THE JINN; A SHORT ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE - PART 10.

THE JINN – Concluding Part 10:

Protection from the harm of Jinn:

Because jinn can see us while we cannot see them, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us many ways to protect ourselves from their harm. They are:  seeking Allah's refuge from the accursed Satan, reciting surat Al-Falaq and surat An-Nas, and reciting the words taught by Allah in the Qur’an. Allah Almighty says, “And say: My Lord! I seek refuge in Thee from suggestions of the evil ones. And I seek refuge in Thee, my Lord, lest they be present with me.” (Al-Mu’minun: 97-98)  Saying Bismillah (in the Name of Allah) before entering one’s home, eating or drinking, and having intercourse will keep Satan from entering the house or partaking with a person in his food, drink and sexual activity. Similarly, mentioning the name of Allah before entering the toilet or taking off one’s clothes will prevent the jinn from seeing a person in a state of undress or harming him. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) says: “To put a barrier that will prevent the jinn from seeing the `awrah of the sons of Adam, let any one of you say ‘Bismillah’ when entering the toilet.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

According to a sahih hadith, narrated by al-Nasai from Abu’l-Yusr, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) used to pray: “Allahumma innee a’oodhu bika min al-taraddi wa’l-haram wa’l-gharaq wa’l-harq, wa a’oodhu bika an yatakhabatani al-shaytan ‘ind al-mawt (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from being thrown from a high place, old age, drowning and burning; and I seek refuge with You from being beaten by the Shaytan at the time of death).” Regarding the line, ‘and I seek refuge with You from being beaten by the Shaytan at the time of death’ al-Manawi explains in Al-Fayd that it means “lest he should wrestle with me and play with me, and damage my religious commitment or mental state (at the time of death) by means of his insinuating whispers which cause people to slip or lose their minds. The Shaytan could take control of a person when he is about to depart this world, and misguide him or stop him from repenting…”

According to a hadith reported by ad-Darimi, Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “A man from among the Companions of Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) met a man from among the jinn. They wrestled, and the human knocked down the jinn. The human said to him, ‘You look small and skinny to me, and your forearms look like the front paws of a dog. Do all the jinn look like this, or only you?’ He said, ‘No, by Allah, among them I am strong, but let us wrestle again, and if you defeat me I will teach you something that will do you good.’ The human said, ‘Fine.’ He said, ‘Recite (the verse): “Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.” (Al-Baqarah: 255) The human said, ‘Fine.’ He said, ‘You will never recite this in your house but the shaytan will come out of it like a donkey breaking wind, and he will never come back in until the next morning.’”

Shaykh Abu Sa’eed Abdullah bin Ahmad Baghdadi once came to Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R) and told him that his maiden daughter Fatima had disappeared from the roof-top.  Hazrat told him to go to the ruined part of al-Karkh and sit beside the fifth mound and draw a circle on the ground and say while drawing the circle "according to the intentions of Abdul Qadir Jilani (R).  Towards the third portion of the night, he would see troops of Jinn in different forms passing by but their appearance should not terrify him. When the dawn comes their the King would pass and ask him of his need and then he should tell him that Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani has sent me and then narrate to him about his missing daughter.  Shaykh Abu Sa'eed did so as he was told, and sure enough, after the King came riding on a horse with the whole nations of Jinn before him.  The King stopped by the circle and said: "O human being what is your need?" Then Shaykh Abu Sa'eed told him: "Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani has sent me to you." Thereupon the King got down from his horse and kissed the ground and sat just outside the circle.   His followers did likewise.  After he was told about the missing daughter, the King told those around him to bring the one who had done this.  They brought an evil Jinni and Shaykh's daughter.  The King was informed that the evil Jinni was from China.  Soon the evil Jinni was beheaded and the Shaykh got back his daughter.  When asked about his respects for Saint of Jilan, the King said: “When Ghous-e-Azam looks at us all the Jinn begin to tremble”.

