JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD - PART 2

From the Desk of a layman, Nasir Ali: 

JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD - PART 2

“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and humans except they should worship Me (Alone)." (51:56)

Like humans, the Jinn are created with fitra, the state of purity and innocence, i.e. neither born as believers nor as unbelievers.  They are endowed with free will like us, with the power of discrimination to choose between right and wrong, true and false,  and good and bad.  Having been exposed to the revelations on commands and prohibitions, both Jinn and humans are subject to rewards or punishments on the Day of Judgment in keeping with their deeds. 

But does Allah (swt) need the Jinn and Humans to worship Him?  

The answer is a resounding No!  

"O mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allah, but Allah is Rich [Free of all wants and needs], Worthy of all praise"….Surah Fatir 35:15.  

It is confirmed in a Hadith-Qudsi that Allah says:  “O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him who finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself. [It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)].  

The Holy Qur’an tells us: “No soul will be questioned about what another soul has done…” (Chapter 17, Verse 15).  To conclude, Allah created Jinn and human beings and He created the heavens and the earth, so that Allah would be known, worshipped Alone, and obeyed. 

While Iblis disobeyed Allah willfully with the full understanding of the consequences, Adam (a.s.) and Hawwa (Eve) did so through simple forgetfulness and heedlessness and were intensely sorry, humbly repenting and beseeching Allah for forgiveness.    Then Adam received from his Lord words (of revelation), and He relented toward him. Lo! He is the relenting, the Merciful. (2:37)   Adam (a.s.) Eve and Iblis all disobeyed Allah’s (swt) command, but their reactions were different on being made aware of the sin.    Adam (a.s.) and Eve acknowledged that they had wronged themselves, and humbly asked for forgiveness and mercy, while Ibis, swollen with pride, refused to even acknowledge that he had done any wrong. He neither sought forgiveness nor repentance and mercy and was thus cursed Iblis and banished and disgraced. 

Jinn like humans belong to different sects and different cults. In the Qur’anic chapter entitled “al-Jinn,” the jinn themselves admit they follow different paths:  “And some of us are righteous, and some of us are otherwise; we are sects differing” (Qur’an 72:11).  “And some of us have surrendered, and some of us have deviated” (Qur’an 72:14).  The jinn are of different ranks in terms of piety or impiety.  Jinn who are on the righteous path, having submitted themselves to Allah, perform their religious duties very well, namely, prayers, fasting during the month of Ramadan, alms-giving and Hajj and Umra.  However, while performing these duties they are generally invisible to human beings.  The evil Jinn are called Shayateen, or devils. They have gone away from the straight path and are unjust and therefore, are the Jinn who are the fuel for hellfire.  Some are heedless; others are disbelievers. The devils among the Jinn have chosen disbelief, idolatry, and disobedience of Allah.  They are the followers of their Chief, Satan or Iblis, who rebelled against Allah by not obeying His command to prostrate before Adam.  Hafiz Ibn Hajr has alluded in his Fath al-Bari that disbelieving Jinn are shaitans, meaning that when the word shaitan is used it means an evil disbelieving jinn. [Fath al-Bari [6:344] and [8:675].    Most scholars such as ar-Razi and Alusi accept that unbelieving Jinn are called devils.  They work mischief and corruption on earth and lure and seduce humans to evil.

In a hadith, transmitted in Imam Muslim’s Sahih from the Hadith narrated by Jabir Ibn ‘Abdullah as said by the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam): “Iblis places his throne upon water; he then sends detachments (for creating dissension); the nearer to him in rank are those who are most notorious in creating dissensions. One of them comes and says: “I did so and so.” And he says: “You have done nothing.” Then one amongst them comes and says: “I did not spare so and so until I sowed the seed of discord between a husband and a wife.” Satan goes near him and says: “You have done well.” Al-A’mash said: “He then embraces him.”  [Sahih Muslim: Book 039 'Kitab Sifat Al-Qiyamah wa'l Janna wa'n-Nar', Number 6755]  

Al-'Ayni said in Sharh Al-Bukhari, “Mujaahid narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas, 'It was reported to us that Iblees has many children but that he relies on five of them: Shabr, Al-A'war, Miswat, Daasim, and Zalanboor…”  “Iblees (Satan) laid five eggs: Zalanboor, Daasim, Thabr, Miswat, and Al-A'war.  Al-A'war is responsible for Zina (fornication or adultery; He beautifies it and entices people to commit it); Thabr is responsible for calamities (He orders people to rip their clothes, slap their cheeks, and make the call of ignorance when stricken by calamity); Miswat is responsible for lies, which he casts people's mouths while they do not know its source); Daasim enters people’s homes: if a person entered his home and did not say 'Salaam', then he enters with him, and if he ate and did not mention the name of Allah (i.e. say Bismillaah), then he eats with him, and he shows him the items in the house that he cannot find (of which he does not know where they are).  As regards Zalanboor, he is the devil of the markets, he sticks his flag in every market between the heaven and the earth.” (Ibn  Abi  al-Dunya  in Maka’ d al-Shayatin,  54 /35)  

