JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD - ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

 A`udhu billahi minash-Shaitan nir-rajim.

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From the layman, Nasir Ali's Desk:

JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD – ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE PART 1 

The foundation of Islam is the belief in the Unseen (Al-Ghayb).  This belief in the Unseen is the first description of a firm believer (Muttaqeen) by Allah (swt) in Surah Baqara, verses 1-3 of the Holy Quran: 

Alif, Lām, Mīm. This is the Book (the Qur’an); in it is guidance, sure  Without doubt, to those who fear God: Who believe in the unseen…

Therefore, it is imperative that every Muslim should believe in the Unseen without a shadow of any doubt.   The Unseen is unknown to us and we are informed about it by Allah and Prophet Mohammed (sal Allahu Alayhi wasallam). 

Angels are part of the unseen world, but Muslims believe in their existence with certainty because God and His messenger, Muhammad (s), has provided us with information about them and the belief in them forms one of the pillars of Iman (faith).  The angels were created by God in order to worship and obey Him.. “They, (angels) disobey not, the Commands they receive from God, but do that which they are commanded.” (Quran 66:6) The Qur’an provides many keys to nature and ontological status of the angels. A verse constantly quoted represents the words of the angels themselves: “None of us there is but has a known station” (37:164). They are also referred to in 83:21 as those who are brought near (unto their Lord) and those who serve as guards of hell (96:18).  In addition to the four Mighty Angels, there are countless angels who keep the order of the creation and govern everything on earth, and thus carry out duties both in Unseen and Physical Worlds. Angels' duties include glorifying God, communicating revelations from God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death. They are also thought to intercede on man's behalf. The Qur'an describes angels as "messengers with wings—two, or three, or four (pairs): He [God] adds to Creation as He pleases..."  since the Angels are out of this purview, not much can be stated here. 

In Islamic cosmology, there are no fallen angels.  Nor are they are divided into 'good' and 'evil' angels. Angels do not have free will but are constantly devoted to Allah (swt) throughout.  Satan is not a fallen angel but is one of the jinn (demons), a creation of God in parallel to human beings and angels.  On the other hand, Jinn have no connection with the fallen angel as the former can either be good or evil whereas the latter are perpetually evil and devils

The Jinn exist in the Unseen realm of creation, another dimension, parallel to the human world and can take on the appearance they wish to adopt amongst the corporeal forms.  Thus, they are dual-dimensional with the ability to operate both in the Unseen and visible domains.  However, Jinn rarely assume a physical form because, if they do this, they become subject to physical laws and can be harmed physically.  Since they don’t have a physical or material form, Science cannot tell us anything about the nature of Jinn.  We do know, however, from the Holy Qur’an that the Jinn have eyes, ears, and hearts (7:179), and also have a voice (17:64), with the ability to believe or disbelieve.  The Arabic word "Jinn" or "Djinn" is the plural of the word Jinni or genie, and Jinniya is the feminine form.  It is derived from the verb 'Janna' and means to hide or conceal. The Jinn or Demons are so-called because they conceal from people's sight. The words janeen (foetus), mijann (shield) and Jannah (Paradise), Junoon (hides intellect) come from the same root because they are hidden from human sight.  According to Islamic Scholars, the term Jinn occurs thirty-nine times in the Qur’an: 22 times as Jinn, 10 times as Jinnah, and 7 times as Jann. The words, Ifreet and Khannas have been mentioned once, and they both mean Jinn. The word, Shaytan (Satan) has been mentioned 80 times, and Iblis (Devil) is mentioned 11 times.  Some interpretations mention al-taghut which appears in the Qur'an in 8 places to mean Satan in human forms.  There is a whole Surah called Surah al-Jinn, which speaks clearly and explicitly about the jinn. Like humankind, they have free will, intellect, and discrimination. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) said:  “ Verily, he (Satan) and Qabiluhu (his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see them”(7:27). 