Next, with all their powers, the Jinn like the human beings cannot transgress the limits imposed on them by Allah (swt):  “O assembly of jinn and men! If you have the power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allah!)”(Qur’an 55:33).  Also, they are not able to open the doors that have been shut after having mentioned the name of Allah over them.  The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Close your doors and cover your vessels and tie up your water skins and put out your lamps, for Satan (and the jinn) do not open a closed door, nor do they take off a cover or untie water skins”. Also, according to a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari, when Ramadan enters the gates of Paradise are opened; the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained. Recitation of Surah Al-Baqarah is also very useful: “Indeed, Satan flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah (the 2nd chapter of the Quran) is recited.” (Al-Tirmidhi). Also, the Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Do not make your houses like graves, for Satan runs away from a house in which al-Baqarah chapter [chapter 2] is recited.”(Narrated by Saheeh Muslim)  Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because Satan has stayed in the upper part of his nose all the night." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 516)  The Prophet is speaking about how it’s possible to be possessed without knowing it. The practice of cleaning the upper part prevents demon possession. Many people today are possessed and don’t know it, they should’ve cleaned the upper part of their nose.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) also taught to cover our mouth when we yawn, so Jinn cannot enter our body.

Sacrificing for Jinn is prohibited:

Some people say that slaughtering or sacrificing for the Jinn may ward off Jinn possession.  The Holy Quran, 72:6 informs us: 'True, there were persons among mankind who took shelter with persons among the Jinns, but they increased them in folly.  According to a Tafseer from Ibn Abbas: Allah then said: (And indeed (O Muhammad) individuals of humankind used to invoke the protection of individuals of the jinn so that they increased them) because of that (in revolt (against Allah)) in pride, arrogance, sedition, and corruption. This is because they were afraid of them whenever they travelled, caught a game, or camped in a valley. And 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. As a result, the masters of these places increased in nothing but pride and arrogance towards the commonality among their folk.

A story is narrated that once while digging for water one of the employees who was deep inside the well was suddenly thrown up and he fell down unconscious.  After a while, the same man told the owner that he had seen some Jinn inside the well and they told him that they need a sacrifice from the owner otherwise they would not let them continue with the digging of the well.  Upon this, the owner thought of buying a big cow and garlanding it, and parading it through the streets of Makkah before the sacrifice.  The same night, when the owner went to bed, he had a dream in which he saw a person approach him and ask him as to what he intended to do, whether he intended to buy a cow and garland it and parade it in the streets of Makkah. The owner concluded that this was indeed the need of the hour and carried out his intentions.

 

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) stated that he who sacrificed for anyone but for Allah will be in Hell. All Ulema agree that sacrificing for the Jinn is prohibited.  It could be termed “Shirk” or polytheism because the sacrifice is not for Allah (swt).  Muslims cannot eat from this because it is not permitted, i.e. it is not “Halaal”. Even till the time of Umar ®, it was the practice in Egypt to thrown virgins down the River Nile for appeasement.  This practice was stopped by Hazrat Umar ® and the Nile still flows.

 

It must be remembered that if the heart does not properly recognize the power of God, the soul becomes susceptible to Jinn's possession.  If a person truly relies on Allah (swt) then the Jinn will have no power over that person.

Exorcising the Jinn:

Shaykh G.F. Haddad informs us that Imam al-Nawawi in al-Adhkar mentioned that Ibn al-Sunni narrated that a man came to the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace and said that his brother suffered from a kind of jinn possession. The Prophet told him to bring him to him then recited upon him the following:

- Sura al-Fatiha
- The first four verses of al-Baqara
- two verses from the middle (163-64)
- Ayat al-Kursi
- the last three verses of al-Baqara
- The first verse of Al `Imran
- Verse 18 of Al `Imran
- Verse 54 of al-A`raf
- Verse 116 of al-Mu’minun
- Verse 3 of al-Jinn
- The first 10 verses of al-Saaffaat
- The last 3 verses of al-Hashr

- The last three Suras of the Qur’an.

