THE JINN PART 5 CONTINUED:
The jinn live upon the same earth as humans and are also found in the ruins, cemeteries and dilapidated areas, as well as the places where there are many impure things, such as, bathrooms, hashish dens, the places of the camels. For that reason, Ibn Taimiyyah said, those people who are close to Satan usually inhabit such areas. We often notice Magicians visiting such places at night times. As related in a hadith by Ibn Masud ®, they live in the garbage so as to eat the leftover food discarded by human beings. Al-Hafiz has said that in human dwellings the Jinn live in the ceiling of the house and join the occupants at the meal times. Qatadah related from 'Abdullah ibn Sarjas who said, "The Messenger of Allah forbade urination into a hole." Said Qatadah, "What is disliked about urinating into a hole?" Said he, "It is the residence of the jinn." [Hadith: Ahmed, an-Nasa’I, Dawud, al-Hakim and Baihaqi. Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn as-Sakin classified it as sahih] According to a hadith the devils love to sit between the shade and the sunlight; mostly in alleys. For this reason, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade the Muslims to sit in such places. Another hadith: “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.” Zayd ibn Arqam reported: The Apostle of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said, “These privies [public bathrooms] are frequented by the Jinn and devils [i.e. any jinn in general]. So when anyone amongst you goes there, he should say: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from male and female shaitaan.’” [Dawud: Book 1: Hadith 6] Besides these dwellings, the Jinn are also known to live underground and within water. Because of their dwellings most jinn carry a foul stench. Many of them avoid the daylight and usually come out during the night. The fact that jinn hide in the shade of the sunlight outdoors and in the shadows of water streams, has been confirmed by many researchers. Besides these dwellings, the Jinn are also known to live underground and within the water. Because of their dwellings most jinn carry a foul stench. Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said that non-believer Jinn hate fragrance such as musk, while the believing Jinn like fragrance. Many of them avoid the daylight and usually come out during the night. Jinn in both Morocco and Syria were associated with the countryside and underground dwellings. In the 1980s, when I visited Bahrain, a Bahraini friend pointing out a new building which was standing on a busy thoroughfare said that no human beings were residing there as it was inhabited by Jinn. However, the Jinn avoid human civilization and live far away in the deserts.
Powers of Jinn:
In Majmua al-Fataawaa, Shaikh Ibn Taimiyyah has stated that Jinn can appear as humans, animals, snakes, scorpions, camels, cows, sheep, horses, mules, donkeys or anything else. The black dog is the devil among dogs, and the jinn often appear in that form, and also in the form of black cats, because the black colour is more able to concentrate devilish power than other colours, and it concentrates heat. The Jinn can move from place to place very fast; and can carry objects and people along with them. From Majmu-al-fatwa of Ibn Taymiyyah, we find stories about people who used to travel from place to place through the air – they were all carried by the Jinn. This ability is also confirmed from the Quran that when Sulaiman (as) asked his men whether there is anyone who will bring him the throne of Bilqis (Queen of Sheba – who was on her way to surrender to Sulaiman (a.s.): "Solomon said to his own men: 'Ye Chiefs! which of you can bring me the throne of Queen of Sheba before she and her envoys come to me in submission? Said an Ifrit, of the Jinn: 'I will bring it to thee before thou rise from thy council: indeed I have full strength for the purpose and may be trusted." "Said one who had knowledge of the Book: 'I will bring it to thee within the twinkling of an eye!' Then when (Solomon) saw it placed firmly before him, he said: 'This is by the grace of my Lord!" — Qur'an, sura 27 (An-Naml), ayat 38-40. This traversing the earth without moving has been termed as “Tay al-ard” which is defined as "A type of marvel in which instead of moving toward a destination by taking a step forward, the earth turns toward the traverser rapidly, no matter how far the destination be." It may be stated that Prophet Suleiman (a.s.) loved horses so much, he forgot to pray Asr-prayer because he played with them and he took an oath that he will never play with them anymore and that’s why Allah replaced the horses with an army of Jinn. [Abu Dawud] Only Sulaiman (a.s.) is given dominion over the Jinn. It is also known from the Quran that the Jinn used to build Castles for Solomon, those who would dive into the depths of oceans and bring jewels and pearls from the depths below. In preparation for the arrival of Bilqis, Prophet Sulaiman (a.s.) had ordered a palace of glass to be built. Under the glass floors, there was a pool of water with various kinds of fish swimming in it. When Bilqis arrived, he took her to the palace. She was told to enter the palace. When she saw it she thought there was a pool of water and therefore she bared her legs. Such were the handiworks of Jinn. We have also mentioned before how they used to eavesdrop and steal the messages from lower heaven. Another of their abilities is possession of animate and inanimate objects and controlling the thoughts and visions of a human. Unless it is psychological, hallucination, bad dreams are nothing but the work of Jinn.
