Prophet (saws) about how it is that the
fortune-tellers sometimes foretell something which turns out to be true. He
replied, that’s the word of truth that the Jinn manages to catch, and so he
comes and whispers in the ear of the fortune-teller, and to one truth he adds
one hundred lies.
(Bukhari
and Muslim)
Man
is always accompanied by a Jinn, who tries to incite him to evil, but the
Prophet (saws) was protected from this harm.
On
the authority of Ibn Mus’ud the Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"There
is not any one of you except that he has been assigned his companion from among
the Jinn and his companion from among the Angels." They the Companions
said, "Even you, O Messenger of Allah," He replied "Even me,
except that Allah has helped me against the Jinn, so that I am unharmed, and so
he orders me to do nothing but good."
Muslim
Thus
terrible thoughts may sometimes occur to us, but we are not responsible for
these prompting’s provided, we neither allow them to take root within us, nor
act upon them. The fact that we recognise them as evil is itself a sign of
faith. It is possible for Jinn to enter human beings and possess them as Allah
says:
"Those
who consume interest (riba) do not arise except as the one whom Satan has
driven to madness by his touch."
(Qur’an
2:275)
Seek
protection from the Jinn. In an Authentic hadith related by Bukhari and Muslim,
The Prophet (saws) has instructed us to recite some supplications to protect
ourselves from the harm of Satan. These include:
1. Before having sexual intercourse, we
should say:
"Bismillah,
Allahumma jannibnash-shaytina wa jannibish-shaytina ma razaqtana."
In
the name of Allah. O Allah! Spare us from Satan and repel Satan from what you
provide us with.
Then,
if a child is conceived, Satan will never harm
him.
2.
The shaytan like to frequent filthy areas such as toilets. Thus we should
ensure that we recite the sunnah supplication (narrated by Al Bukhari and
Muslim) before
entering
the toilet:
"Allahumma
inni a’uthu bika minal-khubthi wal-khaba’ith."
O
Allah! I seek refuge with you from male and female devils.
3.
Reciting Ayat al Kursi (the verse of the throne in Surat Al Baqarah, 2:255) at
bedtime ensures that no devil comes close to you until the morning.
Related
by Bukhari
4.
Saying:
"La
ilaha illallahu wah-dahu la sharika lahu; lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu
wa-hawa’ala kulli shay’in qadir."
There
is no God but Allah, alone, without any partner, His kingdom, and His
is
the praise, and He has power over all things.
100
times in the morning provides protection till the
evening.
Bukhari
& Muslim
In
General, frequent remembrance of Allah and obedience to Him provide immunity
from the Shaytan.
Allah
Says:
"Whoever
withdraws himself from the remembrance of (Allah) most gracious, We assign to
him a Shaytan to be his comrade."
(Qur’an
43:36)
In
another verse Allah says:
"Satan
has no authority over those who believe and place trust in their Lord."
(Qur’an
16:99)
Amongst
the things that will keep the believer far away from falling into the snares of
Shaytan is to refrain from excess in glances, words, food and socialising with
people. By these four doors Shaytan gains power over the son of Adam and
obtains what he wants from him.
As
for looking, the Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"Do
not follow a glance with a glance. You are allowed the first but not the
second."
Narrated
in the Musnad (Hadith Book) of Ahmad B. Hanbal (Sahih)
As
for excess words, the Prophet (saws) said:
"Part
of the excellence of a Man’s Islam is that he leaves what does not concern
him."
Ahmad
As
for excess food, the Prophet (saws) said:
"A
man does not fill a worse vessel than his belly."
Ahmad
Luqman
the sage used to say to his son, "My son, when the intestines are full,
reflection goes to sleep, wisdom falls silent, and the limbs cease to worship."
As
for excessive socializing, it is a chronic disease, which attracts evil. How
frequently are socializing and company empty of blessings! How often do the sow
enmity! How often they plant rancor in the heart and as long as it remains in
the heart it erodes firm mountains of good action! Excessive socializing
contains loss for this world and the next world. The slave must only indulge in
that amount of socializing which in necessary.
One
of the greatest fortresses, which protect the believer against Shaytan, is
Knowledge.
The
Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"One
Faqih (Someone learned in Religious matters) is stronger against Shaytan than a
thousand worshippers."
Tirmidhi
The
importance of knowledge for the believer in opposing Shaytan is well illustrated
by the following story related by Ibn Abbass:
The
Shaytan says to Iblis, "Master we delight in the death of a man of
knowledge more than we rejoice in that of a man of worship. We are harmed by
the man with knowledge, but not harmed by the man of worship."
Iblis
says, "Come on, lets go." So off they go to a man of worship and they
come to him while he is worshipping and tell him they want to ask him a
question. Iblis says, "Can your lord put this world inside an egg?"
"The
worshipper replies, "I don’t know." Iblis says to the Shaytans,
"Don’t you see there is disbelief in his answer?"
They
then go to a man of knowledge in his circle joking with his companions and say,
"We want to ask you a question."
He
says, "Ask" so Iblis says to him, "Can your Lord put this world
inside an egg?"
He
replies, "Yes."
Iblis
asks, "How?"
The
man of knowledge says,
"His
command when He desires a thing that He says to it ‘Be’ and it is."
(Qur’an 36:82)
Iblis
says to the Shaytans "Don’t you see that, the man (the worshipper) does
not have any effect beyond himself, while this man (the man of knowledge)
estranges much of the world from me?"
It
is well known that Shaytan is with those who oppose the community. For that
reason, the Muslim must keep to the Muslim community because that will keep him
far from the errors and snares of Shaytan.
The
Messenger of Allah (saws) said:
"Whoever
of you desires the heart of the Garden should cling to the community. Shaytan
is with the solitary person and further off from the couple."
Timidhi
and Ahmad