Jinn

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Haamid says: Because the jinn have light bodies (that are not dense), there is no rational reason why they should not enter the bodies of the sons of Adam, and there is no text which contradicts this idea. For that which is light may run through that which is dense, like air which can enter our bodies, or fire which runs through coals, or electricity which runs through wires.

 

The people of truth adopted a stance of accepting the texts which speak of the jinn entering human bodies. The number of reports reached such a level that you cannot accept the denial of those who reject them. The stories of jinn entering human bodies are many and are well-known, so the one who denies them is rejecting visible reality, which proves that what he says is false. Rudood Ala Abaateel, 2/135

 

“There is a great deal of evidence and comments from the scholars which no one can deny except one who is stubborn or arrogant

Wiqaayah Al-Insaan Min Al-Jinn Wa'l-Shaytaan, 56-68

 

Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

There are two types of epilepsy, one caused by evil, earthly spirits and another caused by physical factors.

Al-Tibb Al-Nabawi, 51

 

Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:

I said to my father: There is someone who claims that the jinn cannot enter human bodies. He said: O my son, he is lying; the jinn is speaking through him.

Risaalat Al-Jinn, 8

 

Sheikh ul-Islam Ibn Tayymiya (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The fact that the jinn can enter human bodies is proven according to the consensus of the Ahlus-Sunnah. This is something that has been seen and witnessed by those who examined the matter. The jinn enters the body of the epileptic and he says things of which he is not aware and that he does not remember.

Mukhtasar Al-Fataawa, 584

 

 

Donkeys and Dogs see the Jinn

Even though we humans do not see the jinn, some animals, like dogs and donkeys, can see them. It is recorded in Musnad Ahmed and Sunan Abu Dawud with a Sahih chain from Jabir that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

If you hear the bark of dogs or the braying of donkeys during the night, seek refuge in Allah from Satan, as they see what you do not see.

This is not strange as many scientists have confirmed that animals are capable of many things that humans are not capable of. Bees can see ultraviolet light and can also see the sun on an overcast day. An owl can see a mouse running in a crowded corn patch on a dark night.

 

Jinn & Demons Die

There is no doubt that the jinn, and the devils among them, do die. The following the Quranic verse applies to them:

Everyone that is therein will pass away; There remains but the countenance of your Lord of Might and Glory. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?

Al-Qur’an, 26-28

 

In Sahih al-Bukhari it is reported from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (PBUH) used to say:

I seek refuge, by your Glory, the One, whom there is no other god but You, the One who does not die, and the jinn and mankind do die.

The lifespan of the jinn are longer than that of the humans. Further evidence that they do die is the report that Khalid ibn Waleed killed the devil of al-Uza (a tree that the Arabs used to worship). And a Companion killed a jinn that took the shape of a serpant.

 

Residences of the Jinn

The jinn live upon the same earth as humans do. Most of them can be found among the ruins and dilapidated areas, as well as the places where there are many impure things, such as, bathrooms, hashish dens, the places of the camels, cemeteries. For that reason, as Ibn Tayymiya said, those people who are close to Satan usually inhibit such areas. There are Hadith that say that one should not pray in bathrooms due to the impurities present and because it is the abode of Satan, or in cemeteries as this leads to polytheism and it is also a home for the devils. Many of them are in the places which may be sources of evil, such as the marketplaces. The Prophet (PBUH) gave the following advice to one of his Companions,

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.

Sahih Muslim

 

The devils live in the same houses in which people live. One can stop them from entering or repel them from such houses by mentioning Allah (SWT) upon entering those houses, by remembering or mentioning Allah through Zikr, reciting the Quran, in particular, Surah al-Baqara and the verse of the Throne (verse 255 of that Surah). The Prophet (PBUH) stated that the devils spread out and roam about increasingly when the dark first comes, and, therefore, he has advised Muslims to bring in their children during that period of time. This is stated in a Hadith that was recorded by both AI-Bukhari and Muslim. The devils run away from the call to prayer and cannot stand listening to it. And in the month of Ramadan they are chained.

