JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD, EXPLORING SOME BASICS, PART 5:

 From the Desk of a Layman: Nasir Ali.

JINN OF THE UNSEEN WORLD, PART 5:

NATURE AND TYPES OF JINN:  

 Generally, the administrative and social systems of the Jinn are almost akin to those of human beings.  They have kings, courts, armies, and social functions.   It is said that originally the Jinn were concentrated into twelve tribes that later on were sub-divided into many.  Often they are in a state of war and often they conclude treaties in order to avoid conflicts.   They have communities consisting of their families and clans and are ruled by kings. They play, sleep, and have their own pet animals, especially dogs. The riding beasts of jinn include gazelles, jackals, foxes, hedgehogs, and ostriches.  The Jinn husband their own animals. 

The Jinn eat and drink, have weddings and mournings, produce children and die.  They love to sit in places between the shade and the sunlight and move around when the dark first falls. Since they take rest, and in view of a prophetic tradition that Shayateen do not sleep during mid-day, it can be safely deduced that they sleep too!  The Jinn may remain invisible but may also assume a physical shape before a human being.  Apart from the Jinn who follow Islam, the other Jinn follow the religion of their own choice such as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Paganism, Judaism, etc.  As we noted before, some are good, some are evil, and some, are ambivalent.  They are subject to rewards or punishments by Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment.

THEIR LIFESPAN:

Their lifespan is much longer than that of humans.  According to a tradition, all the Shayateen are the seeds of Iblis.  There were some of them who had faith, such as Hāma b. al-Hām b. Lāqīs b. Iblīs, who is known as a believing jinn as we noted before.  Allah has given respite to Iblis till the Day of Judgment and many other evil Jinn are to survive mankind but they are to die before the general Resurrection.  Other Jinn die before him though they may live many centuries.  However, many of the evil Jinn are killed by the shooting stars, hurled at them from heaven.  When the Arabs witness a shooting star (shiháb), they often exclaim, ‘May God transfix the enemy of the faith!’ 

MARRIAGE: 

There are both male Jinni and female Jinniya and they do get married.   Ibn al-Arabi states in Fatuhat al-Makkiya [435]: The union of marriage between them is a spiral, as when smoke comes out of a potter’s kiln or a kitchen oven; that is how one enters the other and they satisfy each other in this coupling. They find each other like the pollen from the palm tree, solely by smell, as happens with their food. He further states: Procreation amongst jinn involves air being projected into the female womb so that the conception and reproduction of the jinn take place.  For every human child, one thousand children are born among the jinn (Tūsī, p. 484)!   However, Sayyidunā ‘Amr Bikālī رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ has stated, ‘Whenever a human is born, nine jinns are also born.’ (Jāmi’-ul-Bayān, vol. 9, pp. 85, Ḥadīš 24803).  The jinn require the services of human midwives, and it is said that every midwife must help deliver a jinn child for every one hundred human children she delivers. The midwife is taken to the jinn mother blindfolded, and after the conclusion of her duties, she is given a handful of onion skins as payment. If she places them under a rug and keeps her experiences with the jinn a secret, then every morning she will find a gold coin under her rug. If not, her payment will stay onion skins [Massé-1886-1963].

By the way, there have been some cases where human beings inadvertently found themselves at the wedding of Jinnis.  One such case is of Noura.  Noura Al-Tukaka was a famous Kuwaiti folk singer who gained great fame in

the mid-nineties for her performances at numerous weddings in many Arab Gulf countries.  Her band consisted of six people who became famous for their popular songs.  However, she disappeared from the music scene all of a sudden.  In an interview she claimed that unknown to her, she had been invited to a wedding in Sabahiya, Kuwait, that turned out to be a wedding reception of the Jinnis. When the band reached the venue it saw an opulent and lavish setup with the bride and bridegroom and host of guests.  During the performance, they were terrified by what they saw and experienced so much so that they realized that all was not well and made good their escape.  The place in reality turned out to be an abandoned and deserted building with no jinnis in view.  

As for the question of whether they can marry humans, we shall examine this theme later. 