Allah (swt) has given the jinn the ability to appear in the form of humans and that is known from real events: As we know, when the Quraish debated on the best means to silence the Prophet (sal Allahu Alayhe wasallam) forever, they were interrupted by an old man. He introduced himself as a well-wisher from the tribe of Najd, was curious to hear their talk and hoped for their success on reaching a sound decision. This old man was Iblis himself, and with his smooth-talking, he was readily admitted into the meeting! In this way he, too, was present when the Quraish plotted the murder of Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhe wasallam). (Ibn Hisham) Alhumdulillah, Allah (swt) warned the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhe wasallam) of their plans and temporarily blinded the assassins who surrounded his house, as he left Makkah and made his way to Madinah.
Also, the Shaytaan came to Quraysh in the form of man called Suraqah ibn Maalik ibn Ja‘sham and promised them help and victory when they wanted to go out for the battle to Badr. Allah (swt) says: And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said: No-one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am guiltless of you. Lo! I see that which ye see not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment. [al-Anfaal 8:48].
Further, according to a hadith: Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle deputed me to keep Sadaqat (al-Fitr) of Ramadan. A comer came and started taking handfuls of the foodstuff (of the Sadaqa) (stealthily). I took hold of him and said, "By Allah, I will take you to Allah's Apostle ." He said, "I am needy and have many dependents, and I am in great need." I released him, and in the morning Allah's Apostle asked me, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I said, "O Allah's Apostle! The person complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so, I pitied him and let him go." Allah's Apostle said, "Indeed, he told you a lie and he will be coming again." I believed that he would show up again as Allah's Apostle had told me that he would return. So, I waited for him watchfully. When he (showed up and) started stealing handfuls of foodstuff, I caught hold of him again and said, "I will definitely take you to Allah's Apostle. He said, "Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will not come back again." I pitied him and let him go. In the morning Allah's Apostle asked me, "What did your prisoner do." I replied, "O Allah's Apostle! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free." Allah's Apostle said, "Verily, he told you a lie and he will return." I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he (came and) started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff, I caught hold of him and said, "I will surely take you to Allah's Apostle as it is the third time you promise not to return, yet you break your promise and come." He said, "(Forgive me and) I will teach you some words with which Allah will benefit you." I asked, "What are they?" He replied, "Whenever you go to bed, recite "Ayat-al-Kursi"-- 'Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-l-Haiy-ul Qaiyum' till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no satan will come near you till morning. " So, I released him. In the morning, Allah's Apostle asked, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I replied, "He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah will benefit me, so I let him go." Allah's Apostle asked, "What are they?" I replied, "He said to me, 'Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi from the beginning to the end ---- Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-lHaiy-ul-Qaiyum----.' He further said to me, '(If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no satan will come near you till morning.' (Abu Huraira or another sub-narrator) added that they (the companions) were very keen to do good deeds. The Prophet said, "He really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar. Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights, O Abu Huraira?" Abu Huraira said, "No." He said, "It was Satan." (Bukhari) Since that was in the month of Ramadan, it becomes clear that not all devils are chained but only those who are the most rebellious ones such as Maarids.
Ibn 'Umar reported: "We were sitting with the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and a man came in. He was the ugliest, dirtiest, and one who had the most foul odour coming from him. He was impolite, and started walking through the people until he sat before the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam). He asked the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam): "Who created you?" He (s) replied: "Allah." He asked him again: "Who created the heaven?" He (s) replied: "Allah." "Who created the earth?" He (s) said: "Allah." He asked again: "Who created Allah?" The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Subhana Allah," and he held his forehead and lowered his head. The man stood up and left. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) raised his head and said: "Bring me the man." We went to fetch him but he had disappeared, as if he had never existed. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: "That was Iblis. He came to cast doubts in your hearts about your religion." (al-Baihaqi's Dala'il an-Nabuwwah)
Jinn can appear as a black slave:
'Ali Ibn Abi Taalib reported: I swear by Allah that 'Ammar Ibn Yasir fought against both humans and jinn during the life of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam). People said: We know how he fought against humans, so how did he fight against jinn? Ali said: We were with the Prophet on a journey and he told 'Ammar to go and get some water. So 'Ammar went to get the water, but a devil, in the form of a black slave, appeared and prevented him from getting the water. 'Ammar wrestled with him and brought him to the ground. Satan said: Let me go and I will let you get the water. 'Ammar let him go but Satan prevented him from reaching the water. This happened three times, and the fourth time, Satan allowed 'Ammar to get to the water. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) then told us: Satan has assumed the form of a black slave and prevented him from getting water, but Allah helped Ammar defeat him. Ali ® said: When 'Ammar came back we met him, saying: Well done 'Ammar, the Prophet told us what happened to you. Then 'Ammar said: I swear by Allah if I had known that he was a devil I would have killed him - I would have throttled him were it not for his bad smell. [al-Bayhaqi in Dala'il an-Nabuwwah; al-Tabarani in Majma al-Zawa'id; ibn Sa'd in his Tabaqaat, and others)
Continued in Part 6.
NASIR
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