 

The Places Where the Devils Sit

The devils love to sit between the shade and the sunlight. For this reason the Prophet (PBUH) forbade the Muslims to sit in such places. This Hadith was recorded in the books of Sunan and other works and it is Sahih.

 

The Animals of the Jinn

In the hadith of Ibn Masud, recorded in Sahih Muslim, the jinn asked the Prophet about their provisions. He told them, Every bone on which the name of Allah is recited is your provision. The time it will fall in your hand it would be covered with flesh. And the dung of (the camels) is fodder for your animals. Thus the Prophet (PBUH) has informed us that they possess animals and that the fodder for their animals is the dung of the animals of mankind.

 

Satan has Two Horns

In Sahih Muslim, it is recorded from Ibn Umar that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

Do not seek to pray when the sun is rising or when it is setting, verily it rises [and sets] between the two horns of a devil.

Sahih Bukhari and Muslim

 

Ability and Strength of the Jinn

Allah (SWT) has given the jinn power and ability that He has not given humans. Allah (SWT) has informed us of some of their ability, including great speed and movement. One of the Ifreet of the Satanic Jinn promised Sulayman (as) that he would be able to bring the throne of Sheba to Jerusalem in a period of time that was so short that a man would not be able to stand from his place of sitting. But one who had knowledge of the Book said, I will bring it before your gaze returns to you. Allah (SWT) has described this incident in the Quran with the following verses:

A stalwart of the Jinn said: I will bring it to you before you can rise from your place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work. One with whom was knowledge of the scripture said: I will bring it to you before your gaze returns to you. And when he saw it set in his presence, and he said, This is from the bounties of my Lord.

Al-Qur’an, 39:40

 

The Jinn have Preceded Mankind in Space Travel

The jinn used to go to the lowest heaven to eavesdrop on the inhabitants of the heavens in order to find out what event would occur in the future. When the Prophet (PBUH) was sent with his message the number of guards in the heavens were increased. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran:

 

And (the Jinn who had listened to the Quran said): We had sought the heaven but had found it filled with strong warders and meteors. And we used to sit on places (high) therein to listen. But he who listens now finds a flame in wait for him.

Al-Qur’an, 72:9

The Prophet (PBUH) himself described how the jinn tried to steal the messages in the heaven. Abu Huraira (RA) reported that the Prophet (PBUH) informed him, When Allah (SWT) 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 Most Great.

 

Then those who listen by stealth hear it (i.e., the jinn), and they are like this, some above others (and 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 not made such a statement on a specific date, and he is believed because of that one word which was heard from the heavens. Sahih Al-Bukhari

 

Ability of the Jinn to take on Other Shapes

The jinn have the ability to take on the shapes of humans or animals. On the day of the Battle of Badr, Satan approached the polytheists in the form of a man called Suraqa ibn Malik and he promised the polytheists aid and victory on that day. But when the armies met and Satan saw the angels descending from the sky, he fled. Regarding this ,Allah (SWT) has revealed the following verse:

 

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 innocent of you. Lo! I see that which you do not. Lo! I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in punishment.

Al-Qur’an, 48

 

The jinn take the forms of snakes and appear in front of humans. It is for this reason that the Prophet (PBUH) has forbidden the killing of the snakes found in the houses, out of fear that they may be jinn that have embraced Islam. It is recorded in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Saeed al-Khudri that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

 

A group of jinn in Madina have embraced Islam. So he who sees anyone of them, should warn it three times. And if it appears after that it should be killed, for it must be a devil.

 

Satan is Able to Flow in the descendants of Adam like Blood flows through a Vein

In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim it is recorded that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

Verily, Satan flows in the human like the flowing of the blood.

 

Weaknesses and inabilities of the jinn

In some aspects, the jinn and devils are strong while in others they are weak. Allah (SWT) says:

Verily, the plot of Satan is weak.