As we understand from the Qur’an:  2:18. Deaf, dumb and blind, and they return not.   Allah (swt) knows that they are unlikely to return to the right path.   So even though the Jinn are created from fire, the wrongdoer amongst them will also be thrown into hellfire.   The term "Shaitan" is also used for those disbelieving human beings who have the evil nature of Shaitan and who are active in spreading Fitna and corruption on earth and fighting righteousness.  Therefore we read in Surah 7, Verse 179:  Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are like the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.   They disbelieve in the clear tokens. 

Some people think that jinn will be tormented with the punishment of ice.  We find a reference in Quran in Surah Saad: Here is a boiling and an ice-cold draught, so let them taste it, And other (torment) of the kind in pairs (the two extremes)! [38:57-58].  Extreme cold is called Zamhareer which is a kind of torture, while Hellfire is the abode of torture.  This is proved from a Muttafiq ‘Alay hadith narrated by Abu Huraira.  Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Abbas says: “The inmates of Jahannam will ask to be rescued from the excruciating heat of Jahannam. An icy cold wind will be blown upon them, which will cause their bones to ache after which they will beg for heat again.” (Latā’if al-Ma`ārif) Ibn Abi ad-Dunya narrated from al-‘Amash on the authority of Mujahid who said: Indeed in the fire is a Zamhareer! When people boil from the heat of the fire, they flee towards Zamhareer, when they enter upon it (Zamhareer), the cracking of their bones can be heard. 

 Qabil (Cain) was one of mankind, but Allah wrote him down among the wretched. He was the first of the wretched among mankind, and Iblis was the first of the wretched among the jinn. The majority of the punishment of the shaytans of the jinn in Hellfire is by severe cold, not by heat, although they may be punished with fire. Most of the punishment of the descendants of Adam is through fire.

Many other Islamic scholars have written about the Cold Jahannam and Hellfire and their so many levels and the kinds of food and drinks, but for brevity’s sake all that cannot be mentioned here.   

Fire will burn the Jinn just as it will burn humans in it.  And Allāh Glory be to Him is able to do all things.  It needs to be clarified here that the words Fire and Clay should not be taken literally but in the sense of nature of things or ‘Asal’.  For example, it is well-known that when the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) was on his heavenly ascendance (Meraj) along with Gabriel, an Afreet (a malignant devil) came with a flaming torch and the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) could see him all around him. At that time Angel Gabriel told him that he could teach him (s) some Quranic verses that could dampen the torch and would make the Afreet disappear.  It thus becomes clear that if the devils were made of fire, why would they need a flaming torch to frighten the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam).  

It is also related by Al-Nasa’i in conformity with the authentic condition of Al-Bukhari on the authority of `Aisha ®: While the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) was performing prayer, Satan came to him. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) took him and strangled him, and said: “I did so till I felt the coldness of his tongue on my hand and had it not been for the invocation of my brother Sulaiman, he would have been bound until people would see him.” [Related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud on the authority of Abu Sa`id with the wording: I kept strangling him with my hand until I felt his saliva between my two fingers: the thumb and the index.]  Abu Huraira ® reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: A highly wicked one amongst the Jinn escaped yesternight to interrupt my prayer, but Allah gave me power over him, so I seized him and intended to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque in order that you, all together or all, might look at him, but I remembered the supplication of my brother Sulaiman: "My Lord, forgive me, give me such a kingdom as will not be possible for anyone after me" (Qur'an, xxxvii. 35). {Sahih Muslim Book 4 Chapter 52 Hadith 1104} & {Muslim Book 5 Hadith 49}.  Also, it is related by the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) that devil runs through the veins of human beings. If the devils were made of fire, the vein would burn.  

The above examples prove that per se the Jinn or devils are not fire. Then, though human beings are created out of clay it is possible to give punishments with the clay itself.  Also, human beings are created from water but it is possible to give punishment by means of water.  Likewise, the Jinn who are created from the fire of scorching wind are not fire now, as we already noted above.  Therefore, Allah says:   “I will fill Hell with Jinn and men all together" (32:13).  The Ulema are agreed that we should not take the literal meaning unless it is supported by evidence.  The best thing to say is that Allah is capable of doing anything.

O Allah, we seek Your refuge from the torment of Jahannam, from its Zamhareer (coldness) as well as Haruur (heat). Ameen.

Continued in Part 3

NASIR ALI.

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