According to Fath al-Bari 10/24, there is a consensus among the 'ulama that ruqa are permissible when they satisfy three conditions:  To be with Allah's words or His names and attributes; To be in Arabic or of an intelligible meaning; And to believe that they do not have effect by themselves but by Allah ('Azza wa Jalla). We have already made a mention of some hadiths above where Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) performed an exorcism on various occasions.  In the Islamic way, exorcism is called “Ruqyah”  which includes specific verses of Holy Quran and all lawful incantations that Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) informed us about.  Imam Muslim reported in Sahi Muslim which Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Present to me those who provide curing by the way of ruqyah. There is no objection to it as long as it does not contain any polytheism.”  The ‘Raqi’ or ‘Aamil’ (exorcist) can by the Grace of Allah treat paranormal disorders caused by Jinn, evil eye or black magic.  Exorcism can be done without beating the victim or lighting jog stick and putting the smoke near the victim’s nose, etc.  The real Aamil won’t resort to such things but would do the job without attracting attention or creating a ruckus. The fake Aamil is usually a sorcerer who practices black magic.  Such magicians will use impure things such as blood to write talismans which may contain non-Quranic incantations.  It is usual to see them cutting lemons on the victim’s head.  They ask the victim for hair, used cloth and nails and about his or her mother’s name to be used in their spells.  The slaughtering of a black animal or bird is also advised by them.  One has to steer away from such fake Raqis.  Experts advise us to do our own Ruqya by listening to the Quranic verses from audio, but there is no substitute for a live recitation.  The most common Quranic verses that are read are the Muawwidhat or the three last Quranic Surahs: Surah Ikhlaas, Surah Falaq and Surah Naas;  the Throne Verse or Aayatul Kursi besides a host of other verses.   According to a leading scholar and  expert in exorcism, Wahid Abdussalaam Bali, the following Quranic verses from the Surahs can be used for exorcism: Al-Fatiha; al-Baqara verses: 1-5, 102, 163-164, 255, 285-286; Aali Imraan: 18-19; Al-A’raf: 54-56, 117-122; Yunus: 81-82; Taha: 69; Al-Mu’minoon: 115-118; as-Saffat: 1-10; al-Ahqaf: 29-32; Ar-Rahman: 33-36; Al-Hashr: 21-24; Al-Jinn: 1-9; and the three Muawwidhat already mentioned above.  Haraam methods and those that smack of Shirk (polytheism) such as using magical spells and cryptic characters are to be avoided at all cost.  For a non-Muslim Jinn, he should be invited to accept Islam but no compulsion should be used.  Exorcism is not easy because the Jinn may practice deceptions to confuse the victims and even the Raqi.  Therefore, exorcism requires a very experienced Raqi who has dealt with all types of Jinn’s and their deception during the ritual.  The process of exorcism is a long drawn up one since in order that it may be successful it requires repeated stages of Ruqya treatments and may involve a different form for a Muslim Jinn and a non-Muslim one.  The reader is advised to refer to the specialized books on the subject, such as: Ighāthat al-lahfān min-maṣāyid al-Shayṭān, Talbis Iblis (Devil’s Deception) in two volumes, Ahkaam al Marjaan, ʻĀlam al-jinn wa-al-shayāṭīn,  al-Furqān baina auliyāʼ ar-raḥmān wa-auliyāʼ aš-šaiṭān, Ibn Taymeeyah's Essay on the jinn (demons).  

Shortly stated, the intention must be to make the invading Jinn go away rather than confronting him since the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) has stated: “Do not wish for yourself to encounter the enemy” and Allah said:  Verily, Satan is an enemy to you. Lastly, never attribute success to yourself. 

Again, it also happens sometimes that an expert Raqi, with the Power and Will of Allah (swt),  is able to capture the Jinn.  In that case, he must order the Jinn to obey Allah and His Messenger (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and must not enter into any pact to advance his own worldly desires.  In the words of Shaykh Ibn Taimiyyah: And whoever uses Jinn for what Allah and his messenger have forbidden, either shirk or killing a person unjustly or aggressing people without killing them by making them ill or lose knowledge or other harms, or use them for sins like bringing a person to commit a sin, that one has used their help for sin and harm, and if he uses them for kufr he is kafir, and if he uses them for sins he is sinner or perverse, or sinner without being perverse, and his knowledge of Islam is lacking. And if he uses their help for what he thinks is miracles like using them for pilgrimage or flying when he hears words not taught in sunna (innovative words), or they take him to Arafat and he does not perform the correct Hajj that Allah and his Prophet have ordered, or they take him from city to city and further on, that one is tricked and they are making fun of him. [Majmu’ Alfatawa V11P307.]

CONCLUDED: 

For, all praise belongs to Allah and it is He alone Who grants success! Allah (swt) is the Best of protectors and the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.

Allah and His Rasool know best.

NASIR

THE JINN - A SHORT ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE PART 5.

