Preferably a knowledgeable Muslim

Praise be to Allah (The Glorified and Exalted).

The existence of the Jinn race is based on the Qur’an and authentic hadith. Similar to angels, jinns are part of the unseen world. The word “jinn” comes from an Arabic root meaning “hidden from sight.” Jinn are commonly referred to as spirits. The world of the jinn is separate from the world of man, with its own distinct nature.

Their Creation:

The jinn race was created before mankind, but after the creation of the angels. Iblis is the first jinn and is believed to be the father of the jinn race, just as Adam (peace be upon him) is the father of mankind. This is mentioned in the following verse of the Qur’an and hadith:

“And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire.” [15:27]

Their Purpose:

The jinn have the same destiny and fate as man. The jinn race has been given the freewill to decide to submit to Allah or choose to be ungrateful. They have also been sent Messengers from among their own, but the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the last prophet and messenger, sent to both mankind and the jinn race.

“And I (Allah) created not the jinns and men, except that they should worship Me (Alone).” [51:56]

Similar to man, the jinns will be reckoned on the Day of Judgment:

“‘O ye assembly of jinns and men! Came there not unto you Messengers 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.” [6:130]

They are Part of The Unseen:

Allah (The Exalted and Glorified) through His Mercy for man, has placed a veil over the eyes of mankind, so they cannot see the jinn. However, animals may see the jinn. For example, horses and dogs can see the jinn. It is also the case that the jinn can see man. The jinn reside in their own realm on Earth, existing parallel to the world of man. This is mentioned in the following verses of the Qur’an:

“Soon shall We settle your affairs, O both ye worlds!” [55:31]

“O ye Children of Adam! Let not Iblis (Satan) seduce you, in the same manner as he got your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their raiment, to expose their shame: for he and his tribe watch you from a position where ye cannot see them: We made the devils [i.e. evil jinn] friends (only) to those without faith.” [7:27]

Types of Jinn:

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that there were three different types of jinn:

Abu Tha’labah al-Khushani said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The jinn are of three types: a type that has wings, and they fly through the air; a type that looks like snakes and dogs; and a type that stops for a rest then resumes its journey [i.e. they appear to be nomadic].” [Reported by al-Tahhaawi in Mushkil al-Athaar, 4/95, and by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 22/214.]

Their Abilities:

The jinns have abilities beyond that of human beings. Some jinn can fly, they can appear in different forms, travel quickly, and have an extraordinary level of strength. Their bodies can also be sustained underneath the ground, underwater, or in outer space (i.e. flying near the Earth in the lowest heaven). The jinn have a much longer lifespan than humans, but they eventually die. Due to the fact that the bodies of the jinn were created from fire, when they die, their bodies evaporate into the air. Unlike man, whose body was created from the Earth, this is why humans decay and become one with the Earth when they die.

The jinn may also appear in the guise of other creatures. For example, jinns can take the form of humans. This is mentioned in the following hadith:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) put me in charge of guarding the zakah of Ramadan. Someone came to me and started scooping up some of the food, and I said, “By Allah, I will take you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).”-He [the thief] complained of being in need and having dependents, so Abu Hurayrah took pity on him and let him go. This happened three times, and on the third occasion, -Abu Hurayrah said: “I will take you to the Messenger of Allah. This is the third time and each time you say that you will not come back, then you come back.” He [the thief] said, “Let me go and I will teach you something by means of which Allah will benefit you.” I said: “What is it?” he said: “When you go to bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi, “Allah. There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal…” [2:255], until you complete the verse. Then you will always have a protector [angel] from Allah, and no devil will come near you until morning comes.” So I let him go, and the next morning I told the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) what had happened. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “He told you the truth, although he is a liar. Do you know who you have been speaking to for three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?” He said: “No.” He said: “That was a devil [a shaytaan or evil jinn].” [al-Bukhari no. 3275]

From the above hadith, various points are evident. Firstly, the conduct of the shaytaan, an Arabic word which refers to the evil jinn, is that they frequently lie and speak untruthfully in order to mislead people. Secondly, the jinn are only unseen to humans when they are in the form in which they were created. When the jinns appear in other forms in the world of man, then they can be seen. Lastly, Ayat al-Kursi can be recited in order to protect an individual from the harm of the shaytaan.