Al-Qur’an, 4:76

 

 

The Jinn have No Power over the Pious Worshippers of Allah (SWT)

Allah did not give Satan the ability to compel mankind or force them to misguidance and disbelief. Allah says in the Quran:

Lo! My faithful bondsmen- over them you have no power, and your Lord suffices as their guardian

Al-Qur’an, 17:65

 

The meaning is that Satan has no means of mastery over them, either through proofs against them or through any power over them. Satan himself recognizes that fact as one can see in the following verse:

He [Satan) said: My Lord! Because you have sent me astray, I verily shall adorn the path of error for them in the earth, and shall mislead them every one, save such of them as are your perfectly devoted slaves.

Al-Qur’an, 39:40

 

His (satans) mastery is over those humans and jinn who are pleased with his ideas and those who are pleased to follow and obey him. Allah (SWT) has said:

Lo! As for My slaves, you have no power over any except such of the as misled that follow you.

Al-Qur’an, 15:42

 

On the Day of Resurrection, Satan will say to those who followed him in this world to misguidance and destruction:

Lo! Allah promised you a promise of truth; and I promised you, then failed you. And I had no power over you save that I called unto you and you obeyed me. I cannot help you, nor can you help me.

Al-Qur’an, 14:22

 

Another verse says:

His power is only over those who make him an ally, and those who ascribe partners to Allah.

Al-Qur’an, 16:100

 

His mastery over them is through seduction and misguidance. He agitates and stirs them and leads them to disbelief and polytheism. He harasses them until they enter into it. And he never leaves them alone. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran:

Do you not see that We have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion.

Al-Qur’an, 19:83

 

Satan’s power over them is not due to any proofs or arguments but is simply because the actions that he calls them to are in accordance with their own desires and wishes. They have harmed themselves. They allow their true enemy, Satan, to become their friend and master because they are in agreement with what he wants from them. When they stretch their hands to him, they become his prisoner as a type of punishment for their own acts. Allah did not give Satan power over any of his slaves until the slave himself opened the way for Satan by obeying him and associating him with Allah. Then Allah allows Satan to subjugate the slave and have power over him.

 

The Jinn have Power over the Believers due to their Sins

Abu al-Faraj ibn al-Jauzi has related a unique story from Al-Hassan al-Basri. The story, depending on how authentic it is, shows the ability of a human in overpowering Satan if he is sincere to Allah in his religion and it shows how Satan can take advantage of the human when he strays.

 

Al-Hasan al-Basri narrated that there was a tree that was worshipped instead of Allah. One man decided to chop down that tree. He was going to chop down the tree out of anger for the sake of Allah. On the way to the tree he met Iblees who was in the form of a man.

 

Iblees asked him, What do you plan on doing? The man answered, I am going to chop down that tree that is worshipped instead of Allah. Satan said, If you do not worship it, why should it harm you if others do so? The man replied, I will chop it down. Satan then told him, Would you like something better than that? Do not cut it and you will get two dinars every morning under your pillow. From where will I get that? the man asked. I will give it to you, said Iblees.

 

The man returned and the next morning he found two dinars under his pillow. The following morning he again found two dinars under his pillow. On the following morning he did not find anything. He got upset and went to chop down the tree. Satan again appeared to him in the shape of the same man. Satan asked him, What do you want to do? The man answered, I plan on cutting down that tree that is worshipped instead of Allah!

 

Iblees said, You have lied. There is no way you will be able to do it, The man left to chop it down. The earth swallowed him and him until it almost killed him. Iblees asked, Do you know who am I. I am Satan. I met you for the first time when you were angry for the sake of Allah and I had no power over you. I deceived you by two dinars and you stopped what you had intended to do [for the sake of Allah]. Now you have come because you are angry about the two dinars, and I have gotten mastery over you.Ibn al-Jauzi, Talbees Iblees

 

Satan’s Fear and Fleeing from the Slaves of Allah

If a slave holds fast to Islam, has a sincere belief in his heart and stays within the bounds set by Allah, then Satan departs and flees from him. The Prophet (PBUH) said to Umar (RA):

 

Satan most certainly flees from you, O Umar.

He also said about Umar (RA),

 

I certainly see the devils of jinn and mankind fleeing from Umar.