THE JINN PART 5 CONTINUED:

The jinn live upon the same earth as humans and are also found  in the ruins, cemeteries and dilapidated areas, as well as the places where there are many impure things, such as, bathrooms, hashish dens, the places of the camels. For that reason, Ibn Taimiyyah  said, those people who are close to Satan usually inhabit such areas.  We often notice Magicians visiting such places at night times.  As related in a hadith by Ibn Masud ®,  they live in the garbage so as to eat the leftover food discarded by human beings.  Al-Hafiz has said that in human dwellings the Jinn live in the ceiling of the house and join the occupants at the meal times. Qatadah related from 'Abdullah ibn Sarjas who said, "The Messenger of Allah forbade urination into a hole." Said Qatadah, "What is disliked about urinating into a hole?" Said he, "It is the residence of the jinn." [Hadith: Ahmed, an-Nasa’I, Dawud, al-Hakim and Baihaqi.  Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn as-Sakin classified it as sahih]  According to a hadith the devils love to sit between the shade and the sunlight; mostly in alleys. For this reason,  the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade the Muslims to sit in such places.  Another hadith: “If you can, do not be the first one to enter the marketplace. And do not be the last to leave it. For they are the places of Satan and therein he raises his banner.”  Zayd ibn Arqam reported: The Apostle of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said, “These privies [public bathrooms] are frequented by the Jinn and devils [i.e. any jinn in general]. So when anyone amongst you goes there, he should say: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from male and female shaitaan.’” [Dawud: Book 1: Hadith 6]  Besides these dwellings, the Jinn are also known to live underground and within water. Because of their dwellings most jinn carry a foul stench. Many of them avoid the daylight and usually come out during the night. The fact that jinn hide in the shade of the sunlight outdoors and in the shadows of water streams, has been confirmed by many researchers. Besides these dwellings, the Jinn are also known to live underground and within the water. Because of their dwellings most jinn carry a foul stench.   Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said that non-believer Jinn hate fragrance such as musk, while the believing Jinn like fragrance.  Many of them avoid the daylight and usually come out during the night. Jinn in both Morocco and Syria were associated with the countryside and underground dwellings.  In the 1980s,  when I visited Bahrain, a Bahraini friend pointing out a new building which was standing on a busy thoroughfare said that no human beings were residing there as it was inhabited by Jinn.  However, the Jinn avoid human civilization and live far away in the deserts.

Powers of Jinn:

In Majmua al-Fataawaa, Shaikh Ibn Taimiyyah has stated that Jinn can appear as humans, animals, snakes, scorpions, camels, cows, sheep, horses, mules, donkeys or anything else. The black dog is the devil among dogs, and the jinn often appear in that form, and also in the form of black cats, because the black colour is more able to concentrate devilish power than other colours, and it concentrates heat. The Jinn can move from place to place very fast; and can carry objects and people along with them. From Majmu-al-fatwa of Ibn Taymiyyah, we find stories about people who used to travel from place to place through the air – they were all carried by the Jinn.  This ability is also confirmed from the Quran that when Sulaiman (as) asked his men whether there is anyone who will bring him the throne of Bilqis (Queen of Sheba – who was on her way to surrender to Sulaiman (a.s.): "Solomon said to his own men: 'Ye Chiefs! which of you can bring me the throne of Queen of Sheba before she and her envoys come to me in submission? Said an Ifrit, of the Jinn: 'I will bring it to thee before thou rise from thy council: indeed I have full strength for the purpose and may be trusted." "Said one who had knowledge of the Book: 'I will bring it to thee within the twinkling of an eye!' Then when (Solomon) saw it placed firmly before him, he said: 'This is by the grace of my Lord!" — Qur'an, sura 27 (An-Naml), ayat 38-40.  This traversing the earth without moving has been termed as “Tay al-ard” which is defined as  "A type of  marvel in which instead of moving toward a destination by taking a step forward, the earth turns toward the traverser rapidly, no matter how far the destination be."  It may be stated that Prophet Suleiman (a.s.) loved horses so much, he forgot to pray Asr-prayer because he played with them and he took an oath that he will never play with them anymore and that’s why Allah replaced the horses with an army of Jinn.  [Abu Dawud]  Only Sulaiman (a.s.) is given dominion over the Jinn. It is also known from the Quran that the Jinn used to build Castles for Solomon, those who would dive into the depths of oceans and bring jewels and pearls from the depths below.  In preparation for the arrival of Bilqis, Prophet Sulaiman (a.s.) had ordered a palace of glass to be built. Under the glass floors, there was a pool of water with various kinds of fish swimming in it. When Bilqis arrived, he took her to the palace. She was told to enter the palace.  When she saw it she thought there was a pool of water and therefore she bared her legs.  Such were the handiworks of Jinn.  We have also mentioned before how they used to eavesdrop and steal the messages from lower heaven.  Another of their abilities is possession of animate and inanimate objects and controlling the thoughts and visions of a human. Unless it is psychological, hallucination, bad dreams are nothing but the work of Jinn.

