The Existence of Jinnaat in Islamic Point of View

[abdulmajeed31]

Islam endorses the fact that Jinnaat are beings created by the will of God and they live on earth in a world parallel to mankind. The word Jinn have an Arabic origin and is derived from the word Janna, which means to conceal or hide. As the description suggests they are physically invisible and humans can’t see them. The invisibility is one of the reasons why most of the people don’t believe in their existence. However, if one believes in Allah and His words, they should not deny the existence of Jinnaat.

Read More: Existence of Jinnaat

[Star]

Weren't jinn thought to exist before the Quran? Arabs already believed in them and apparently communicated with them, or thought they communicated with them, or something.

Jinn are probably the same as the demons and spirits mentioned in the Bible, but I was wondering why the Quran talks so much about the jinn, who are considered to be mythological. I mean, according to the Quran they actually exist, but why does the Quran talk so much about a creature that seemingly has its roots in folklore? Do you think the Arabs were right and jinn really did exist, and the Quran confirmed this belief?

Arabs also worshipped jinn at that time. It's possible that the Quran mentioned jinn to stop Arabs from worshiping them, to show that jinn are just creations like humans and angels. Any thoughts?

[hicham9]

There's no such a thing as "genies" in the Qurān.
That's a superstitious, persian/ajamean fairytale that traditionalists foist upon the textus !

Contrary to popular belief,
both الجن and الانس are mortal humans ...

The Qurān is a book of facts, not fiction.

Salute

[A.H.A]

Contrary to popular belief,
both الجن and الانس are mortal humans ...

Can you explain how?

[Star]

Salam!

Hicham9: Your reply has left me utterly baffled. Please explain what you are talking about.

I pose these questions to other forum members and Brother Joseph:

1) If jinn were a part of Arab folklore before Muhammad even existed, how did they get into the Quran? Why is the Quran full of tales about them, when they were just part of early mythology?

2) Are the jinn in the Quran the same as the spirits/demons mentioned in the Bible? Why are jinn talked about so exclusively in the Quran, among monotheistic scripture?

Some of the above questions might sound a bit accusatory I don't mean it that way Just wondering.

Mia

[Star]

"Belief in jinn was common in early Arabia, where they were thought to inspire poets and soothsayers. Even Muḥammad originally feared that his revelations might be the work of jinn. Their existence was further acknowledged in official Islām, which indicated that they, like human beings, would have to face eventual salvation or damnation. Jinn, especially through their association with magic, have always been favourite figures in North African, Egyptian, Syrian, Persian, and Turkish folklore and are the centre of an immense popular literature, appearing notably in The Thousand and One Nights. In India and Indonesia they have entered local Muslim imaginations by way of the Qurʾānic descriptions and Arabic literature. See also ghoul; ifrit."

This is what Brittanica says about jinn. They were thought to exist before the Quran came along. Just thought I'd clarify.

[Star]

Just in case my questions were ambiguous (sorry for so many consecutive posts), I was simply wondering why jinn, which originated in folklore and not reality, would be considered real in the Quran. There are references to demons and spirits in other scripture, but none go by the name "jinn." People say Muhammad copied folktales about jinn when he (supposedly) wrote the Quran, and this allegation could be refuted if we knew why jinn are talked about, and why they seem to come from fairytales. (I believe in them, but...you know.)

[adnan11_in]

Jinn or جِنَّ
Meaning which is hidden or cannot b seen.

Related words with jinns are
Jan'nath or جنّة hidden gardens
Maj'noon inspired by jinns
Ju'noon the hidden desperate intention
Ja'neen – Embryo hidden inside body.

In quran Jinns r mention more than 50 times.

CREATION
وَالْجَانَّ خَلَقْنَاهُ مِن قَبْلُ مِن نَّارِ السَّمُومِ ﴿الحجر: ٢٧﴾
And the Jinn race, We had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind or smokeless fire.

PURPOSE.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿الذاريات: ٥٦﴾
I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve or worship Me.
Jinn have free will allowing them to do as they choose (such as follow any religion).
They are usually invisible to humans, and humans do not appear clearly to them.
Jinn have the power to travel large distances at extreme speeds and are thought to live in remote areas, mountains, seas, trees, and the air, in their own communities.

WHAT JINNS EAT ?
Sahi Muslim
The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat) [004:0903]
………….He (the Holy Prophet) said:
There came to me an inviter on behalf of the jinn and I went along with him and recited to them the Qur'an.
 He (the narrator) said: He then went along with us and showed us their traces and traces of their embers.
They (the jinn) asked him (the Holy Prophet) about their provision and he said:
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.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Don't perform istinja with these (things) for these are the food of your brothers (jinn).

Sunan at-Tirmidhi
 Chapter No: 1, Taharah (Purification)
Hadith no: 18  and
SUNAN ABUDAWOOD
Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah) [1:0039]
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:
A deputation of the jinn came to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and said:
O Muhammad, forbid your community to cleans themselves with a bone or dung or charcoal, for in them Allah has provided sustenance for us.
So the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade them to do so.