Al-Tirmidhi with a Sahih chain. Sahih Al Jaami vol. 2, p239

 

But that situation was not solely for Umar (RA). Whoever possesses a strong faith can overcome Satan, defeat him and belittle him. It states in a hadith:

The believer emaciates his devil in the same way that one of you weakens his camel during travelling.

Ahmed

 

Ibn Kathir stated, after recording this hadith, Seizing his devil means grabbing his forelock and overpowering him like what is done to a camel if he escapes and is captured? It is even the case that a Muslim may have such a strong effect on his companion or partner from among the jinn that the jinn becomes a Muslim as recorded from the Prophet (PBUH).

 

There is not one of you who does not have his partner from among the jinn. The people asked, Even you, Oh Messenger of Allah? He answered, Even me, but Allah has helped me against him and, therefore, he only commands me to do good. Imam Ahmed has also recorded this Hadith from Ibn Abbas with the wording, But Allah has helped me against him and he embraced Islam, and Muslim recorded from Aisha (RA), “My Lord aided me against him until he submitted.

 

Jinn are incapable of Performing Miracles

The jinn are not able to perform miracles like those of the Messengers that are meant as proof for the truth of their missions. Some of the disbelievers alleged that the Qur’an was from the workings of Satan, so Allah revealed:

The devils did not bring it down. It is not proper for them [to bring it down], nor is it in their power. . Verily they are banished from the hearing.

Al-Qur’an, 26:210

 

Allah (SWT) challenges all of mankind and the jinn in the following verse:

Say: Verily, though mankind and jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof though they were helpers one of another.

Al-Qur’an, 17:88

 

 

Jinn are not able to appear like the Prophet (PBUH) in a vision or dream

The devils are incapable of appearing in the shape of the Prophet in a dream. At-Tirmidhi has recorded, with a Sahih chain, that the Prophet (PBUH) said, Whoever sees me, then it is me, for the devils cannot appear like me. And the two Sahih’s the wording is:

 

Whoever sees me, then the vision is true for the devils cannot appear in my form. The apparent meaning of the Hadith is that the devils are incapable of taking the true form of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). But this does not prevent them from taking a form other than that of the Prophet (PBUH) and claiming that they are the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). Therefore it is not permissible to argue from this Hadith that everyone who sees who he thinks is the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in a dream has actually seen him, unless, of course, who he saw meets the description of the Prophet (PBUH) that is found in the books of Hadith. Many people claim that they had seen the Prophet, yet they give a description of him that differs from what has been recorded in the trustworthy books.

 

Jinn are Not Able to go Beyond the Limit Set for them in the Sky

Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:

O company of jinn and men, if you have power to penetrate (all) regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate (them)! You will never penetrate them save with (Our) sanction. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, do you deny? There will be sent, against you both, heat of fire and flash of brass, and you will not escape.

Al-Qur’an, 55:33

 

Jinn are not able to open the closed doors that have had the name of Allah mentioned over them

The Prophet (PBUH) stated, “Close the doors and mention Allah’s name upon them, for Satan cannot open a door that has been closed up upon him [and has had the name of Allah mentioned over it].”

There is also the following Hadith in the two Sahih’s, “Certainly, Satan does not open a shut door. Tie your buckets and mention Allah’s name upon them, even if it is just putting something over it, and extinguish your lamps.”

In Musnad Ahmed there is the following Hadith:

“Close your doors and cover your vessels and tie up your water-skins and put out your lamps, for Satan does not open a closed door, nor does he take off a cover, nor does he untie the water-skins.”

 

The Purpose of The Jinn’s Creation

The jinn were created for the same purpose that mankind was created as Allah (SWT) says:

I created the jinn and humankind only that they worship Me.

Al-Qur’an, 51:56

 

 

Therefore, jinn are responsible for their actions and have been ordered to perform some acts and to abstain from performing others. Concerning he who is obedient, Allah will be pleased with him and he will enter paradise. For whosoever disobeys and rebels, he is given the hell-fire. Many statements of the Quran and Hadith indicate this fact.