THEIR FOOD AND DRINK:

The Jinn do eat and drink. Ibn Mas'ood, (may Allah be pleased with him), said: The Messenger of Allah (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: 

'Once the jinn called me, and I went with him and recited Quran for them.' He took me and showed me the traces of where they had been and the traces of their fires. They (his fellow jinn) asked him for food and he said: 'You can have every bone on which the name of Allah has been mentioned that comes into your possession, as meat, and all the droppings as food for your animals.' The Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, 'So do not use [these things] for cleaning yourselves [after relieving oneself], for they are the food and provision of your brothers. '[Muslim]

When the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) said that bones are the food of the jinn, Ibn Mas’ūd asked him how these could be. The Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) said that they would still find the meat in the bone as if it had not been touched by humans. What the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) means is that the taste and the odour which they need are still there in the bone.  And in another Hadīth, he said: “Surely God put in them [i.e. bones] their sustenance”. 

In fact, there are several hadiths in this regard that also mention the delegation of the Jinn of Nasibeen, and the hadiths that say Satan eats and drinks with his left hand and that we need to use our right hand.  Additionally, there are hadiths that while entering one's home and before eating one must pronounce the Tasmiyah, i.e. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim  According to Ibn Qayyim (1292-1350 c.e.), Rahmān describes the quality of abounding Grace which is inherent in and inseparable from the Almighty, and Rahīm expresses the continuous manifestation of the Grace in our lives and its effect upon us as a result of our own activities.

Satan and his disciples happily find lodging and boarding in the home of the person who fails to utter the Tasmiyah in the given situations: 

In the Musnad Ahmad the following hadith is recorded:  If the man enters his house and mentions the name of Allah upon entering it and upon eating therein, Satan says, There is no lodging for you here and no meal here.  But if the man enters his house and neglects to mention the name of Allah upon entering it, Satan says, 'I have found lodging for you.'  And if he does not mention Allah’s name upon eating his meal, Satan says:  'I have found lodging and a meal.'  This hadith was also recorded by Muslim.  Muslim recorded in his Sahih, on the authority of Ibn Umar (R), that the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:  If one of you eats, he should eat with his right hand. And if he drinks, he should drink with his right hand. Verily, Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.

The Messenger of Allah (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) did not permit the believing Jinn to have anything on which Allah’s Name has not been mentioned as those are for the unbelieving Jinn.  

In the hadith narrated by Abd Al-Rahmān b. Abī Laylā [reported in Al-Bayhaqi’s, Al-Sunan Al-Kubrā 7:445,446],  of the man who was abducted by jinn, here is a part of the hadith:

Umar (Allāh be pleased with him) asked the man, “What was your food when you were amongst them?” He replied, “Difficult [stolen?] food, and what had not had the name of Allāh mentioned over it.” ʿUmar ® asked, “And what did you drink when you were amongst them?” He replied, 'Jadaf' (a type of drink that does not ferment).”

A slightly variant account mentions:

“Ful (brown fava beans) and anything on which the name of Allah is not mentioned”, said the man. 'What was their drink?’ 'Umar asked. He replied, ‘Jadaf.’ He also said it is ‘every vessel left uncovered’.  According to al-Damiri (1341-1405 c.e), Jadaf is the froth whipped up from the water.

Hence, it is as clear as a crystal that the texts of the above hadiths definitely prove that the devils eat and drink.  Unless people say the name Allah prior to eating, Jinn will share human food, sapping its energy, eating and drinking with their left hand as they are wont to do!

It may be noted that interestingly, orthodox Muslim communities of the subcontinent believe that Jinn come out late at night in the form of human beings and make a beeline for their dedicated shops that sell traditional sweets and Attar or fragrance.  As the late Sadia Dehelvi, whose Shama Kothi was believed to be inhabited by Jinn after midnight, mentions in her Jasmine and Jinns that Jinn love sweets and bought them from Agra's Mithai-ka-Pul. 

