The World of the Jinn
Throughout
history man has always had a deep attraction for the supernatural and
the unseen. The existence of a world parallel to our own has always
fascinated people. This world is commonly referred to as the spirit
world, and almost every set of people have some concept of one. With
some people, these spirits are no more then the souls of dead people- or
ghosts. With others, spirits are either the forces of good or the
forces of evil - both battling against one another to gain influence
over humanity. However, both of these explanations are more in tune with
folk tales and fantasy. The true explanation of such a world comes from
Islam. Like every other way, Islam also claims to explain this realm of
the unseen. It is from this realm that Islam explains to us about the
world of the Jinn. The Islamic explanation of the Jinn provides us with
so many answers to modem day mysteries. Without the knowledge of this
world, the Muslims would become like the non-Muslims and be running
around looking for any old answer to come their way. So, who or what are
the Jinn?
Existence
The
Jinn are beings created with free will, living on earth in a world
parallel to mankind. The Arabic word Jinn is from the verb 'Janna' which
means to hide or conceal. Thus, they are physically invisible from man
as their description suggests. This invisibility is one of the reasons
why some people have denied their existence. However, (as will be seen)
the affect which the world of the Jinn has upon our world, is enough to
refute this modern denial of one of Allah's creation. The origins of the
Jinn can be traced from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Allah says:
"Indeed
We created man from dried clay of black smooth mud. And We created the
Jinn before that from the smokeless flame of fire"
(Surah Al-Hijr 15:26-27)
Thus
the Jinn were created before man. As for their physical origin, then
the Prophet (saws) has confirmed the above verse when he said: "The
Angels were created from light and the Jinn from smokeless fire" [1]. It
is this description of the Jinn which tells us so much about them.
Because they were created from fire, their nature has generally been
fiery and thus their relationship with man has been built upon this.
Like humans, they too are required to worship Allah and follow Islam.
Their purpose in life is exactly the same as ours, as Allah says:
"I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me"
(Surah Ad-Dhariyat 51:56)
Jinns
can thus be Muslims or non-Muslims. However, due to their fiery nature
the majority of them are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Jinns form a
part of the army of the most famous Jinn, Iblis- the Shaytan[2].
Consequently, these disbelieving Jinns are also called Shaytans
(devils). As for the Jinns who become Muslims, then the first of them
did so in the time of the Prophet (saws) when a group of them were
amazed by the recitation of the Qur'an. Allah orders the Prophet to tell
the people of this event:
"Say
(O' Muhammed): It has been revealed to me that a group of Jinn listened
and said; 'Indeed we have heard a marvellous Qur'an. It guides unto
righteousness so we have believed in it, and we will never make partners
with our lord'"
(Surah Al-Jinn 72:1-2)
In
many aspects of their world, the Jinn are very similar to us. They eat
and drink, they marry, have children and they die. The life span
however, is far greater then ours. Like us, they will also be subject to
a Final Reckoning by Allah the Most High. They will be present with
mankind on the Day of Judgement and will either go to Paradise or Hell.
Abilities
That
which clearly distinguishes the Jinn from mankind, are their powers and
abilities. Allah has given them these powers as a test for them. If
they oppress others with them, then they will be held accountable. By
knowing of their powers, we can often make sense of much of the
mysteries which go on around us. One of the powers of the Jinn, is that
they are able to take on any physical form they like. Thus, they can
appear as humans, animals trees and anything else. Over the last few
years the interest in the subject of aliens and UFO's has become
heightened. Programmes such as the X-files and the Outer limits have
increased the popularity of the theory that aliens exist. Thousands of
people have sighted strange looking creatures all over the world. These
sightings however, have still not proven substantially that aliens
exist. Rather - and it seems more plausible all the sightings of such
creatures were just Jinns parading in different forms. So the next time
you see something that looks like E.T, its most probably just a wicked
Jinn trying to scare and confuse you!
The
ability to possess and take over the minds and bodies of other
creatures is also a power which the Jinn have utilised greatly over the
centuries. This however, is something which has been prohibited to them
as it is a great oppression to possess another being. Human possession
is something which has always brought about great attention. But the
true knowledge of this subject is rare amongst the people. Over the last
3 decades the subject of possession has become very commercialised.
During the 70's films such as The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby were used
to educate people about possession. However, because such institutions
(the film industry) were heavily influenced by Christianity, knowledge
of the subject was non-existent. Rather then educate people about Jinn
possession, films such as The Exorcist just tended to scare the living
daylights out of us![3] Only through Islam can we understand such a
phenomena. We know as Muslims, that Jinns possess people for many
reasons. Sometimes it is because the Jinn or its family has been hurt
accidentally. It could be because the Jinn has fallen in love with the
person. However, most of the time possession occurs because the Jinn is
simply malicious and wicked. For this reason we have been told by the
Prophet (saws) not to loiter in those places where the Jinns reside,
e.g. graveyards, ruins, deserts, market places etc. We have also been
commanded to recite the Qur'an frequently in our houses as the Prophet
(saws) said: "Indeed, the shaytan flees from the house in which Surah
Al-Baqarah (the 2nd chapter of the Qur'an) is recited" [4].