 

On the Day of Judgment, Allah (SWT) will address both the jinn and mankind with the following words:

O you assembly of jinn and humankind! Came there not unto you messengers of your own who recounted unto you My tokens and warned you of this Day? They will say: We testify against ourselves. And the life of this world beguiled them. And they testify against themselves that they were disbelievers.

Al-Qur’an, 6:130

 

This verse proves that the command of Allah (SWT) reached the jinn and that they had received messengers who warned them and conveyed the message to them. The proofs that they will be punished in the fire are many:

He (SWT) says:

Enter into the Fire among nations of the jinn and humankind who passed away before you.

Al-Qur’an, 7:37

 

Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and mankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not.

Al-Qur’an, 7:179

 

But the word from Me concerning evildoers took effect: that I will fill hell with the jinn and mankind together.

Al-Qur’an, 32:13

 

And the proofs that the believing jinn will enter paradise include:

But for him who fears the standing before his Lord there are two gardens. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that you deny?

Al-Qur’an, 55:46

 

 

This verse, as is clear from the previous verses and in fact, the whole Surah, is addressed to both jinn and mankind. The chapter talks about Allah’s blessings to the jinn, of their entering paradise. If they were not to gain that bounty, how could it be mentioned as a blessing for them?

Ibn Muflih said in his book:
The jinn are responsible for their actions according to the consensus. Their unbelievers will enter the fire, and this is agreed upon. Their believers will enter paradise according to Malik and Ash Shafi. In their opinion, they will not be turned to dust, like animals, and the reward for their believers is being saved from being in the hell-fire.

 

The Jinn are Responsible According to their Own Specific Standard

Ibn Tayymiyah said, The jinn are commanded to do the fundamental acts and the secondary acts according to their own ability. They are not exactly like humans in definition and nature. What they have been ordered to do or prohibited from is not, in its nature, exactly the same as what humans have been ordered to do or what they have been prohibited from. But they have in common with human’s responsibility for doing what they have been ordered to, and to abstain from what they have been forbidden.

 

The message of Muhammad (PBUH) is for both Jinn and Humans

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sent to both jinn and humans. Ibn Tayymiya stated, There is agreement on this principle among the Companions and those that followed their way and the leaders of the Muslims and the rest of the different groups of Muslims, the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa and others. May Allah be pleased with all of them.

 

What suggests this is the challenge of the Quran to both the jinn and humans to compose a work similar to the Quran. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:

Say: Verily though mankind and jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof though they would be helpers, one of another.

Al-Qur’an, 17:88

 

 

Some of the jinn quickly became believers when they heard the Quran recited. The Quran states:

Say: It is revealed unto me that a company of the jinn listened, and they said, Lo! It is a marvellous Qur’an, which guides unto righteousness, so we believe in it and we ascribe no partner unto our Lord.

Al-Qur’an, 72:I

 

 

Those who listened to the Quran and believed in it are the same ones who are mentioned in the following verse from Surah Al-Ahqaf:

And when We inclined toward you (Muhammad) certain of the jinn, who wished to hear the Quran and, when they were in its presence, said, Give ear. And when it was finished, turned back to their people, warning [them]. They said, O our people, lo, we have heard a scripture which has 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 from a painful doom. And whosoever does not respond to Allah’s summoner, he cannot escape in the earth, and you can find no protecting friends instead of Him. Such are in error manifest.

al-Qur’an, 46:29

 

 

They heard the Quran, they believed in it, and returned to their people to call them towards the oneness of Allah (SWT) and faith and they gave them good tidings as well as a warning.

 

The story of their listening to the Prophet (PBUH) has been recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of ibn Abbas. Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) departed with some of his companions, intending to go to the bazaar at Ukaz. At that time, there had been obstruction between the devils and the news from the heavens. And flames were being hurled at the jinn.

 

Therefore, the jinn went back to their people and were asked about what had happened. They answered, Some barriers have been put between us and the news from the heavens. They said, This could only happen due to some important event. So go to the eastern parts of the earth and its western parts to find out what has happened to cause these barriers between us and the news from the heavens. They did so.