RESIDENCE OF JINN:

Jinn are also known to reside in valleys.  It was customary for the pagan Arabs to be afraid of them whenever they travelled, caught a game, or camped in a valley.  So in order to avoid their harm, they used to say: “we seek refuge in the master of this valley from the foolish ones of his folk” after which they felt safe. According to the following tradition, translated from al-Qazwini (1203-1283 c.e.) – “It is related by a certain narrator of traditions, that he descended into a valley with his sheep, when a wolf carried off a ewe from among them; and he arose and raised his voice, and cried ‘O inhabitant of the valley!’  Whereupon he heard a voice saying, ‘O wolf, restore to him his sheep!’  And the wolf came with the ewe, and left her, and departed.”  According to Qazwini, the same opinion was held by the modern Arabs of his time, though probably they did not use such an invocation.

Pausing here for a moment,  A question arises whether it is unjustifiable to seek the help of Jinn in view of Surah 72:6 and Surah  6:128 of the Holy Qur’an!: Now, Surah 72:6 states: And indeed (O Muhammad) individuals of humankind used to invoke the protection of individuals of the jinn, so that they increased them in revolt (against Allah).

And, Verse 128 of Surah An’am states:

“And on the Day when He will gather them (all) together (and say): ‘O you assembly of jinn! Many did you mislead of men,’ and their Awliyaa’ (friends and helpers) amongst men will say: ‘Our Lord! We benefited one from the other, but now we have reached our appointed term which You did appoint for us.’ He will say: ‘The Fire be your dwelling place, you will dwell therein forever, except as Allah may Will….”

An Islamic scholar of repute states: The correct interpretation in the Tafsirs is not “but they (jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin and transgression” but rather “but they (mankind) increased them (jinn) in sin and transgression” because the jinn imagined themselves to be very powerful when they saw human beings ask for their protection. As for the second verse, …its meaning according to al-Hasan al-Basri, as cited in Ibn Kathir, is that ‘the jinn commanded and the human beings obeyed;’ whereas the Prophetic way of getting assistance from the jinn is for the human being to command and for the jinn to obey.  It is kufr to suggest that it is unjustifiable since Sayyidina Sulaiman (upon him be peace) did it, the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) commanded it, and exorcists in this Ummah do it every day.

To continue regarding Jinn's abode, traditionally, it is believed that the cosmic mountain of Qaf (Jabal al-Qaf) which encircles the world of humanity is the abode of jinn.  Qaf Mountain is mentioned by the famous historian Tabari who quotes in Chronicles of Tabari:  The Prophet of Islam(Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said: “Allah created the mountain Qaf all around the Earth. It is called stake of the Earth, as it is said in the Quran, ‘And the mountains as pegs?’ This world is in the middle of the mountain of Qaf as the finger is in the middle of the ring. No man can reach there, for he needs to spend four months in the darkness..." The mountains may have a giant emerald at the summit or be comprised entirely of emerald or the greenstone peridot. Some consider it to be Paristan of the exquisite winged creature renowned for their beauty; some Jinnistan the home of the Jinn ruler Malik Gatshan and his court;  or a parallel dimension that inter-penetrates our own. 

Now, the Jinn's abode could be anywhere on the planet Earth.  They prefer to choose as their principal places of resort, or of occasional abode, places of impurity like garbage dumps, dunghills, camel pastures, the bathrooms, latrines, ovens, and wells; 

(pix: Jinnaat ki Baoli)

crumbling houses, uninhabited buildings, 

desolate places,  graveyards, market places [Muslims are warned not to be the first to enter the market or the last to leave it], inter-sections of roads, deserts, valleys, the sea, and rivers and all places "dark, dank and deep". They also can live in the houses where people live.  The Jinn also dwell in caves.  