Creation of Jinn:

It is mentioned in Surah Rahman, (55:15) "And the jinn He did create of a smokeless flame of fire."  According to Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, and others the meaning of marajin-min-nar, is the extremity of the flame, and in one narration it is described as the purest and best (of fire).’ An-Nawawi said in his commentary to Sahih Muslim, The smokeless flame of fire is that mixed with the blackness of the fire.  Ibn Abbas (R) commented on this verse, saying: أَنَّهَا نَارٌ لَا دُخَانَ لَهَا وَالصَّوَاعِقُ تَكُونُ مِنْهَا  It is a fire without smoke and lightning bolts come from it. (Source: Tafsīr al-Qurtubī 55:15).  It is also mentioned in the Holy Quran that the original Jinn were created from the fire of Samum: “And the jinn did We create aforetime from the fire of Samum” (15:27). (nāri l-samūm has been variously translated as Essential Fire, Scorching Fire, Fire of Scorching Wind, Fire of Searing Wind, etc.)  The term Samūm derives from the root s-m-m سم, which means "to poison". Ibn Mas`ud has defined that fire as “one of seventy parts of the fire of Jahannam” (Tafsirs of al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Tabarani, al-Hakim, al-Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-Iman).  

According to a prophetic tradition narrated by ibn Marduya from Mother of Believers, Aisha ®, Prophet Muhammed (sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) stated that the Angels were created from the Light, Jinn from Fire, and Adam was created out of clay.  Ar-Rabee‘ Ibn Anas said  “Allah created the angels on Wednesday, and He created the jinn on Thursday and He created Adam on Friday.  Al-Hakim has reported a narration by Ibn Abbas ® that "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 the islands in the seas. Hence, the first ones to dwell on the earth were the jinn. Then some of the jinn disbelieved.  They caused mischief therein, shedding blood and killing one another.  The angels used to come down to earth to fight them, and there was bloodshed and corruption on earth.  These Jinn could commit Kufr  independently of  Iblis as they had been created with the choice to believe or disbelieve,  as stated in Surah Jinn: “And among us, there are righteous folk and among us there are far from that” (72:11), “And there are among us some who have surrendered (to Allah) and there are among us some who are unjust” (72:14).

Ibn Masud, Ibn 'Abbas and a group of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu 'alayhi wasallam) said that Iblis had been the head of the angels in the worldly heavens. Ibn Abbas said in one narration that his name had been Azazel and in another narration, he said it had been Al-Harith.  Ibn Abbas also said that Iblis was one of the Jinn and that they had once been the keepers of Paradise, with Iblis the most honorable and the most learned and the most pious of them. Another tradition says that he had been one of the famous four possessors of wings (angels), before Allah transformed him into the accursed Satan.  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), i.e. Just as those Jinn did!  Then Allah said: ‘I know that which you do not know.’" These Jinn were created after the angels and before Adam by 2,000 years during which they populated the earth, committed kufr, and shed blood, and this is the meaning of the angel's statement “Will You place therein those who will do harm therein and shed blood?” (2:30), meaning: as the jinn had done before (as narrated from Ibn `Abbas by al-Hakim).

A question might arise as to why Iblis, one of the Jinn, should be included among the Angels whom Allah commanded to prostrate before Adam. According to Abu Jafar al-Tabari in his Tafsir, God had in fact sent Iblis to gather some sweet and salty skin (Adeem – hence the name Adam) from the earth and thereafter created Adam from it.  Iblis’s wickedness stemmed from the fact that he was a Jinn who possessed great knowledge, worshipped Allah zealously, and had been entrusted with the rule of lower heavens and the earth and was even given the post of the Keeper of Paradise!  It is for this reason that Iblis asked: “Shall I fall prostrate before that which Thou hast created out of clay?” (Quran 17:61) That is, the clay brought by myself!  The Tafsir further mentions that God created Adam with a body of clay for forty years to the extent of a Friday.  When the Angels passed by him, they were frightened by what they saw.  Iblis was the most frightened. He would kick him, and entering his body from the mouth, he would leave by his posterior.  He would tell the Angels not to be afraid, that whereas the Lord is solid, this one is hollow; and that: “When I am given the authority over him, I shall ruin him.” Iblis’ transgression cost him much.  (Allah) said: "Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant here: get out, for thou art of the meanest (of creatures)." He was expelled from the blissful place and the company of angels.  Hell became his destiny yet he asked for respite: He said: "Give me respite till the day they are raised up."  (Allah) said: "Be thou among those who have respite."  He said: "Because thou hast thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in wait for them on thy straight way: "Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left: Nor wilt thou find, in most of them, gratitude (for thy mercies)." (Allah) said: "Get out from this, disgraced and expelled. If any of them follow thee,-Hell will I fill with you all. (Surah A’raf 7:14-18). So respite was granted to the accursed and rejected Iblis till the Day of the time appointed by Allah (swt) when all shall be raised from the dead – the details of which are in Surah al-Hijr (15:34-38).  The knowledge of “Appointed Time” is known only to Allah (swt)!   Since Iblis was sentenced to punishment because of Man, we learn from Surah Hijr: 39. He said: My Lord! Because Thou hast sent me astray, I verily shall adorn the path of error for them in the earth and shall mislead them, everyone, 40. Save such of them as are Thy perfectly devoted slaves. 41. He said: This is a right course, incumbent upon Me: 42. Lo! As for My slaves, thou hast no power over any of them save such of the froward as follow thee, 43. And lo! For all such, hell will be the promised place. (15: 39-43).

