(part 1 of 3): The world of Ǧinn
Throughout history, humanity has been attracted to the supernatural. Spirits, ghosts and many other creatures have filled our heads and captured our imaginations. Strange and beguiling ghosts have sometimes led people to commit the greatest of all sins – Schirk. [1] So are these ghosts real? Are they more than fictions of our imagination or shadows shaped by smoke and illusion? Well, for Muslims, they’re pretty real. Ghosts, ghosts, banshees, poltergeists and phantoms all can be explained if one understands the Islamic concept of the Ǧinn – the world of the Ǧinn.
Ǧinn is not a word that is completely foreign to English speakers. Notice the similarity between Ǧinn and genius. TV and the films all played a role in portraying geniuses as mischievous creatures who are able to fulfill all of human desires. The genius in the television series „I Dream of Jeanie“ was a young woman who always managed to play around mischievously, and in the Disney film „Aladdin“ the genius was portrayed adorably rough. Nevertheless, the Ǧinn are not part of a harmless fairy tale. They are very real and can really threaten humanity.
However, God did not leave us defenseless. He explained the essence of the Jinn quite clearly. We know their methods and motives because God has revealed these things to us in the Quran and in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, that God’s blessings and peace be upon him. He has given us „weapons“ to protect us and means to resist their persuasiveness. But first we have to be clear about what Ǧinn are.
The Arabic word Ǧinn is derived from the verb ‚Janna‘ and means to hide or hide. The Ǧinn are so called because they hide from the eyes of people. The words janien (Foetus) and mijann (Schild) come from the same root. [2] Ǧinn, as the name suggests, are usually invisible to people. The Ǧinn are part of God’s creation. They were created by fire before Adam and humanity were created.
„And truly, we created man out of dry, clayey clay, out of black, formed mud. And We created the Jinn beforehand from the fire of the scorching embers. „(Quran 15: 26-27)
According to the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, the angels were created out of light, the Ǧinn out of fire and mankind out of „what was described to you“. (Means clay) [3] God created the angels, Ǧinn and men for no other purpose, than to serve Him.
„And I created the Jinn and the people only so that they should (should) serve Me.“ (Quran 51:56)
Jinn exist in our world, but they live for themselves. Jinn have their own , different kind and own characteristics and usually they remain hidden from humanity Ǧinn and humans have some common traits, of which free will is the most important and with it the ability to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong and drink, they marry, have children and die.
„We have created many Ǧinn and people whose end will be Ǧahannam! They have hearts with which they do not understand, and eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear; they are like cattle; no, they are more likely to stray. They are really thoughtless. (Quran 7: 179)
Islamic scholar Ibn Abd al Barr said the jinn have different names and there are different types. Generally they are called Ǧinn; a Ǧinn that lives among people (a hunter or resident) is called Aamir and if it is the type of Ǧinn that attaches to a child, it is called Arwaah. An evil Ǧinn is often called Shaitan (devil), if they are worse than evil, demonic, they are called Maarid and the worst and strongest Ǧinn are called Ifriet (plural afaariet). [4] In the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ǧinn are divided into three classes: those who have wings and fly through the air; those that resemble snakes and dogs and those that travel around forever. [5]
Among the Ǧinn there are those who believe in God and the message of all prophets. And there are those who don’t. There are also those who give up their bad ways and become true believers, loyal and patient.
„Say:“ It was revealed to me that a crowd of Jinn listened and then said: „Verily, we have heard a wonderful Qur’an that leads to righteousness, so we believed in it, and we will never help our Lord put.“ (Quran 72: 1-2)
The Jinn are responsible to God and subject to His commands and prohibitions. You will be held accountable and either come to paradise or to hell. The Jinn will be present with the people on the day of revival, and God will address both.
„“ O you Ginn and people! Did not envoys come to you from your midst who reported My signs to you and warned you before the arrival of your day? „They say:“ We testify against ourselves. „Earthly life has beguiled them and they become against themselves testify that they were unbelievers. “ (Quran 6: 130)
So far we have learned that supernatural beings exist. We are not alone. They are creatures that live with us, but next to us. Their existence provides an explanation for many strange and unsettling events. We know that Ǧinn can be both good and bad, even if the troublemakers and wrongdoers far surpass believers.