EVERY HUMAN HAS A JINN ASIDE
SAHI MUSLIM
Kitab Sifat Al-Qiyamah wal Janna wan-Nar) [039:6757]
Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said:
There is none amongst you with whom is not an attache from amongst the jinn (devil).
They (the Companions) said:
Allah's Messenger, with you too?
Thereupon he said:
Yes, but Allah helps me against him and so I am safe from his hand and he does not command me but for good

JINNS HELP IN FORTUNE TELLING ?

The Book on Salutations and Greetings (Kitab As-Salam) [026:5536] 'Urwa reported from
 'A'isha that she said that people asked Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) about the kahins.
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to them:
It is nothing (i. e. it is a mere superstition).
They said: Allah's Messenger, they at times narrate to us things which we find true.
Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said:
That is a word pertaining to truth which a jinn snatches away and then cackles into the ear of his friend as the hen does. And then they mix in it more than one hundred lies.

Salutations and Greetings (Kitab As-Salam) [026:5535] '
A'isha reported:
I said: Allah's Messenger, the kahins used to tell us about things (unseen) and we found them to be true.
 Thereupon he said:
That is a word pertaining to truth which a jinn snatches and throws into the ear of his friend (fortune teller), and he makes an addition of one hundred lies to it.
وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِينِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ﴿الملك: ٥﴾

[Seraphina]

Salam all,
Its been crossing my mind as well for a very long time. Quran says that no warner had ever come to them before Muhammad. Then how did they know about the existence of jinn? Why the previous scriptures do not mention anything similar? Whats the word in hebrew or aramaic used for demons or spirits?
Brother Joseph would be so helpful right now
God bless,
Seraphina

[Sardar Miyan]

Salam All Please go through the Joseph Islam's article on Jinn which clarifies all about Jinn

[hicham9]

Salam All Please go through the Joseph Islam's article on Jinn which clarifies all about Jinn

Thanks but, I'd rather learn directly from the clear, Arabian Qurān.

I recommend you do the same, and objectively use your G-D given mind to figure out things on your own, instead of blindly following/relying on other people's understandings.

سلام

[Star]

Hi everyone !

Adnan11: Thank you for your info about jinn, but we don't know about the veracity of these hadiths. Could you please quote some Quran verses about jinn if they contain pertinent information? Thank you

Seraphina: I think "demon" in Aramaic is "shed" or something like that (online dictionary), and it's in the Bible. However, the "demons" in the Bible are usually considered fallen angels, not jinn. But we know that angel's don't "fall", so these demons/fallen angels must be jinn.

Also, the Apocrypha mentions that King Solomon had spirits or demons working for him. (I mean, he tamed them, so they weren't really evil, but they were called demons.)

I want to say something else here--you know how the Kabah was originally built by Abraham? Abraham's son Ishmael apparently migrated to Arabia, and his descendants, the pagan Arabs, messed up the Kabah and started putting idols in it. They still believed in a supreme God called Allah, but they set up sons and daughters for him and made idols to represent them. They still did pilgrimage around the Kabah, but not the right way. This was the problem. When the Quran came around, it abolished the bad practices of idol-worship and weird pilgrimage rituals, but it retained the original pilgrimage around the Kabah that Ishmael had instituted. Paganism was basically just a messed-up version of the original monotheism, so the Quran retained the aspects of it that were consistent with monotheistic teachings.

The point is, jinn may have been believed in way before the Arabs started idol-worshipping. The word "jinn" comes from Palmyra and Arabia, but the concept of spirits existed in pretty much every society. Jinn or demon-like spirits had been mentioned in previous monotheistic scripture,  but the Arabs messed up the concept of jinn and started worshipping them, just like they messed up the Kabah pilgrimage. The Quran condemned this innovated jinn-worship but acknowledged the fact that these spirits existed, because previous scriptures did mention them on occasion.

It's possible that the Quran talks so much about jinn because it was an issue that needed to be addressed. After all, jinn were being worshipped. So the Quran had to stress the fact that jinn were just a creation of God, which is why it talks about their composition and creation.

The stuff I wrote above isn't necessarily a fact, but this is the version of events from my understanding. Jinn (or hidden spirits) were always known to exist, but the Arabs carried their concept too far and started worshipping them, so the Quran corrected this.

Sardar Miyan: I've read his article about jinn, but it doesn't address this.

I wonder what Brother Joseph's viewpoint on this is?

[Sardar Miyan]

Bro mia666, please express clearly as to what is a part which Bro Joseph Islam not covered in the Article Jinn? Thanks

[Star]

Salam Sardar Miyan,

I'm a sister...LOL...

About the jinn article, it talks about the composition of jinn and their characteristics, but it doesn't talk about how they came to be mentioned in the Quran, and it doesn't talk about their history or why they weren't mentioned much in the other scriptures.

I think Brother Joseph should write an article describing how these traditions and beliefs evolved in Islam.

[hicham9]

Salute @Sardar,

How does the article you recommend translate adj. جن  ?