Their Dwellings:

The jinns usually live in unclean places, such as: garbage dumps, toilets, ruins of buildings, etc. They also gather in the cemeteries during the night, reside in buildings or homes that have been abandoned for over forty days, and they congregate at construction sites. Besides these dwellings, the jinns 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.

Zayd ibn Arqam reported:
The Apostle of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “These privies [public bathrooms] are frequented by the jinns 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 shaytaan.’” [Dawud: Book 1: Hadith 6]

Narrated Jabir:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When night falls, then keep your children close to you, for the devils spread out then. An hour later you can let them free; and close the gates (i.e. doors) of your house (at night), and mention Allah’s Name thereupon (i.e. Bismillah), and cover your utensils (i.e. foods), and mention Allah’s Name thereupon, (and if you don’t have something to cover your utensil) you may put across it something (e.g. a piece of wood, etc.).” [Bukhari: Book 4: Volume 54: Hadith 500]

Their Needs:

Similar to humans, the jinns require food, water, and rest in order to survive. In the following hadith, it is mentioned that some jinn eat bones:

Ibn Mas’ood reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Someone from among the jinn called me, and I went with him and recited Qur’an for them.” He [the Prophet] took us and showed us the traces of where they had been and the traces of their fires. They [the jinn] asked him [the Prophet] 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 (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “So do not use [these things] for cleaning yourselves [after relieving oneself], for they are the food and provision of your brothers.’” [Muslim no. 450]

Their Animals:

Similar to humans, the jinn have their own animals as part of their world. This is alluded to in the following hadith, in which their animals eat droppings in order to sustain themselves.

Ibn Mas’ood reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “…all the droppings as food for your animals.’” [Muslim no. 450]

Their Civilization:

Similar to mankind, the jinn race has its own languages, nations, leaders, cultures, customs, religions, and so forth.

Their Religions:

Some of the jinns are Muslims and others the contrary. In the following verses of the Qur’an, Allah mentions a group of jinn who had become Muslims after hearing the recitation of the Qur’an.

“Say: It has been revealed to me that a company of Jinns listened (to the Qur’an). They said, ‘We have really heard a wonderful Recital! It gives guidance to the Right, and we have believed therein: we shall not join (in worship) any (gods) with our Lord. And Exalted is the Majesty of our Lord: He has taken neither a wife nor a son.’” [72:1-3]

The Qareen:

Every human has a jinn companion throughout his or her life, which is called the qareen. The qareen is different from other jinn, because it specifically stays with its human host throughout the life of the human, by shadowing the person. The man has a male qareen and the woman has a female companion. It is sometimes the case that an individual will die and other will say, "I have seen the spirit (or ghost) of so-and-so." What they have seen is either the qareen of the dead or another jinn in the guise of the deceased. This life involves man being tested by Allah (The Exalted). The qareen is evil (a shaytaan) and whispers for man to commit sins and disobey Allah. Therefore, it is part of the trial in this life that every individual must overcome and not engage in the evil temptations of his constant companion.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also had a qareen, but Allah made him become a Muslim:

Ibn Mas’ood said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There is not one of you who does not have a jinn appointed to be his constant companion.” They said, ‘And you too, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, “Me too, but Allah has helped me and he has submitted, so that he only helps me to do good.” [Muslim no. 2814]

The Believer suppresses his qareen by obeying Allah and adhering to His religion, until the qareen becomes weak and unable to stop the Believer from doing good, except what Allah Wills. The sinner, by his disobedience and evil actions, gives his shaytaan the strength to encourage him to do evil and discourage him from doing good. The Believer has to fear Allah and strive against his qareen, by obeying Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It is wisdom and insight in a Believer to realize that the qareen of other individuals may succeed in causing that person to falter at any moment. Therefore, the Muslim should not place himself or his children in a vulnerable position, alone with other individuals, which may lead to being harmed. After the human counterpart dies, it is possible for the qareen to still live on, considering that jinns naturally live longer than humans. The Muslim should be aware of his constant companion as much as possible and resist his sinful temptations.