Allah (swt)  has given the jinn the ability to appear in the form of humans and that is known from real events:  As we know, when the Quraish debated on the best means to silence the Prophet (sal Allahu Alayhe wasallam) forever, they were interrupted by an old man. He introduced himself as a well-wisher from the tribe of Najd, was curious to hear their talk and hoped for their success on reaching a sound decision. This old man was Iblis himself, and with his smooth-talking, he was readily admitted into the meeting! In this way he, too, was present when the Quraish plotted the murder of Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhe wasallam). (Ibn Hisham)  Alhumdulillah, Allah (swt) warned the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhe wasallam) of their plans and temporarily blinded the assassins who surrounded his house, as he left Makkah and made his way to Madinah.

Also, the Shaytaan came to Quraysh in the form of man called Suraqah ibn Maalik ibn Ja‘sham and promised them help and victory when they wanted to go out for the battle to Badr. Allah (swt) says: And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said: No-one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. But when the armies came in sight of one another, he took flight, saying: Lo! I am guiltless of you. Lo! I see that which ye see not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment. [al-Anfaal 8:48].

Further, according to a hadith: Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle deputed me to keep Sadaqat (al-Fitr) of Ramadan. A comer came and started taking handfuls of the foodstuff (of the Sadaqa) (stealthily). I took hold of him and said, "By Allah, I will take you to Allah's Apostle ." He said, "I am needy and have many dependents, and I am in great need." I released him, and in the morning Allah's Apostle asked me, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I said, "O Allah's Apostle! The person complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so, I pitied him and let him go." Allah's Apostle said, "Indeed, he told you a lie and he will be coming again." I believed that he would show up again as Allah's Apostle had told me that he would return. So, I waited for him watchfully. When he (showed up and) started stealing handfuls of foodstuff, I caught hold of him again and said, "I will definitely take you to Allah's Apostle. He said, "Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will not come back again." I pitied him and let him go. In the morning Allah's Apostle asked me, "What did your prisoner do." I replied, "O Allah's Apostle! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free." Allah's Apostle said, "Verily, he told you a lie and he will return." I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he (came and) started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff, I caught hold of him and said, "I will surely take you to Allah's Apostle as it is the third time you promise not to return, yet you break your promise and come." He said, "(Forgive me and) I will teach you some words with which Allah will benefit you." I asked, "What are they?" He replied, "Whenever you go to bed, recite "Ayat-al-Kursi"-- 'Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-l-Haiy-ul Qaiyum' till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no satan will come near you till morning. " So, I released him. In the morning, Allah's Apostle asked, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I replied, "He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah will benefit me, so I let him go." Allah's Apostle asked, "What are they?" I replied, "He said to me, 'Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi from the beginning to the end ---- Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-lHaiy-ul-Qaiyum----.' He further said to me, '(If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no satan will come near you till morning.' (Abu Huraira or another sub-narrator) added that they (the companions) were very keen to do good deeds. The Prophet said, "He really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar. Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights, O Abu Huraira?" Abu Huraira said, "No." He said, "It was Satan." (Bukhari)   Since that was in the month of Ramadan, it becomes clear that not all devils are chained but only those who are the most rebellious ones such as Maarids. 

Ibn 'Umar reported: "We were sitting with the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and a man came in.  He was the ugliest, dirtiest, and one who had the most foul odour coming from him.  He was impolite,  and started walking through the people until he sat before the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam).  He asked the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam): "Who created you?" He (s) replied: "Allah." He asked him again: "Who created the heaven?" He (s) replied: "Allah." "Who created the earth?" He (s) said: "Allah." He asked again: "Who created Allah?" The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Subhana Allah," and he held his forehead and lowered his head. The man stood up and left.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) raised his head and said: "Bring me the man." We went to fetch him but he had disappeared, as if he had never existed. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: "That was Iblis. He came to cast doubts in your hearts about your religion." (al-Baihaqi's Dala'il an-Nabuwwah)

Jinn can appear as a black slave:

'Ali Ibn Abi Taalib reported: I swear by Allah that  'Ammar Ibn Yasir fought against both humans and jinn during the life of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam).  People said: We know how he fought against humans, so how did he fight against jinn?  Ali said: We were with the Prophet on a journey and he told 'Ammar to go and get some water.  So 'Ammar went to get the water, but a devil, in the form of a black slave, appeared and prevented him from getting the water. 'Ammar wrestled with him and brought him to the ground. Satan said: Let me go and I will let you get the water.  'Ammar let him go but Satan prevented him from reaching the water.  This happened three times, and the fourth time, Satan allowed 'Ammar to get to the water. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) then told us: Satan has assumed the form of a black slave and prevented him from getting water, but Allah helped Ammar defeat him.  Ali ®  said: When 'Ammar came back we met him, saying: Well done 'Ammar, the Prophet told us what happened to you.  Then 'Ammar said: I swear by Allah if I had known that he was a devil I would have killed him - I would have throttled him were it not for his bad smell.  [al-Bayhaqi in Dala'il an-Nabuwwah; al-Tabarani in Majma al-Zawa'id; ibn Sa'd in his Tabaqaat, and others)

Continued in Part 6.

NASIR

THE JINN, A SHORT ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE PART 4.

From the layman's (Nasir Ali) Desk:

THE JINN -Part 4 Continued:

Many Islamic authorities have mentioned in their books an interesting fact which is also mentioned by Imam Suyuti in Khasais al-Kubra on the strength of the narration of Umar ® which is summarized here as follows:   Once when the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) was residing in Makkah a very old man came to visit the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam).  This old man spoke in the language of Jinn so Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) asked him which tribe of Jinn did he belong to.  He replied that he was the grandson of Iblis (Satan).  When asked about his antecedents he replied that he was Hamm the son of Heem who was the son of Lakhis who was the son of Iblis.  When the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) inquired about his age the old man replied that as a kid he had seen Qabeel (Cain) murdering his brother Habeel (Abel) both of whom were the sons of Adam (a.s.).  During Ibrahim's (a.s.) time he embraced his faith and was also a witness when the prophet was thrown into the fire which he tried to extinguish.  Then he embraced the faith of Moosa (a.s.) who taught him the Torah.  Then he embraced the faith of Isa (a.s.) who taught him about the Bible.  The old man had a very important message to deliver to the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) who said, “Give me the message”. He said “Jesus (pbuh) said to me that “after my demise, Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) will come as the last Messenger of God to this world, you will be alive at that time and you will get a chance to meet him (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam). When you meet holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam), convey my salutations to him.” On hearing this from Hamm the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) felt very happy and with tears in his eyes thanked Almighty Allah.  He (sal Allahu Alayhi wasallam) said: “Peace be upon you and my brother Jesus .” Then holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) asked Hamm “do you want anything from me?” Hamm said,  “O Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) I want to embrace Islam at your hand, please teach me some chapters of holy Quran.” The Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) taught him ten chapters of holy Quran.” The Surahs included Surah Waqiya, Surah Naba, Surah Takweer, Surah Kafiroon, Surah Falaq and Surah Naas.  After narrating this whole scenario, Umar-e-Farooq ® said: ”after that day, we never saw him again.”

A frequent activity associated with the Jinn is foretelling the future.  It was a common feature before the advent of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) for people to seek the help of soothsayers and fortune-tellers who in turn would turn to the Jinn for help.  According to a hadith:  Narrated A’isha (RA), I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The angels descend from the clouds and mention this or that decreed in the Heaven. The devils listen stealthily to such matter, come down to inspire the soothsayers with it, and the latter would add to it one-hundred lies of his own." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith Number 432].  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) himself described how the jinn tried to steal the messages in the heaven. Abu-Huraira reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed him, “When Allah decrees a matter in heaven, the angels move their wings in submission to His word which is like a chain on a smooth stone. When their hearts are delivered from fear they say, ‘What did your Lord say?’ and receive the reply, ‘That which He said is the truth and He is the Most High and the Greatest.’ Then those who listen by stealth hear it (i.e., the jinn), and they are like this, some above others (and Sufyan a narrator, illustrated this point by turning his hand over and separating the fingers). Then one who hears the word passes it on to the one below him, and so forth until one of them passes it to the tongue of a soothsayer or diviner. Often a flame catches him before he is able to pass it on. He then mixes with it one hundred lies. People then ask, ‘Isn’t it true that he did not make such a statement on a specific date,’ and he is believed because of that one word which was heard from the heavens.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari in his Sahih)

The sins of omission and commission and the punishments and rewards are applicable to both in the next life since Jinn too, as humans, have free will whether to obey or disobey.  According to Surah Jinn, (72:11): And among us, there are righteous folks and among us, there are far from that. We are sects having different rules. Regarding the righteous and believing Jinn: And when we heard the guidance, we believed therein, and whoso believeth in his Lord, he feareth neither loss nor oppression (Surah Jinn, 72:13).  And there are among us some who have surrendered (to Allah) and there are among us some who are unjust. And whoso hath surrendered to Allah, such have taken the right path purposefully (Surah Jinn 72:14).