It was narrated by al-Nasa'i, on the authority of Qatadah from Abdallah bin Sarjis that the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) prohibited as unpleasant about urinating in a cave?" He replied: 'It is said that they are the homes of jinn.'  The Jinn also dwell in burrows and cracks in the wall.   The Holy Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) has stated, ‘None of you should urinate in a burrow.’ [Sunan Nasa'i, pp. 14, Hadith 34]

According to an Islamic scholar:  The word ‘Juhr’ used in the above Hadith either means a burrow in the ground or a crack in the wall. As poisonous animals or weak creatures such as ants, or jinns often live in the burrows, ants will face trouble by urine or water, and snakes or jinns will come out to harm us. That is why urination in such places is prohibited.  The companion Sayyiduna Sa’d Ibn ‘Ubadah Ansari (R) died in this way. He urinated in a burrow. A jinn came out and martyred him. People then heard a voice from that burrow:  "We have martyred Sa’d Bin ‘Ubadah (R) the chief of the Khazraj tribe and we struck such an arrow which has penetrated his heart. (Mirat, vol. 1, pp. 267; Mirqat, vol. 2, pp. 72; Ashi’a-ul-Lam’aat, vol. 1, pp. 220)" 

In fact, the Jinn are said to dwell in all conceivable inanimate objects such as stones and trees,  underneath the earth, in the air, and in the fire. They are also said to guard hidden treasures and lost cities.

Jabir (R) reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam) as saying: The throne of Iblis is upon the ocean and he sends detachments (to different parts) in order to put people to trial and the most important figure in his eyes is one who is most notorious in sowing the seed of dissension. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 5031)  Their main aim and objectives are to break and fragmentize society and gradually deviate them from the guided masses within the society. Shaytan knows very well that the family is the foundation and a vital element in maintaining a stable society as is apparent from the previous hadith (under subtitle Throne). Establishing problems in the family and creating friction between its members would be in the right direction to wreck the stability of the family. Leaving them more and more vulnerable to the dangers that face the Muslims of this day and age.

In the words of Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, “The Devil, no matter how many people exist on earth, hopes to turn each and every one of them into devils.”

THEIR LIFESPAN:

Their lifespan is much longer than that of humans. They live for centuries or a millennium or more.  As the Holy Qur'an mentions, Allah has given respite to Iblis till the Day of Judgment.  In fact, according to some hadith, the great-grandson of Iblis, Haam, reverted to Islam during the time of Muhammad (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam).  He was a kid during the time of Cain and Abel and had,  among other prophets, also met Isa (a.s.) whose greetings and the message he conveyed to Prophet (Sal Allahu Alayhi Wasallam).  That indicates that he must have been thousands of years old.  According to a tradition, all the Shayateen are the seeds of Iblis and die not but with him.  Other Jinn die before him though they may live many centuries. However, many of the evil Jinn are killed by the shooting stars, hurled at them from heaven.  When the Arabs witness a shooting star (shiháb), they often exclaim, ‘May God transfix the enemy of the faith!’  

Allah says in the Holy Qur'an, "and indeed we have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as) missiles to drive away the Shayateen, ( 67: V 05)

POWER OF JINN:

What clearly distinguishes the Jinn from mankind is their powers and abilities.  For the most part, it is accepted that the Jinn have colossal powers and are not foreordained by the laws of Physics, such as matter, weight, time, and place.  Unlike humans, they can cross over the dimensional boundaries of The Seen and The Unseen worlds. They can moreover travel any place within the squint of an eye and transform into the shape of other creatures such as cats, dogs, feathered creatures, serpents, or even human beings.  Allah has given them these powers as a test for them. If they oppress others with them, then they will be held accountable. Allah Almighty says: “… Verily he (shaytan) and his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe see you from where you cannot see them…” (Al-A`raf: 27)  Under normal conditions, Jinn cannot be seen in their natural state.  They can remain invisible unless they wish to appear in a dense, physical form before the humans since they are excellent shape-shifters.  They are able to take on any physical form they like so that they can appear as humans, animals, reptiles, trees, and anything else.  

Jinn have immense strength and speed.  The Qur'an also tells us that Jinn used to move freely about in the galaxy until Allah restricted their movement to our universe only. "And we touched the heavens, but found it full of powerful guards and projectiles. And we used to sit in it in places of listening, but anyone who sits now finds a projectile seeking him." (72:8-9)  The jinn are able to talk in numerous dialects of those people whom they come in contact with.   According to a few traditions from the Maghreb, they talk Suryaniyya, or old Syriac,  which Berbers called the dialect of communication with the jinn.  According to the Moroccan people, 30% of whom are purely of Berberic heritage, though the jinn talk,  their dialect is diverse from that of men.  When a jinni talks through the mouth of a human being, he calls cash "ashor" rather than flus (ڢلوس‎), and excrements "jatu".  The sound of his voice is exceptionally thin. Some say that the jinn can communicate mentally and telepathically and this, in turn, facilitates the jinn to transfer thoughts and possess their victim. 