Jinns in America:

Bigfoot:

The notorious American Bigfoot is considered to be a large hairy hominoid that lives in the forest. This creature is known by numerous other names from around the world: Yeti, Sasquatch, Yowie, Abominable Snowman, Skunk Ape, Barmanou, etc. Long before modern Americans gave eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot, many of the Native American tribes that had lived in North America were well acquainted with the creature. Some tribes considered Bigfoot as their “brother” from the forest, which was a spirit that lived underground and surfaced during the night, in order to feed. Some Native Americans also mention in their legends that Bigfoot was capable of making himself appear visible and invisible. Another tribe, the Dakota Indians, considered Bigfoot to exist in another dimension and to appear in the world of man when they had reason. This jinn is perhaps the third type mentioned in the section “Types of Jinn,” the one that stops for a rest then resumes its journey, living a nomadic existence.

Mothman:

Mothman was the name given to a creature that appeared in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the 1960s. The creature was man-like in appearance, possessed two large wings on its back, and was excessively hairy. The persons who came into contact with the Mothman, mentioned that it could travel quickly and fly. This creature has been seen around the world. For example, in Zanzibar, there is a creature known as “Bat Wings,” which is described as being similar in appearance to the Mothman. This is the jinn that has wings and flies. This was mentioned in the section “Types of Jinn.”

Werewolf of Wisconsin:

In the state of Wisconsin, there have been numerous sightings of a large creature that walks erect and has the features of a dog, which include: claws, a snout, and excessive hair. Among the first sightings was by a man who spotted the “werewolf” east of Jefferson, Wisconsin. While driving during the night, the man spotted the beast digging in an old Indian mound. He described it as standing erect over six feet, having a muzzle, and claws with three fingers and a twisted thumb. The man came back to the spot the next night and found the same beast. In the second encounter, the man said he heard the creature utter something that was not tangible. The beast went away from the man and eventually vanished from sight.

The so-called “werewolf” or dog form of the jinn is well known around the world. In fact, in Arabia, this was the manner in which the jinn were commonly seen when they encountered Arabs in the world of man. This is the type of jinn that looks like a dog and is mentioned in the section “Types of Jinn.” The jinn from Wisonsin, is mentioned to have been seen digging in an Indian mound, which is a graveyard, this is probably because he was searching for bones to eat. The following account mentions the encounter of a Muslim with a jinn that appeared in this form:

Strength of faith and religiosity in general will also prevent the jinn from harming a person, so much so that if a Muslim were to fight with a jinn, the one who has faith in Allah would win.

‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said:A man from among the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) met a man [i.e. male] 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 [the jinn] said, ‘Recite, “Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…”’ [2:255]. The human said, ‘Fine.’ He [the jinn] said, ‘You will never recite this in your house but the Shaytaan will come out of it like a donkey breaking wind, and he will never come back in until the next morning.’” [al-Darimi no. 3247]

Narrated ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Ka’b that his father told him that he had a vessel in which he kept dates. He used to check on it and found that the number was decreasing. So he kept guard on it one night and saw a beast that looked like an adolescent boy. He said: “I greeted him with salaams [peace] and he returned my greeting, then I asked him, ‘What are you, a jinn or a human?’ He said, ‘A jinn.’ I said to him, ‘Show me your hand.’ So he showed me his hand, and it looked like a dog’s paw with dog’s fur. I said, ‘Do all the jinn look like this?’ He said, ‘I know no one among the jinn who is stronger than I.’ I said, ‘What made you do what you did [i.e., taking the dates]?’ He said, ‘We heard that you are a man who loves charity, and we wanted to have some of your food.’” Ubayy asked him, “What will protect us from you?” He said, “This ayah, Ayat al-Kursi.” Then the next day he [Ubayy] went to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and told him (about what had happened) and he [the Prophet] said, “The evil one spoke the truth.”

Unidentified Flying Objects:

UFO sightings have always been plentiful. Although many of them may be aircrafts or lights, some of them are jinn. For example, during World War II, many war pilots spotted circular balls of light flying and encircling their planes. These lights appeared interested in the aircrafts and would also engage in a game of “cat and mouse” with the pilots. This type of activity continues to happen to pilots in modern times. Since jinns can change their form into various appearances, including the circular light appearance, these were jinn. The Kung! tribe (Bush Men) living in the southern part of Africa have also complained that evil spirits appear to them in this form during the night. It is also the case that some video footage has showed these spherical lights creating crop circles. There have also been accounts by individuals who have had jinns living within their homes, mentioning the fact that the jinn appear as circular spheres of light.


And Allah (The Glorified and Exalted) Knows Best.

