JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD - EXPLORING SOME BASICS, PART 3

 From the Desk of a Layman, NASIR ALI.

JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD -  EXPLORING SOME BASICS,  PART 3

Modern-Day ‘Ukaz Market

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) is His Slave and the Seal of His Messengers.

In ancient Arabia, the term jinn applied to all kinds of supernatural entities among various religions and cults.  The idols the Arabs worshipped were many during the Jahiliyya period. In fact, each tribe in the Arabian Peninsula had its own god or goddess.  Among them, l- Lāt, al-Uzzā, and Manāt were the most prominent, being in proximity of Makkah.  Al-Lat, in the city of Taif, was worshipped by the tribe of Banu Thaqīf.  Al-ʿUzzā was worshipped by the tribe of Ghaṭfān who had built a shrine consisting of three trees on which the idolaters placed a monument and curtains in the area of Nakhla, between Makkah and Taif.   The tribe of Himyar worshipped Nasr.   The Quraysh tribe acquired the property of the god Hubal, who was the chief deity of the Ka‘bah.  Manāt was worshipped by the tribes of  Madinah particularly, Khuzaʿah, Aws, and Khazraj.   Her shrine was in the area of Mushallal near Qudayd, between Makkah and Madinah.  Sometimes all three were said to be daughters of “Allāh,” an idea alluded to in Surah Najm (verse 21) of the Holy Qur’an, and sometimes al-Lāt and Manāt were considered daughters of al-ʿUzzā.   Because angels (peace be upon them) were not visible to the sight, the people of the Jahiliyyah called them jinn.  Centuries later, the jinn were described in the Qur’an and associated Sunnah, lending credence to the creation of the jinn.   The Qur’an also tells us that in the pre-Islamic ignorance the polytheistic Arabs regarded the jinn as associates of God, worshipped them, and thought they were descended from God. [For this, see Quran, Ch. A1-An'am: 100, Saba: 40-41, Assaffat: 158.]  

There are clear proofs in the Qur’an, and we have noted before how Allah (SWT) created Jinn and Man. The existence of Jinn is also proven from the Ahadith of our Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam).  As Islam spread through Asia and Africa in the first millennium of the Christian era, this concept also took roots there.  The Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was commanded to tell Mankind about the World of Jinn, and that he was sent to both Man and Jinn as a Guide.  Therefore, denying their existence is unacceptable. Against the overwhelming odds of pagan Quraysh, led by the Umayyads, who not only opposed him resolutely but also conspired and took steps to boycott him and even kill him, the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) went about to bring in a revolution to end the Age of Ignorance and Barbarism called Jahiliyya with the dawn of Islamic Monotheism and worship of Allah besides Whom there is no other god, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!

 Were Messengers sent among the Jinn?

Fakhr al-din al- Razi (1150-1210 C.E.) who in his Matalib proposed a cosmology in which there were a “thousand, thousand worlds beyond this world", suggested the encounter of the Prophet Muhammad (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) with the jinn exemplified he (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was sent to the jinn as well as to humankind. Therefore, this encounter with spiritual entities challenged the pagans of Mecca by notifying them that even the jinn accepted Islam and believed in Muhammad when they heard the Qur’an.

The majority of the 'ulama, successors and predecessors, believed that there was never a messenger from the jinn and whenever Allah sent a Prophet to mankind, the Jinn of that time could also receive his message.  Regarding the verse of Surah al-An’am: "O ye assembly of jinn and humankind! Came there not unto you messengers of your own who recounted unto you My signs and warned you of the meeting of this day of yours?" (6:130), which holds true in the case of mankind since messengers came from among them;  or if the jinn are meant by ‘messengers’ those relate to their “warners” who listen to the speech of the human messengers and convey it to their kind.  Ibn Kathir too says in his Tafsir that messengers are among mankind only and not vice versa as stated by ibn Jurayj, Mujahid, and other imams from the Salaf and later generations.  Ibn Hazm (994-1063 C.E.) said: A prophet from mankind was never sent to the jinn before our Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam), and before him, prophets would be sent to their people. He said: we know with certainty that they would warn one another.  

We need to remember that in the final phase the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) is the final Prophet sent not only to Man but also Jinn.  

THE INCIDENT AT AN-NAKHLA:

‘Ukaz is situated on a plain among the high arid hills halfway from Taif to Mecca.  It was the last of the market towns before the holy site of the Black Stone, the goal of pilgrims from all over Arabia.

