11. What are the forms of jinn?
Answer:
Allah Almighty says:
طَلْعُهَا كَأَنَّهُ رُءُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ
“Their branches are like the heads of devils.”
In the mentioned verse, likening the heads of devils to the branches of Zaqqum is to declare them ugly and to make their mention unpleasant. The hair of the devils is raised upwards, like the thorns of Zaqqum. From this, it is understood that devils are ugly in appearance.
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12. Is it possible to see jinn?
Answer:
It is impossible to see them in their original form and shape,
because Allah Almighty has said:
إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
“Indeed, he and his tribe see you from where you do not see them. Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.”
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once mentioned to the companions his intention to see and capture a jinn so that everyone could see it.
It is proven from authentic hadiths that jinn can be seen in their transformed shapes. One such hadith is that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) appointed Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) as a guard over the charity goods, jinn kept coming to Abu Huraira for three days trying to steal from the charity. When caught, it would mention the poverty and hunger of its family. On the third day, Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said that today he would definitely take it to the Prophet (peace be upon him). At that time, it said: “Recite Ayat al-Kursi before sleeping and nothing will come near you.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “He spoke the truth but he is a liar.” Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “That was a devil.” So it is possible for it to appear in the form of a human or an animal, such as a black dog, scorpion, camel, snake, black cat, and black donkey, etc. Previously, Satan also appeared in the form of Suraqa bin Malik, as happened in the Battle of Badr, and he also appeared in human form to the Prophets such as Noah, Moses, Jesus (peace be upon them), etc.
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13. Are there “Afareet” (powerful mischievous jinn) among the jinn?
Answer:
Yes,
The Divine command is:
قَالَ عِفْرِيتٌ مِّنَ الْجِنِّ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ
“A powerful mischievous one among the jinn said: I will bring him to you.”
This blessed verse is evidence that Afareet are among the jinn.
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14. How much power does an Afreet (rebellious) jinn have?
Answer:
The Divine command is:
قَالَ عِفْرِيتٌ مِّنَ الْجِنِّ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَن تَقُومَ مِن مَّقَامِكَ ۖ وَإِنِّي عَلَيْهِ لَقَوِيٌّ أَمِينٌ ﴿٣٩﴾
“One of the powerful mischievous jinn said: I will bring it to you before you rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this [task] trustworthy and strong.”
The meaning of “Afreet” is rebellious. Since Solomon (peace be upon him) used to sit from morning until afternoon for decisions and governmental arrangements, the Afreet said: I will bring it to you before you rise from your place.
وَإِنِّي عَلَيْهِ لَقَوِيٌّ أَمِينٌ meaning I have the power to lift that throne and also bring the jewels and treasures in it as a trust.
Then Solomon (peace be upon him) said: I want it even sooner than that. This shows that Solomon (peace be upon him) intended to have that throne presented so that he could demonstrate the greatness of the kingship granted by Allah Almighty. And also the blessing that Allah Almighty gave him in the form of an army of subjugated forces, which had not been given to anyone before him.
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15. Is Iblis (Satan) among the jinn?
Answer:
Yes! Iblis is indeed among the jinn.
The Divine command is:
إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ ۗ
“But Iblis was one of the jinn, so he disobeyed the command of his Lord.”
This is the proof that Iblis is among the jinn.
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16. Are there messengers among the jinn as well?
Answer:
Messengers have only been from among humans; there are no messengers from among the jinn.
In the Holy Quran, there is a noble verse:
يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا شَهِدْنَا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِنَا ۖ وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَشَهِدُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا كَافِرِينَ ﴿١٣٠﴾
“O assembly of jinn and mankind! Has there not come to you a messenger from among yourselves, reciting to you My verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?” They will say, “We bear witness against ourselves.” And the worldly life had deluded them, and they will bear witness against themselves that indeed they were disbelievers.”
Some believe that there are messengers among the jinn as well, because Allah Almighty said in this verse رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ, which includes both humans and jinn.
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, refuting their misconception, said:
“رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ means: ‘to you, jinn and humans,’ while the messengers are only from humans, not from jinn.”
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17. Do Jinn know the unseen?
Answer:
The Knower of the unseen is only Allah Almighty. Whoever claims to be the Knower of the unseen is a liar.
The Divine command is:
وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِينِ ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ﴿٥﴾
“And indeed, We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and have made them missiles for the devils, and have prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze.”
Meaning, the stars in the sky, even meteors, have been adorned, which are used to drive away devils.