I love lectures by Anwar Al 'Awlaki..
I have read it all before, nonetheless, I like to hear them again...

I have just finished your second post and it was very interesting.. now I wonder, can jinn fight for the cause of Allah, that is if they are Muslim? do they fight amongst jinn or amongst humans, for instance the way you wrote about fighter planes and flying light.. surely that can be used by them to distract pilots..

is there a hadith about them engaging in battle? and can this still occur modern day, because my understanding is, there is a veil between us and them and thus we can never see them....

Jazaka Allah khyran.. it does..

I always wondered if the soul looks just like us but in a shadowy form, and that the last thing we wore or whatever is how it would be in that other realm (barzakh)..

I'll give this a read insha'Allah.. I really love the lay-out.. well done masha'Allah

There was a conference on a similar topic to this last Summer:

http://www.islamicboard.com/islamic-...masjid-uk.html

If you're interested in getting hold of the recordings, it's for sale here:

http://www.redbrickmedia.co.uk/produ...ry_id=2&page=5

Jazaka Allah khyran..

wow £37.. I'll try to find it in the U.S insha'Allah...

format_quote Originally Posted by Gossamer skye

I have just finished your second post and it was very interesting.. now I wonder, can jinn fight for the cause of Allah, that is if they are Muslim? do they fight amongst jinn or amongst humans, for instance the way you wrote about fighter planes and flying light.. surely that can be used by them to distract pilots..

is there a hadith about them engaging in battle? and can this still occur modern day, because my understanding is, there is a veil between us and them and thus we can never see them....

Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, i am aware that in the time of Hadhrat Sulaiman(As) he also had Jinn in his army as well as animals as he was the leader of Jinns and animals and Jinns still know of him today and are still very much scared of him.

The Jinn were the first creation of Alah on this earth and were known to cause much blood shed amongst themselves.

Reported by Ibn Abbas (ra):

"Two thousand years before (mankind) was created, there were Jinn on (the Earth), and they caused corruption on it and shed blood. Then Allah sent against them a troop of Angels who beat them and cast them away to islands in the seas. So, when Allah said: ‘I am placing (mankind) generations after generations on Earth,’ They (the Angels) said, ‘Will You place therein one who will cause corruption and shed blood’ (Al Baqarah, 2:30), That is: Just as those Jinn did?? Then Allah said: ‘I know that which you do not know.’"

Al-Hakim


Just like there are Muslim Jinns then there are also Non Muslim Jinns therefore inevitabley there are also Muslim Jinns conducting Jihad on non Muslim Jinns and fighting for the cause of Islam and dying shaheed. I am not aware if they help Muslim humans in the battlefield.

In the time of the Prophet(Pbuh)shaythan would come in the form of a man to offer moral support to the kaafir but i am unaware if they actually took part in any battles against humans.

In the battle of Badr, a kind of Jinn known as Iblis, assumed the form of a man named Suraqah Ibn Malik, and urged the disbelievers to move forward to the battle, saying:

"There is none who can overcome you today"

(Qur’an 8:48)

Then Allah sent the Angel Jibreel against him and when Iblis saw him, he cried out to the disbelievers: "I have nothing to do with you ! I see that which you do not see! I fear Allah, and Allah is severe in retribution," and then he fled.

Angels do take part in battles helping the Muslims. Many a time there have been incidences of angels being seen fighting the kufaar.

I have heard of one Russian Muslim revert who one of my friends knows of and previously when he fought against the Chechenyan's he saw angels coming from the sky helping the Muslim Mujaahideen. This caused him to instantly accept Islam.

There have also been many similar cases of angels supporting Mujahideen against the kufaar in Palestine and Bosnia. Angels also helped the Rasulallah(Pbuh) in many battles and countless others.

Yes I have read about those Russians, many who were annihilated instantly and through no weapons known to man and those who accepted Islam ... it is an amazing thing.. I have to believe that it was all from the creation of Adam from the earth that some people are rotten to the core and some are good and given chances even if they behave badly..

My grandmother (Allah yer7mha) used to always speak of the core element (Ma3dan) of people as the thing being responsible for good or ill, whether they die as Muslims or kaffirs..


and Allah swt knows best

This is another great thread.

Thank you for sharing your story sis, and as well to the bros for the resources.

BarakAllahu feekum