Allah (swt) has clearly stated that Iblis is the enemy of mankind and he began to lead them astray, beginning with Adam in Paradise itself: In Surah Ta-Ha it is mentioned:  116. And when We said unto the angels: Fall prostrate before Adam, they fell prostrate (all) save Iblis; he refused. 117. Therefore we said: O Adam! This is an enemy unto thee and unto thy wife, so let him not drive you both out of the Garden so that thou come to toil. 118. It is (vouchsafed) unto thee, that thou hungerest not therein, nor art naked, 119. And that thou thirstiest not therein, nor art exposed to the sun's heat. 120. But the devil whispered to him, saying: O Adam! Shall I show thee the tree of immortality and power that wasteth not away? 121. Then they twain ate thereof so that their shame became apparent unto them, and they began to hide by

heaping on themselves some of the leaves of the Garden.  Adam disobeyed his Lord so he went astray. (20:116-121). And in Surah al-A’raf: “Thus did he lead them on with guile…”(7:22)  In his Arāʾis al-madjālis fī ḳiṣaṣ al-anbiyā (Lives of the Prophets), the fifth/eleventh-century Islamic scholar Al-Tha`labi relates a story, in which Azazel tried to sneak back into the Garden Eden and tricked its keeper by hiding inside the mouth of a serpent and with the aid of a peacock.  

It is important to remember that due to Iblis’s jealousy and hatred for humanity, Iblis and his army of evil jinn (shayaateen) wish to drag human beings along with themselves into the fire of hell. Therefore, whether the name of Iblis was Azazel or Haris, he is our Enemy. Allah says in the Qur'an (2:208) "O ye who believe! Come, all of you, into submission (unto Him); and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.”

Imam Raz’i draws our attention to Surah Saba’ to the following Ayahs: 40. And on the day when He will gather them all together, He will say unto the angels: Did these worship you?  41. They will say: Be Thou Glorified. Thou (alone) art our Guardian, not them! Nay, but they worshipped the jinn; most of them were believers in them.  That clear expression shows that the angels and the Jinn are two different kinds.  Imam Raz'i also mentions the fact that God conceded Iblis's seed and offspring, something which He did not concede to angels.  Angels don’t have free will.  They obeyed the command of Allah and bowed down.  The Prostration was before Adam, but the Obedience was to Allah.  However, if Iblis were an angel, he could not have been singled out by others as having children. Why is progeny not arrogated to Jibril (a.s.) and other archangels?  So without a doubt, Iblis was a Jinn who was created from fire, and with his free will he disobeyed Allah.

It may also be noted that both Jinn and Jaan are interchangeably used in the Qur’an to mean the same creatures, whether good or bad ones.  Jann also signifies "a serpent," as in other passages of the Qur'an.  Hasan Basri and Tabari are of the opinion that Iblis is the ancestor of the Jinn, supported as they are by Muqatil, Qatada, and Ata.  Shaikh Ibn Taimiyya opines in Majmu al-Fatawa that Iblis is the origin of all Jinn in the same way as Adam is the origin of mankind. 

The stories of Shaytān being among the most honourable group of the angels and as guardian of paradise or in charge of the lower heaven are all from the Jewish records (Isrā’īliyyāt) – but that’s another subject.

Continued in the next Part.

NASIR ALI