Authored by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha (ḥafiẓahullāh)
Answer:
How do we reconcile between the Qur'anic verse and the ḥadīth in which it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a Jinn?
Allah ﷻ says:
إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ ۗ
"Indeed, he (Satan) and his tribe see you from where you do not see them."
[Al-Aʿrāf: 27]
We interpret this blessed verse to apply to most circumstances — meaning, in general, human beings do not see the Jinn.
Had it been impossible to see them, then the statement of the Prophet ﷺ regarding seeing the Jinn would not have occurred, nor would he ﷺ have said:
"I was about to bind him so that you all could see him and the children of Madinah could play with him."
Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ رحمه الله commented:
"The apparent meaning of the verse indicates that seeing the Jinn in their original form is impossible. However, Prophets, as a miracle, can see them in their original form. Human beings may see them in a non-original form, as is reported in authentic narrations, because Jinn are subtle, spiritual beings. It is possible for them to take on a form in which they can be tied, and then it may be impossible for them to revert to their original form — to the extent that they could be played with, even though this is against the norm."
Moreover, Jinn may appear in forms such as a black dog, a black donkey, a black object, or even as snakes.
Answer:
How do we reconcile between the Qur'anic verse and the ḥadīth in which it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a Jinn?
Allah ﷻ says:
إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ ۗ
"Indeed, he (Satan) and his tribe see you from where you do not see them."
[Al-Aʿrāf: 27]
We interpret this blessed verse to apply to most circumstances — meaning, in general, human beings do not see the Jinn.
Had it been impossible to see them, then the statement of the Prophet ﷺ regarding seeing the Jinn would not have occurred, nor would he ﷺ have said:
"I was about to bind him so that you all could see him and the children of Madinah could play with him."
Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ رحمه الله commented:
"The apparent meaning of the verse indicates that seeing the Jinn in their original form is impossible. However, Prophets, as a miracle, can see them in their original form. Human beings may see them in a non-original form, as is reported in authentic narrations, because Jinn are subtle, spiritual beings. It is possible for them to take on a form in which they can be tied, and then it may be impossible for them to revert to their original form — to the extent that they could be played with, even though this is against the norm."
Moreover, Jinn may appear in forms such as a black dog, a black donkey, a black object, or even as snakes.