Narrated Ibn Abbas:

Allah's Apostle went out along with a group of his companions towards 'Ukaz Market. At that time something intervened between the devils and the news

of the Heaven, and flames were sent down upon them, so the devils returned. Their fellow devils said, "What is wrong with you? " They said, "Something has intervened between us and the news of the Heaven, and fires (flames) have been shot at us."  Their fellow devils said, "Nothing has intervened between you and the news of the Heaven, but an important event has happened. Therefore, travel all over the world, east and west, and try to find out what has happened." And so they set out and travelled all over the world, east and west, looking for that thing which intervened between them and the news of the Heaven. Those of the devils who had set out towards Tihama, went to Allah's Apostle at Nakhla (a place between Makkah and Taif) while he was on his way to Ukaz Market. (They met him) while he was offering the Fajr prayer with his companions. When they heard the Holy Qur'an being recited (by Allah's Apostle), they listened to it and said (to each other). This is the thing which has intervened between you and the news of the Heavens." Then they returned to their people and said, "O our people! We have really heard a wonderful recital (Qur'an). It gives guidance to the right, and we have believed therein. We shall not join in worship, anybody with our Lord." (See 72.1-2) Then Allah revealed to His Prophet (Surat al-Jinn): 'Say: It has been revealed to me that a group (3 to 9) of Jinns listened (to the Qur'an).' (72.1) The statement of the Jinn was revealed to him. [Bukhari vol.6 Book of Prophetic Commentary on Qur’an, Hadith 443]

Surah Jinn clearly shows that when the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi wassalam) stood up to call upon Allah, the Jinn almost jostled him by their crowds, and that that the jinn who heard the Qur’an on this occasion were polytheists and deniers of the Hereafter (al-Akhirah) and Prophethood (Risalah).  There had also been stories that Allah took wives from among the jinn, and that the offspring resulting from that relationship consisted of the angels. This has been stated in the Quran, Surah As-Saffaat [37:149-158].  Allah is free from what they attribute unto Him, and the Quran forbids associating the Jinn with Allah (SWT).  On this occasion, the Jinn were so moved by hearing the Qur'an that they embraced Islam right away and went back to their fellow Jinn telling them what they had heard and inviting them to accept Islam too.

Incident of Valley of Nakhla: 

Surah Al-Ahqaf:

It is mentioned in Surah al-Ahqaf:  And when We inclined toward thee (Muhammad) certain of the jinn, who wished to hear the Qur'an and when they were in its presence, said: Give ear! and, when it was finished, turned back to their people, warning.  They said: O our people! Lo! we have heard a scripture which hath been revealed after Moses, confirming that which was before it, guiding unto the truth and a right road.  O our people! Respond to Allah's Summoner and believe in him. He will forgive you some of your sins and guard you against a painful doom. And whoso respondeth not to Allah's Summoner he can nowise escape in the earth, and he hath no protecting friends instead of Him. Such are in error manifest. (46:29 to 32)

According to Ibn Ishaq, Abu Nuaym Isfahaini, and Waqidi, this incident occurred during the Prophet’s (Sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) return journey from Taif to Makkah. On the way, when he halted at Nakhla and was reciting the Quran in the Isha or the Fajr or the Tahajjud Prayer, a group of the Jinn happened to pass by and stopped to listen to him.  In this connection, all the traditions agree that on this occasion the jinn did not appear before the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi wasallam), nor did he feel their presence, but Allah informed him afterwards by the revelation that they had come and listened to the Quranic recitation. These Jinn had already had faith in the Prophet Moses and in the Divine Books. After hearing the Qur'an they felt that it gave the same teachings as the former Prophets had been preaching. Therefore, they believed in this Book forthwith and also in the Holy Prophet who had brought it.

The place where this incident took place was either Az- Zaimah which is 20 km northwest of Taif, or AsSayl-ul-Kabir, for both these places are situated in the valley of Nakhla.

The Jinn believed in the Islamic faith and inquired about a number of issues and the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) appointed a number of the jinn to promulgate the Islamic teachings among their folk.  When all the traditions on this subject are read together it appears that at least six deputations had visited the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) in Makkah before the Hijrah.  It is reported by many classical Islamic authorities in their books that 12,000 Jinn came from Mosul in Iraq, and from Harran near Turkey and Nasibeen in Yemen.  Additionally, there are many prophetic traditions that also lend assurance to this fact.  Jinn’s coming to the Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam), for embracing Islam and he (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) used to teach Islam to them, in their own respective languages. From the Companions such as Abu Hurairah and Ibn Masood (excluding Ibn Abbas ® who at that time had no knowledge of the incident), we come to know that the Jinn used to visit Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) who used to talk to them.  Therefore, Jinn are also included in the ummah of the Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam).  There is a consensus among the scholars that the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was sent to both man and jinn.  As-Suyuti wrote: "The majority of early and late scholars agreed that there was never a messenger or prophet sent from among the jinn. This view has been reported on the authority of Ibn ʻAbbas, Mujaahid, Al-Kalbi, and Abu ʻUbayd.