 

A group of them proceeded to Tihama which is a palm grove close to the fair of Ukaz. At that time, the Prophet (PBUH) was leading his Companions in the dawn prayer. When the jinn heard the recitation of the Qur’an, they said, Listen to it. Then they said,

This is what has caused the barriers between us and the news of the heavens.

 

They returned to their people and said, our people, we have heard a marvellous Qur’an that guides us to the straight path and we believe in it. Then Allah revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

 

Say; It is revealed to me that a company of the jinn listened...

(Surah Al-Jinn)
Allah (SWT) revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) what the jinn had stated.

 

 

The Delegation from the Jinn

The incident mentioned above was the first time that the jinn became aware of the message of the Prophet (PBUH). They listened to the Qur’an without the Prophet (PBUH) being aware of their presence. A group of them believed in it and went back to their people to spread the message.

 

After that incident, a delegation of the jinn met with the Prophet (PBUH) to gain some knowledge from him. The Prophet (PBUH) gave them an appointment and met with them and taught them what Allah (SWT) prescribed for them and he read the Qur’an to them and informed them of the news of the heavens.

 

This latter incident occurred in Makkah before the Prophet’s (PBUH) migration to Madina. Muslim, in his Sahih, and Ahmed in his Musnad recorded from Alqama that he had asked Abdullah ibn Masud if anyone had accompanied the Prophet (PBUH) on the night that the Prophet (PBUH) met with the jinn. Ibn Masud said, No, none of us did. But we were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) that night in Makkah and we missed him. We searched for him in the valleys and the hills and said, He has either been taken away [by the jinn] or has been secretly killed. He said, We spent the worst night which people could ever spend.

 

When it was dawn we saw him coming from the direction of Hiraa. We said, Messenger of Allah, we missed you and searched for you but we could not find you and we spent the worst night which people could ever spend. He [the Prophet] said, there came to me someone inviting me on behalf of the jinn and I went along with him and recited to them the Qur’an.

 

He (PBUH) said, He then went along with us and showed us their traces and traces of their embers. They [the jinn] asked him about their food and he said, Every bone on which the name of Allah is recited is your provision. The time it will fall in your hands, it would be covered with flesh. And the dung of the camels is fodder for your animals.

 

In al-Tabari’s narration from ibn Masud, stayed one night reciting to the jinn at a place called al-Hujoon [in Makkah] From among the verses that he recited to them was Surah Al-Rahmaan. In another Hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) said, I read it [Surah al-Rahmaan] to the jinn on the night of the jinn and they had a better response to it than you did. When I came to:

 

Which of the favours of your Lord do you deny?

As they responded with,

There is none of your bounties, O Lord, that we deny. And for you is the praise.

 

That was not the only time that the Prophet (PBUH) recited to the jinn but such meetings were repeated a number of times afterwards. In his commentary to Surah al-Ahqaaf, Ibn Kathir records various Hadith in which the Prophet (PBUH) met with the jinn.

 

In some of these Hadith, it states that ibn Masud was very close to the Prophet (PBUH) during such a night. In a Hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, there is the description of some jinn from a place called Naseeb in Yemen visiting the Prophet (PBUH).

 

Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Huraira that the Prophet (PBUH) said, A delegation of the jinn of Naseeb [a part of Yemen] came to me- and how nice these jinn are- and asked me for provisions. I supplicated to Allah for them that they would never pass by a bone or dung of an animal except that they would find food upon it.

 

Jinn are at Different Levels of Good and Evil

The jinn are of different varieties; some of them are fully devoted to doing good and righteousness; others are less so. Some of them are heedless; others are outright disbelievers and they are by far the majority. Allah says, concerning those who listened to the Quran:

 

And among us there are righteous folk and among us there are some that are far from that. We are sects having differences.