Jinn can affect the material world, i.e. they can move physical items or even craft objects - as we shall observe later when discussing King Solomon.  Also, Jinn do not follow the same concept of time as humans (i.e. Jinn can stay for days without moving as is evident by the Jinn not noticing Sulaiman(a.s.)'s  death until a "worm" finished eating its way through his staff, breaking it.

ANIMALS CAN SEE JINN:  

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When you hear the crowing of cocks, ask for Allah's Blessings for (their crowing indicates that) they have seen an angel.  And when you hear the braying of donkeys, seek Refuge with Allah from Satan for (their braying indicates) that they have seen a Satan." -- Sahih al-Bukhari 3303.  This is also reported in Sahih Muslim Book 035, no.  6581.

Keep a white rooster (in-home) as neither Satan nor magicians would come near the home, and near its surrounding ones, where there’s a white rooster. (Mu’jam Awsaṭ, vol. 1, pp. 1201, Ḥadīš 677)

‘Do not speak ill of the white rooster as I am its friend and it is mine. Its enemy is my enemy. It drives jinns off as far as its voice reaches.’ (Luqṭ-ul-Marjān, pp. 165)

Pausing here for a moment, Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have peered deep into the eye of the chicken and found a masterpiece of biological design. Scientists mapped five types of light receptors in the chicken's eye. They discovered the receptors were laid out in interwoven mosaics that maximized the chicken's ability to see many colours in any given part of the retina, the light-sensing structure at the back of the eye.

Based on the above short summary, it seems some of the animals can see with their infrared rays, while the demon itself comes from a genie (jinn) created from fire, while angels are created from light, meaning worth the ultraviolet rays.  Birds have an extra cone for seeing violet and ultraviolet light.  It means the devil is included in the infrared scope. Therefore, the animal can see the devil.  As for the rooster it is able to see ultraviolet light, Therefore, the angel can be seen by the rooster.

Some Jinn are good, some are ambivalent, and some are downright devilish.  “We made the evil ones friends only to those without faith,” says the Quran al-Karim in 7:27.

The Shayateen are pure evil and are known to be the cause of many troubles in the human world. They are sometimes used and controlled by strong dark magicians.  Shayateen have the ability to cause illness and even death. They are also capable of much destruction and can cause a person to lose everything they have. Perhaps most dangerous of all though, Shayateen are known to have the ability to possess humans. While other Jinn also have this ability, the act is much more malevolent when done by Shayateen.   As stated in al-Furqān bayna awliyā’ al-Raḥmān wa-awliyā’ al-Shayṭān,  Ibn Taymiyya believed the jinn to be generally "ignorant, untruthful, oppressive, and treacherous". He held that the jinn account for much of the "magic" that is perceived by humans, cooperating with magicians to lift items in the air, delivering hidden truths to fortune tellers, and mimicking the voices of deceased humans during seances.  Naturally, he was referring to the Shayateen. 

The Holy Qur'an states:  "And entice whoever you can of them with your voice, and mobilize all your forces and men against them, and you may share with them in their money and children, and promise them. But the devil promises nothing but deceit. As for My servants, you will have no power over them. And your Lord suffices as a Caretaker." (17:64-65)  

In other words, On the one hand, Satan becomes a partner with the one who follows him in the earning and spending of his money without putting in any labour in it. On the other hand, he does not become a partner in bearing the consequences of his error, crime, and sin. But his foolish dupe follows his instructions as if he were a partner, nay, a stronger party. Again in regard to the children of such a man, the father himself bears the whole burden of bringing them up, but under the misguidance of Satan, he trains them in wrong and immoral ways as if he alone was not their father but Satan also was a partner in it.  However, Satan will not succeed in alluring Allah's righteous servants who are steadfast in His obedience and who as such will not succumb to Satan.