If
a person does become possessed, then the name of Allah has to be used
in expelling the Jinn. If we look at the practice of the Prophet and his
companions, we find many duas (supplications) to exorcise the Jinn. All
these duas invoke Allah to help the possessed person. How contrary this
is to many modern-day exorcists. Many exorcists, Muslim and non-Muslim,
often invoke the names of others besides Allah to exorcise the Jinn[5].
When the Jinn does leave, these people believe that their way was
successful. However, this is a ploy of the Jinn, as it knows that if it
obeys the exorcist, then it has succeeded in making him worship others
besides Allah i.e. commit shirk. The Jinn often returns when the
exorcist leaves, as it knows that nothing except the words of Allah can
stop it from oppressing others.
It
is not only humans which are possessed, but also animals, trees and
other objects. By doing this, the evil Jinn hope to make people worship
others besides Allah. The possession of idols is one way to do this. Not
so long ago the world-wide phenomenon of Hindu idols drinking milk,
shocked the world. From Bombay to London, Delhi to California, countless
idols were lapping up milk. Ganesh[6] the elephant god, Hanuman the
monkey god and even Shiva lingam, the male private organ(!), all seemed
to guzzle down the milk as if there was no tomorrow! Unfortunately
people were taken in by this (including Muslims) and many flocked to
feed (?) the Hindu gods. Anyone who knows about Jinn possession, will
undoubtedly know that this is a classic attempt to make people commit
shirk. And it worked, as many people started to worship these lifeless
pieces of wood and marble. Anyone with half a brain would say to
themselves, 'why on earth does a god need to be fed?!! Surely if Ganesh,
Hanuman or Shiva were divine then they wouldn't need feeding?' However,
such common sense seemed to be lacking as the Jinns played havoc with
these gullible people.
The Occult
Through
their powers of flying and invisibility, the Jinn are the chief
component in occult activities. Voodoo, Black magic, Poltergeists,
Witchcraft and Mediums can all be explained through the world of the
Jinn. Likewise, so can the illusions and feats of magicians. Because the
Jinn can traverse huge distances over a matter of seconds, their value
to magicians is great. In return for helping them in their magic, the
Jinns often ask for the magicians to sell their souls to them and even
to Iblis. Thus the magicians take the Jinn and Iblis as lords besides
Allah. In our day, some of the feats performed by magicians and
entertainers are without doubt from the assistance of the Jinn. Making
the Statue of Liberty disappear, flying across the Grand Canyon and
retrieving a ship from the Bermuda Triangle[7], have all been done by
the Jewish magician David Copperfield. There is NO way that a man could
do such things without the assistance of the Jinn. It would not be
surprising therefore, if David Copperfield had sold his soul to Iblis
himself. Because of their involvement with the Jinn, and its result in
shirk, the Prophet (saws) said: "The prescribed punishment for the
magician is that he be executed by the sword" [8]. Some may argue that
this is barbaric, but if, the likes of David Copperfield truly had
powers, then they could just put their heads back on again!!
One
of the most frequent activities associated with the Jinn, is fortune
telling. Before the advent of the Prophet (saws) fortune-tellers and
soothsayers were wide spread. These people would use their associates
from the Jinn to find out about the future. The Jinns would go to the
lowest heaven and listen to the Angels conversing amongst themselves
about events of the Future which they heard from Allah. The Jinns would
then inform the fortune-tellers. This is why before the time of the
Prophet (saws) many fortune-tellers were very accurate in their
predictions. However, upon the Prophet's arrival the heavens were
guarded intensely by the Angels, and any Jinn who tried to listen was
attacked by meteors (shooting stars):
"And
We have guarded it (the heavens) from every accursed devil, except one
who is able to snatch a hearing and he is pursued by a brightly burning
flame"
(Surah Al-Hijr 15:18)
The
Prophet (saws) also said: "They (the Jinn) would pass the information
back down until it reaches the lips of a magician or forrtune-teller
Sometimes a meteor would overtake them before they could pass it on. If
they passed it on before being struck, they would add to it a hundred
lies" [9]. Thus, it is clear from this as to how fortune-tellers get
predictions of the future right. It is also evident as to why they get
so many wrong. Men like Nostradamus[
Fortune-tellers
also operate through the Qareen. The Qareen is the Jinn companion which
is assigned to every human being. It is this Jinn which whispers to our
base desires and constantly tries to divert us from righteousness. The
Prophet (saws) said: "Everyone of you has been assigned a companion from
the Jinn. The companions asked: Even you O' Messenger of Allah? And the
Prophet replied: Even me, except that Allah has helped me against him
and he has submitted. Now he only tells me to do good" [11]. Because the
Qareen is with a person all his life, it knows all that has happened to
the person from the cradle to the grave. By making contact with the
Qareen, the fortune-teller is thus able to make out that it is he who
knows about the person. He looks in his crystal ball or the palm of a
person and proceeds to amaze him with knowledge which no one else
knows[12]. The severity of going to a fortune-teller is such that the
Prophet (saws) said: "The prayer of one who approaches a fortune-teller
and asks him about anything, will not be accepted for forty days or
nights" [13] and: "Whosoever approaches a fortune-teller and believes in
what he says, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammed" [14]
The
effects of the Jinn are not just limited to fortune-tellers. Other
activities such as oujia boards and seances, which are used to contact
the dead, are manipulated by the Jinn. 'Are you there Charlie? Speak to
us Charlie!!' are the sort of words spoken by anxious relatives (names
are obviously different!) seeking to make contact with their loved ones.