Al-Qur’an, 72:11

 

 

In other words, some of them are completely pious, some are less so and so on. They are of different ways and thoughts like the human beings. Allah (SWT) also states about them, quoting them:

 

And there are some who have surrendered to Allah and there are among us some who are unjust. And whoso has surrendered to Allah, such, have taken the right path purposefully. And as for those who are unjust, they are firewood for hell.

Al-Qur’an, 72:14

 

 

In other words, some of them are Muslims and some have wronged their own souls by being unbelievers. Whoever submitted has set himself upon the path of guidance by his actions and whosoever among them wronged their own souls will be fuel for the hell-fire.

 

The Enmity between Satan and Mankind and its Severity

The enmity between humans and Satan is rooted in an incident that took place a long time ago. One must go back to the day that Allah (SWT) formed Adam (as), before He breathed His spirit into him. Satan went around him and said, [Adam], if you are given mastery over me, I will surely disobey you. And if I am given mastery over you, I will destroy you.

 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Anas (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

When Allah fashioned Adam in Paradise, He left him as long as He wished to leave him. Then Iblees roamed around him to see what he actually was and when Iblees found him to be hollow from within, he recognized that the new creature had been created with a disposition such that it would not have control over itself.

 

When Allah (SWT) breathed into Adam his spirit, he ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam. Iblees used to worship Allah with the angels so the order was also addressed to him. But Iblees considered himself too great and, out of pride, he refused to prostrate to Adam. He cried,

I am better than him. You created me from fire and you created him from clay.

 

Then when Adam (as) opened his eyes he found a great and generous gesture: the angels bowing down to him. But he also found a great enemy waiting for him that would try to lead him and his descendants to destruction and misguidance. Satan was cast out of paradise due to his pride but he took a promise from Allah to be left alive until the Day of Judgment.

 

He said:

Reprieve me till the day when they are raised (from the dead). He said: Lo! You are of those who are reprieved.

Al-Qur’an, 7:14

 

Then the accursed one made a promise and vow to himself that he would mislead the offspring of Adam and plot against them. He said:

 

Now, because you have sent me astray, verily I shall lurk in ambush for them on your Right Path. Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right and their left, and you will not find most of them beholden (to You).

Al-Qur’an, 7:15

 

This latter statement of his shows how great will be his struggle to mislead the offspring of Adam. He will take every path he can against them, on their right, left, in front of them and behind them. He will attack them from every direction.

 

Al-Zamakhshari said in his commentary to this verse, He will come to them from all four directions as the enemy usually does, such as his sneaking whispers to them. He will entice them in every way that he can. As in the Qur’anic statement:

 

And excite any of them whom you can with your voice, and urge your horse and foot against them, and be a partner in their wealth and children, and promise them. Satan promises them only to deceive.

Al-Qur’an, 17:64

 

The warning of Allah (SWT) to us concerning Satan

The Quran warns us at length about Satan since he is such a great test for humanity. Allah warns humans about Satan’s misguidance and his desire to mislead people. Allah (SWT) says:

O Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you.

Al-Qur’an, 7:27.

 

Lo! The devil is an enemy for you, so treat him as an enemy.

Al-Qur’an, 35:6

 

Whoever chooses Satan for an ally instead of Allah is verily a loser and his loss is manifest.

Al-Qur’an, 4:119

 

Oh you who believe, Come, all of you, into submission (unto Him); and follow not the footsteps of Satan. Lo! He is an open enemy for you.

Al-Qur’an, 2:208

 

The enmity from Satan will not change or vanish. This is because Satan sees the father of the humans, Adam (as), as the cause for his being expelled from paradise and the reason behind Allah’s curse upon Satan. There is no doubt that he will seek revenge from Adam and his offspring, as he (may the curse of Allah (SWT) be upon him) himself has said:

 

Do You see this (creation) that you have honoured above me? If you give me grace until the Day of Resurrection I will verily seize his seed, save but a few.

Al-Qur’an, 17:62

 

Extracts Compiled From:
The Jinn & Human Sickness by Dr Abu’l-Mundhir Khaleel Ibn Ibrahim Ameen and The World of the Jinn & Devils by Dr Umar Al-Ashqar and translated by Jamaal Zarabozo.