The good side of the Jinn should not be forgotten. Good genies are despised by bad jinn, as a result of which other Jinn will stay away from these good genies.  A momin genie fears Allah (swt) and will not enter others’ houses without asking them.  Without the necessity of becoming visible, good Jinn may pass on some benefits to humans.   Jinn’s voices may be heard on some occasions when they wake up a person for prayers or tell him of some things. They may draw their attention to some harmful things. Although rarely, a genie may make himself visible to some people when pointing them towards something good or something evil.  

To give a random example:  During the Rwandan genocide when a million people were killed in a matter of 100 days, both Hutus and Tutsi avoided searching in local Rwandan Muslim neighbourhoods under the belief that local Muslims and Masjids were protected by the power of Islamic magic and the efficacious Jinn.  In Cyangugu, instead of destroying the Mosque the arsonists ran away fearing the wrath of Jinn who they believed were guarding the Mosque.

As stated, a jinni may make himself visible to some people when pointing them towards something good or something evil. According to ibn Ka’b and ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Bishir, and quoted by Qadhi al Shibli (Badr al-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Shibli (712/1312 - 769/1367), a Hanafi jurist from Syria:

Some pilgrims were on their way to Makkah.  After leaving the place called Imarat Othman, they lost their way.  Being overwhelmed by thirst, they desperately began their quest for finding some water. However, all that they could find was salty water.  Some pilgrims advised the rest not to consume any salty water lest they perished, but to press ahead where they might find some potable water.  Finding none even after having walked all day long, and even as the night fell, they contemplated returning to the salty water.  So desperate were they that they donned their mortuary shrouds.  Suddenly, a man of blackish complexion appeared before them from behind the palm trees.  He said, “I’m the remaining jinni from amongst those who had heard the Prophet’s (ﷺ)    recital.  I’d heard him (ﷺ) say that a Muslim is a brother to other Muslims and hence should guide them, and never disappoint or deceive them.  He should like for them what he likes for himself and hate what he hates for himself. Go in this direction till you reach Akma.  Then turn left where you will find potable water.” They did.

According to one of the world's most renowned scholars of Islamic history and the spiritual science of Sufism, Jinn exist and Jinn have no permission to harm any human being except by permission of Sultan of Jinn. This sultan will not give any permission without going to Sultan al-Awliya and asking his permission. So Muslim Jinn are not allowed to harm any Muslim. Now as far as black magic is concerned, there are people who do black magic. That might be what makes one afraid or imagine there are Jinn.  But non-mu’min is where the black magic works and they can harm. But they cannot harm without permission of Sultan al-jinn.  So don’t put this in your mind. If you are afraid, read Surat al-Jinn every day before you sleep and that will take it away.

Then again,  it is well to remember that some creations of Allah (SWT)  are sent as a Rahmah in order to combat every type of negativity.  Being Momins, they know how to deal with their world and its denizens. Of course, the environment needs to be pleasing for attracting their energy with recitations from the blessed Qur'an Shareef, and the compilations of the Salwats from the Dala'il Al Khayrat (دلائل الخيرات) in an ambience suffused with the 

fragrances of Attar and incense.  Islamic scholars advise us to conduct ourselves according to the rules that Prophet ﷺ has given to us so that we will be able to combat all these negativities.

In conclusion, the believing Jinn help the believers even though the believers may not realize it, and they love everything good for them. Similarly, believing humans love everything good for their believing brethren among the jinn, and they ask Allah to give them everything good. The believers among the Jinn attend the lessons of humans sometimes and in some lands, and they benefit from the lessons of humans. This has been clearly stated by many of the scholars whom the jinn contacted and asked about some issues; they told them that they had attended their lessons.  All of this is well-known, and Allah is the One Whose help we seek. 

In the words of Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani: "Do not imagine that the true Awliya are only from humankind since the saintly ranks of the Nuqaba at least include many kings of the jinn." 

And Allah is the One Who grants strength to do what is right.

(To continue in Part 6.)

NASIR ALI 

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