There are many incidents about the meeting of Jinn with our prophet Muhammad (Sal Allahu alayhi wasallam). We are going to narrate some of these from authentic sources:

Abdullah bin Masud ® relates One day the Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) remained missing from Makkah for the whole night. We could not know his whereabouts and feared he might have been attacked by somebody. Early in the morning, we saw him coming from the direction of Hira. On inquiring, he said that a jinn had come to invite him and he had accompanied him and recited the Quran to a gathering of them there.  [Muslim, Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Daud].

Ibn Mas‘ud related: “I saw the jinn on the night they accepted Islam at Batn an-Nakhl. I likened them to the Zut, a tall-statured Sudanese tribe; they resembled them.” [Musnad (tahqiq: Ahmad Shakir), 6:165, no. 4353; Suyuti, al-Khasaisu’l-Kubra, 1:343, 2:361.]

Imam Baihaqi mentions in "Dalail-e-Nubuwwat" on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Masood ® that the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) once, said to his companions in Makkah: "Whosoever from amongst you desires to see the Jinn, he should come to me tonight." Abdullah ibn Masood ® stated that no one except me came that night. The Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) took me with him to a high hill in Makkah. He drew a circle with his foot for me and advised me to keep sitting within that circle. Seating Abdullah ibn Masood ® within that circle, he advanced ahead and then stood at a place. There, he commenced the recitation of the Holy Quran. All of a sudden a big group of Jinn encircled the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and that group stood as a wall between me and the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and I heard the Jinn said: "Who gives evidence that you are the Prophet." There was a tree nearby. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) observed: "Will you accept my claim if this tree gives the evidence?" The Jinn said: "Yes, we shall accept it." On that, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) beckoned the tree. The tree came nearby and gave the evidence accordingly and all the Jinn embraced Islam.

An-Nasa’i recorded that Abu At-Tufayl said:

When the Messenger of Allah conquered Makkah, he sent Khalid bin Al-Walid to the area of

Nakhlah where the idol of Al-`Uzza was erected on three trees of a forest. Khalid cut the three trees and approached the house built around it and destroyed it. When he went back to the Prophet and informed him of the story, the Prophet said to him, "Go back and finish your mission, for you have not finished it." Khalid went back and when the custodians who were also its servants of Al-`Uzza saw him, they started invoking by calling Al-`Uzza!  When Khalid approached it, he found a naked woman whose hair was untidy and who was throwing sand on her head. Khalid killed her with the sword and went back to the Messenger of Allah, who said to him, "That was Al-`Uzza!”

This is also found with a slight variation as under:

When the idol called ‘Uzza was destroyed, a jinni came out of it in the form of a black woman. Khalid cut it into two with his sword. The Noble Messenger (Sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said in connection with this: “They used to worship it inside the idol ‘Uzza; it can no longer be worshipped.” 

[Qadi Iyad, ash-Shifa, 1:362; Khafaji, Sharhu’sh-Shifa, 3:287; Ali al-Qari, Sharhu’sh-Shifa, 1:738; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa’n-Nihaya, 4:316; al-Haythami, Majmau’z-Zawaid, 6:176.]

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasalam) went to the Companions and recited Surah ar Rahman but they were all quiet. He told them that he went to the jinn and recited it to them and they were responsive. And when he would recite the verses 'And which of the favours of the Lord will you deny' the jinn would respond 'There is nothing among your bounties that we can deny, all praise belongs to Allah'. 

[Tirmidhi, Ibn al Mundhir, Al Adhama & Hakim 2/474]

As we complete the part concerning the miracles of angels and the Jinn, we want to utter the truth that the members of the community of Muhammad (Sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) were in contact with angels and jinn, and speaking with them, which originated from the miraculous guidance and instruction of the Noble Messenger (PBUH).

[Ibn Taymiya, at-Tawassul wa’l-Wasila, p. 24; Ibn Taymiya, Majmu-u Fatawa, 11:307.]