And it is when the Jinn starts to talk and communicate as 'Charlie',
that the people are truly fooled[15].
One
of the biggest manipulations of the Jinn is through visions. Through
these visions the Jinns are more likely to lead people away from the
worship of Allah then any other way. When a person sees a vision in
front of his eyes it is something which is very hard to explain away.
Only by having knowledge of the world of the Jinn and conviction in
Allah, can a person fight such a trial. The countless numbers of visions
of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary over the centuries has been a
popular choice for the devils. It almost seems as if leading Christians
astray is the most easiest trick for the Jinns! Not only are Christians
fooled by these visions, but often the Jinns possess and begin to talk
from their voices. To the Christians this is known as the tongues of the
Angels and thus a proof for their faith. However, the amount of
unintelligible nonsense and rubbish which is heard is a clear proof that
this is in fact the tongues of the devils! For other people, visions of
their parents or relatives are commonplace. By taking on the form of
peoples parents, the Jinns can convince people that the souls of dead
people still mix with the people of the earth. This is why so many
people believe in ghosts.
The
onslaught of satanic visions has also hit the Muslims. Many Muslims
claim to have seen visions of the Prophet Muhammed (saws) and even
Allah! By doing this, Shaytan is able to lead astray the weak Muslims.
Through such visions, Muslims are often told that the commands of Islam
are not applicable to them. The Jinns tell them that Prayer, Fasting,
Hajj etc. are not obligatory for them. It is a great deception and
unfortunately one which has been very effective. The extent of satanic
visions still continues to this day. The recent death of Diana Princess
of Wales sparked off great love and adoration for this woman. In fact
the grief of the British people was such, that it was as if Diana was
something divine. No sooner had the mourning of Diana reached its peak,
that visions of her were already being seen at Hampton Court Palace! If
these visions did occur, the desire of Iblis and his army of Jinn to
capitalise on this event, was evident. Such visions are clear attempts
by Iblis to lead mankind away from the path of Allah [16].
The
world of the Jinn is one which is both sinister and intriguing. By
knowing of this world we can explain many of the mysteries and issues
which bother us. By doing this we can avoid the extremes which the
people have gone to; nothing being more extreme then worshipping others
besides Allah. By learning the Tawheed of Allah, we defend ourselves
from these hidden allies of Iblis:
"Indeed he (Iblis) and his tribe watch you from a position where you cannot see them"
(Surah Al-A'raf 7:27)
Maybe
there is a Jinn sitting in the corner of your room right now, or even
one behind you. If so, then how will you deal with this creation of
Allah? Learn Islam properly and you will be able to deal with all of
Allah's creation - and not just the Jinn. By becoming true Muslims and
followers of Islam, the fear of Iblis, Jinns and anything else will
leave us - nothing will touch the Believer unless Allah wills.
Footnotes
1 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans. Vol. 4, p.1540, No.7134
2
It must be remembered that Iblis is a Jinn and not an Angel. The
concept of the Devil being a fallen Angel is from Christianity and not
Islam.
3 In fact when The Exorcist was first shown on cinema, it was so scary that many people fainted and one even died!
4 Authentic - Reported by Tirmidhee
5
Whilst Christians invoke the name of Jesus, many Muslims invoke the
name of pious Muslim saints! The rituals which are conducted by many
Muslims are more akin to voodoo then the exorcism practised by the
Prophet and his companions!!
6
Ganesh, the elephant headed deity, seemed to be the biggest drinker! In
fact it didn't just stop at milk. At the time of these occurrences, a
woman in India decided to see if Ganesh would drink anything else - so
she offered him whiskey!! And Lo and behold Ganesh drank the Whiskey!!!
Suffice to say, the woman was kicked out of India.
7 The ship which was recovered was more then 50 years old. It subsequently caught alight and was conveniently destroyed.
8 Authentic - Reported by Tirmidhee
9 Reported by Bukhari - Eng. Trans. Vol.7, p.439, No.657
10 Michel de Nostradamus was a famous French soothsayer of the
sixteen 16th century.
11 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans. Vol.4, p.1472, No.6757
12
The classic example of how fortune tellers can be wrong is the case of
Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed. Both went to see a fortune
teller who told Diana that she would live a long and happy life. A few
weeks later, on August 31st 1997, Diana and Dodi Fayed were dead. After
this the fortune tellers flew for cover, as their evil art showed its
decadence.
13 Reported by Muslim - Eng. Trans. Vol.4, p.1211, No.5540
14 Authentic - Reported by Ahmed
15 Ouija boards are so misleading, that people have even managed to get in touch with the spirit of Jack the Ripper!!
16 An informative book on the world of the Jinn is Ibn Taymeeyah's Essay on the Jinn translated by Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips.
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