The Jinn, like any other living creature, will also die. This is mentioned in the Qur’an:  "Allah will say, ‘Enter you in the company of nations who passed away before you, of men and Jinn, into the Fire." (Qur’an 7:38).  Only Iblis has been granted respite as already stated.  In Surah al-Saffat, verse 158 it is stated: And they have invented a blood-relationship between Him and the Jinn: but the Jinn know (quite well) that they have indeed to appear (before his Judgment- Seat)!  So it is stated in Surah Anam, 128:  One day will He gather them all together, (and say): "O ye assembly of Jinns! Much (toll) did ye take of men." Their friends amongst men will say: "Our Lord! we made a profit from each other: but (alas!) we reached our term - which Thou didst appoint for us." He will say: "The Fire be your dwelling-place: you will dwell therein forever, except as Allah willeth." for thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge.  In Surah Al-Araf v.179, it is stated:  Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,- nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning).   Allah the Almighty stated in Surah al-An’aam v.130. "O ye assembly of Jinns and men! came there not unto you apostles from amongst you, setting forth unto you My signs, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say: "We bear witness against ourselves." It was the life of this world that deceived them. So against themselves will they bear witness that they rejected Faith.  Allah says in Surah Hud, verse 119:  Except those on whom thy Lord hath bestowed His Mercy: and for this did He create them: and the Word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled: "I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together."

According to the author of Rashahat ‘Ain al-Hayat (Beads of Dew from the Source of Life), Mawlana Jami said: “The truth of the matter is that the father of the jinn is other than Satan, although Satan does belong to the species of the jinn. The father of the jinn is a hermaphrodite [khuntha]…There is no benefit in spending time with them, and their company is positively harmful. Since they are created from fire and air, their principal attributes are pride and rebelliousness. Those who frequent them are thereby infected with arrogance and conceit…Warfare amongst them is not rare, since their essential attributes are boastfulness, asserting superiority over one another, arrogance, and overbearing tyranny…On the Day of resurrection, those of them who deserve punishment are thrown into the cold hell, since they are not affected by the fire.”   In other words, the Jinn have communities and families and social classes on the lines of humans with kings and rulers, armies and courts, indulging at times in wars and negotiations and creating treaties.   

The believing and righteous Jinn would be in Paradise as explicitly stated in Surah Rahman: “(Maidens) whom no man or Jinn before them has deflowered” (55:74). These “Maidens” are the Hoor al-Ayn whose abode is only Paradise.  Another popularly held belief held by some scholars such as Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Abu Yusuf is that the Jinn will be in the outskirts of paradise, where humans can see them (but they cannot see the humans).  According to Imam Abu Hanifa, their reward is to be saved from the Hellfire.  Ibn Katheer points out that a better proof of the Jinn entering the Paradise is Allah’s statement in Surah Rahman:  Whoever fears the judgment of his Lord there will be two gardens.  So which of your Lord’s favours will you both deny?”  (55:46-47).  As indicated before, here “Both” refers to mankind as well as the Jinn.  Allah has blessed Jinn and humans by rewarding the righteous among them admission to Paradise.                                                                  

Continued in Part 5.

NASIR

THE JINN, A SHORT ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE PART 3

THE JINN - Part 3 continued:

It is stated in Hughes' Dictionary of Islam, “among the evil Jinn are distinguished the five sons of their chief Iblis; namely, Tir, who brings about calamities, losses, and injuries; al-A'war, who encourages debauchery; Sut, who suggests lies; Dasimn who causes hatred between man and wife; and Zalambur, who presides over places of traffic.” 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. They disbelieve in the clear tokens and fling the scripture behind their back when Allah’s Messengers come to them confirming what they possess.   According to Surah Baqara, verses 102-103: They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman a.s.(Solomon). Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, “We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).” And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s Leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their own selves if they but knew.  And if they had believed, and guarded themselves against evil and kept their duty to Allah, far better would have been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew!