Imam Jalal Uddin Suyuti (1445-1505) narrates in Khasais ul Kubra and many other Islamic authorities reported in their books that “The great Caliph Umer-e-Farooq (R) narrates that “Once, a very old man came to meet Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) when he (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was staying in Makkah. The old man was speaking the language of Jinn (angel’s).  The Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) asked him ‘which tribe of Jinn do you belong to?’, he replied ‘I am the grandson of Iblees (Satan).’  The Holy Prophet  (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) asked ‘tell me your origin’. He replied,  ‘I am Haam, the son was Heem, he was the son of Lakhis and Lakhis was the son of Iblis (Satan).’  When the Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) asked about his age, he replied, saying ‘I saw Qabil (son of Adam (as) murdering Habil (son of Adam (as).  I was a kid at that time. I embraced Iman (the faith) of Ibrahim (as) and saw his people throwing him (as) into the fire, I tried to extinguish that fire. Then, I embraced Iman (the faith) of Moses (as), and he (as) taught me about the Taurat (Torah).  Finally, I embraced Iman (the faith) of Jesus (as) and he taught me about the Injil (Gospel).’ He further said, ‘O Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) I have a message for you.'  Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) replied, ‘give me the message’.  He said ‘Jesus (PBUH) said to me: ‘After my demise, Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) will come as the last Messenger of God (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)  to this world. You will be alive at that time and you will get a chance to meet him (S). When you meet the Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam), convey my salutations to him.’  Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) felt very happy on hearing this from Ham and thanked Almighty Allah with tears of happiness in his (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) eyes, and said ‘Peace be on you and my brother Jesus.’ Then Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) asked Haam, ‘Do you want anything from me?’ Haam said ‘O Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) I want to embrace Islam on your hand.  Please teach me some chapters of the Holy Quran.’ Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) taught him ten chapters of the Holy Quran. After narrating this whole scenario, Umer-e-Farooq (R) said, ”After that day, we never saw him again.”

Sahl Al-Tustari (818-896 C.E.) said:   “Once I was in the place that was home to the ʿĀd people of old, a city built of stone, within which there was a magnificent palace that had been carved out

of the rock, which was a refuge for the jinn. I entered the palace to reflect [upon it], and I saw a large person standing in prayer facing the Kaʿba, wearing a long white woollen garment (Jubba) which had a certain freshness (ṭarāwa) about it.  I was impressed with its freshness, so I waited until he had finished his prayer and then I said: ‘Peace be upon you.’ He replied: ‘And upon you be peace, Abū Muḥammad. Were you impressed with the freshness of my garment which has been on me for nine hundred years, and in which I met with Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon them both) and Muḥammad (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) and believed in them both? Know, O Abū Muḥammad, that bodies [in themselves] do not wear out clothes, but rather, illegitimate sources of food, and persistence in committing sins.’ Then I asked, “Who are you?” He replied, ‘I am one of those concerning whom God, Exalted is He, said, ‘Say, It has been revealed to me that a company of jinn listened…’ Sahl was then asked, ‘Do the jinn enter Paradise?’  He replied: “I have heard that in Paradise there are lands which the jinn inhabit, and where they eat and drink, and in the Qurʾān, there is evidence of this as God said, In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched (55:56)

Here is an excerpt about one of the Jinn Sahabah whose status is established.  Subhana Allah!  There has been some discussion in the past regarding the narrating of hadith from scholars from the world of the Jinn, we will leave a detailed discussion of the reliability and validity of such methods of hadith transmission to the experts in this field

Ibn Hajar clearly stated in al-Isabah that he specifically mentioned amongst the companions those from the Jinn whose companionship was established. Therefore he wrote a biographical entry for numerous Jinn companions in al-Isabah.  Some of the names of the Jinn are:

01- Abyadh Al-jinni
02- Al-Adras Al-jinni
03- Al-Arqam Al-jinni
04- Haasar Al-jinni
05- Hassaan Al-jinni
06- Z’alab Al-jinni
07- Zooba’ah Al-jinni
08- Saleet Al-jinni
09- Shsaar Al-jinni
10- Abdur-noor Al-jinni
11- Ghuthaym Al-jinni
12- ‘Arfatah bin samaah Al-jinni
13- ‘Amr bin jaabir Al-jinni
14- ‘Amr Al-jinni, and he is a different ‘Amr from the one mentioned before
15- Lahqam Al-jinni
16- Maalik bin Maalik Al-jinni
17- Naamir Al-jinni
18- Mu’takad bin muhlahal bin dathaar Al-jinni
19- Munsa-ah Al-jinni
20- Wardaan Al-jinni

Al-Kattani mentioned that approximately 150 of the scholars, hadith specialists and Sufis had affirmed Shamahrush’s companionship with the Messenger of Allah (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam). 

It is mentioned in Salak al-Durar (1/134) that the Qadi of the Jinn, Abd al-Rahman better known as Shamahrush passed away in the year 1129 Hijri, his passing away being informed to the human world by none other than Shaykh Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi (1641-1731).

More on Shamahrush the Jinn Companion® later.  

Continued in Part 4… 

NASIR ALI