Further Divine command is:
فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِ إِلَّا دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ ﴿١٤﴾
“Then when We decreed death for him, neither was he to delay it nor to hasten it. And the devil (demon) of the earth ate his staff, then when he fell, the reality of the jinn became clear that if they knew the unseen, they would not remain in that humiliating punishment.”
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told me that one night they were sitting with the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him), suddenly a star was thrown and light spread everywhere. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: When a star like this is thrown, what do you say? They said: We say that tonight a great being has been born or has died. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: This star is not thrown because of anyone’s life or death, rather when our Lord decides on a matter, the angels who carry the Throne warn. Then those near Him in the heavens glorify Him, until this glorification reaches the inhabitants of the lowest heaven. Then the angels near the Throne ask those who carry it: What did your Lord say? Then the angels of the other heavens ask each other until the matter reaches the inhabitants of the lowest heaven. The jinn overhear this secretly and convey it to their friends. Then what they bring exactly is true, but they mix lies and exaggerations in it.
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18. Is the status of humans higher or that of jinn?
Answer:
The status of humans is higher.
The Divine command is:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا ﴿٧٠﴾
“And indeed We have honored the children of Adam and carried them on land and sea and provided them with good things and preferred them greatly over many of those We created.”
This honor is not established for the jinn in the Book of Allah nor from any messenger or prophet. From this, it is understood that the honor and status of humans is greater than that of the jinn.
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19. Can Jinn be killed?
Answer:
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
Just as it is not permissible to kill a human being unjustly, similarly, it is not permissible to kill “Jinn” unjustly, because oppression is not allowed even against a disbeliever, and killing is oppression.
The Divine command is:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّـهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا ۚ اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٨﴾
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.”
“Jinn” also appear in the form of domestic snakes. In such a case, they should be asked to leave for three days. If they leave, it is fine; otherwise, they may be killed. If it was a real snake, then the snake has been killed, and if it was a “Jinn,” it appeared in the form of a snake to frighten humans and force them into aggression. In any case, killing them without any reason is not permissible.
It is narrated in Sahih Muslim:
إن بالمبينة جنا قد أسلموا، فإذا رأيتم منهم شيئا فاذنوه ثلاثة أيام، فإن بدا لكمم بعد ذلك فاقتلوه فإنما هو شيطان
“Many Jinn in Medina have become Muslim. If you see any of them, give it an alarm for three days (i.e., if it appears in the form of a snake in the house, keep asking it to leave for three days). If it appears after that, kill it, for it is a devil.”
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20. Do “jinn” eat together with humans?
Answer:
It is narrated from Sayyidina Umayyah, a companion, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was present and a man was eating, but he had not recited بسم الله. When one bite was left and he was about to raise it to his mouth, he said:
بسم الله أوله وآخره
“I eat in the name of Allah, at its beginning and at its end.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled and then said:
ما زال الشيطان يأكل معه، فلما ذكر اسم الله اشتقاء ما فى بطنه
“The devil was eating with him, but when he recited بسم الله, the devil vomited all the food in his stomach.”
From this, it is understood that if a person does not say “Bismillah,” the devil (jinn) also becomes a partner in the person’s food.
Sayyidina Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه says:
كنا إذا حضرنا مع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم طعاما لم نضع أيدينا حتى يبدأ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيضع يده وإنا حضرنا معه مة طعاما، فجاءت جارية كأنها تدفع فذهبت لتضع يدها فى الطعام، فاخذ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : بيدها ثم جاء أعرابي كأنما يدفع فأخذ بيده، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : إ الشيطان يستحل الطعام ألا يذكر اسم الله عليه وإنه جاء بهذه الجارية ليستحل بها فأخذت بيدها، فجاء بهذا الأعرابي لتحل به فأخذت بيده، والذي نفسي بيده إن يده فى يدي مع يديها
“When we attended a meal with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we would not start until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began. Once, we were at a feast with him, and a girl came running as if someone had pushed her; she tried to put her hand in the food, but the Messenger of Allah ﷺ caught her hand. Then a villager came similarly as if pushed, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ caught his hand too. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The devil makes lawful for himself the food over which ‘Bismillah’ is not said. The devil brought that girl so that through her he could make this food lawful for himself, so I caught the girl’s hand. Then he brought the villager for the same purpose, so I caught the villager’s hand. By the One in Whose hand is my soul! Surely the devil’s hand is with his hand and my hand.”
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