The Holy Quran informs us that some Jinn are on the righteous path having submitted themselves to Allah, while some follow many divergent paths and are unjust having gone astray and they are the Jinn who are the fuel for Hell-Fire. The jinn are of different ranks in terms of piety or impiety.  Some are heedless; others are disbelievers. They speak of themselves in the Qur'an: “There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary; we are groups having different ways (i.e. religious sects)” [72:11].  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 satans.  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 dissension. 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.”

On the question of whether the Jinn had the messengers sent from amongst themselves or had no messengers, or had human messengers sent by Allah, we know that the Holy Quran is addressed to both humans and Jinn and both Quran and Sunnah indicate that jinn exist and that there is a purpose for their existence in this life, which is to worship Allah Alone with no partner or associate. Allah Almighty says: “And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and humans, except they should worship Me (Alone).” (Adh-Dhariyat: 56).  It is also mentioned in the Holy Quran in 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), meaning by those messengers from mankind and messengers from the jinn. Ibn Hazm said: A prophet from mankind was never sent to the jinn before our Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam), and before him prophets would be sent to their people. He said: we know with certainty that they would warn one another.  So according to al-Shibli al-Hanafi the view that prophets from themselves came to them is sound though 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.  Apparently,  this verse (6:130) shows that there were messengers from the jinn as well, but the Tafseer (commentary) of this verse is that a messenger will be sent to both man and jinn. It does not mean that each one of them will have their own messenger. The word منكم (from you) is addressed collectively to the jinn and man. (Bayan-ul-Qur'an, Vol 3, Pg 129)  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  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.  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)
The Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) was commanded to tell Mankind about the World of Jinn, and that he was sent to both Man and Jinn as a Guide.  We have already quoted verses 29 to 32 from Surah al-Ahqaf where Allah has mentioned that a group of Jinn heard the Quran and believed in it and they also warned their folks about heeding it.  The first 19 verses of chapter 72 (The Jinn) of the holy Quran mentions Jinn’s coming to the Holy Prophet (PBUH), for embracing Islam and he (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) used to teach Islam to them, in their own respective languages. Therefore, Jinn are also included in the ummah of the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasallam).  It is reported by many classical Islamic authorities in their books that 12,000 Jinn came from Mousel in Iraq, and from Harran near Turkey and Naseebeen in Yemen.”  Additionally, there are many prophetic traditions that also lend assurance to this fact.  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 wasallam) who used to talk to them.  The Holy Prophet (sal Allahu Alayhi wasallam) also read out the Surah ar-Rahman to the Jinn.  In that Surah, there is a refrain of the verse “And which of your Lord’s favour would you deny”.  As Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) would read the said refrain, the Jinn would reply: ‘There is none of your signs that we deny, all praise is due to You.” 
The story of how the first Jinn of this ummah became Muslims was narrated by 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Abbas, who said: "The Prophet went out with a group of his Companions heading for the marketplace of 'Ukaaz. This was when the shayaateen were prevented from getting any news from heaven, and shooting stars had been sent against them. The shayaateen went back to their people, who said, 'What is the matter with you?' They said, 'We cannot get news from heaven, and shooting stars were sent against us.' Their people said, 'Nothing is stopping you from hearing news from heaven except some new event that must have happened. Go and look in the east and the west of the earth, and see if you can find out what it is that is stopping you from hearing news from heaven.' Those who went out in the direction of Tihaamah came upon the Prophet in Nakhlah, when he was on his way to 'Ukaaz, and found him leading his Companions in Fajr prayer. When they heard the prayers, they listened to it and said, 'By Allah, this is what is stopping us from hearing news from heaven.' When they went back to their people, they said, 'O our people, we have heard a wonderful Recital. It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed therein, and we shall never join (in worship) anything with our Lord.  It was after this that the revelation came that some of the group of Jinn did listen to the Quran during his (s) Fajr prayers there.  The Prophet (salAllahu 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]
Imam Baihaqi mentions in "Dalail-e-Nubuwwat" on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Masood ® that the Prophet (sal Allahu Alayhi wasallam) once, said to his companions in Makkah: "Whosoever from amongst you desires to see the Jinn, he should come to me tonight." Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Masood stated that no one except me came that night. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) 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 Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Masood within that circle, he advanced ahead and then stood at a place. There, he started 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 saying: "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.

Continued in 4.


NASIR