The concept of Satan as a fallen angel is a doctrine of Christianity, but according to Islam, Shaitan is a Ǧinn and not an angel. God speaks a lot about Shaitan in the Quran. In the second part, we will talk more about Satan himself and the cause that drove him out of God’s grace.
Footnotes:
[1] Schirk – is the sign of paganism or polytheism. Islam teaches that there is one God, alone without a partner, offspring or middleman.
[2] Ibn Aqeel Aakaam al Mirjaan fi Ahkaam al Jaan. P.7.
[3] Sahieh Muslim
[4] Aakaam al Jaan. 8.
[5] At Tabarani, Al Hakim & Al Bayhaqi.
(part 2 of 3): Who is Schaitan?
Is Satan (Shaitan) one of the Jinn? [1] Satan, Shaitan, the devil, Iblis, the personification of evil has many names. Christians usually call him Satan; he is known to the Muslims as Shaitan. He is introduced to us first in the story of Adam and Eve, and although there are many similarities in the Christian and Islamic accounts of this story, there are certainly blatant differences.
The story of Adam and Eve is well known, and a detailed narrative of the Islamic version can be found on this website. [2] Neither the Quran nor the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, that God’s blessings and peace are on him, indicate that Satan came to Adam and Eve in the form of a serpent. They also do not suggest that Eve was the weaker of the two, who seduced Adam to disobey God. In reality, Adam and Eve had no experience of Satan’s whispering and cunning, and their actions remain a living lesson for all of humanity.
Satan became jealous of Adam and refused to obey God’s command to kneel before him. God tells us in the Quran:
„Then all the angels threw themselves down except Iblis; he refused to be among the prostrating ones. (He said:“ O Iblis, what about you that you did not want to be among the prostrating ones? „He said:“ I will never prostrate myself before a man whom you have created out of dry, clayey clay, out of black, mud formed into shape. „He said:“ Out of here, because truly, you are cursed. The curse should be on you until the day of judgment. ‚“(Quran 15: 30-35)
At that time, Satan was arrogant and still is today. From that moment on, he vowed to mislead and deceive Adam, Eve and their descendants. When he was driven out of paradise, Satan promised God that if he stayed alive until the day of judgment, he would do anything to mislead mankind. Satan is smart and cunning, who ultimately understands the weaknesses of humanity; he recognizes their preferences and desires, and uses all kinds of tricks and deceptions to dissuade them from the path of righteousness. He began to make sins attractive to mankind and seduced them into evil things and immoral deeds.
„And Iblis (Satan) truly proved the correctness of his opinion of them; then they followed him except for a crowd of believers.“ (Quran 34:20)
In Arabic, the word shaitan can refer to any arrogant or insolent creature, and it is used especially for that particular creature because of its insolence and rebellion towards God. Satan (Schaitan) is a Ǧinn, a creature who can think and think, and who has free will. He is completely desperate because he understands the full meaning of being denied God’s grace. Satan vowed not to live alone in the depths of hell; he wants to take as many people with him as he can.
„He said (further):“ What do you think? This is the one you honored higher than me! If you want to give me a deadline until the day of resurrection, I will certainly have power over his descendants – except for a few. „(Quran 17:62)
God warns us throughout the Quran of Satan’s hostility. He is able to deceive, mislead and outsmart people with ease, is able to make sin seem like the key to paradise and can easily mislead people unless someone is very careful, God Almighty says,
„O children of Adam, do not let Satan deceive you.“ (Quran 7:27)
„Verily, Satan is your enemy; so take him for an enemy. „(Quran 35: 6)
„And whoever takes Satan as a protector instead of God has certainly suffered an obvious loss“ (Quran 4: 119)
As I said, Satan’s ultimate goal is to lead people away from paradise, but he also has short-term goals. He tries to lead people to idolatry and polygamy. He causes them to commit sins and acts of disobedience. It is correct to say that every act of disobedience hated by God is loved by Satan, he loves immorality and sin. He whispers in the ears of believers, disturbs praying and remembering God, and fills our heads with unimportant things. Ibn ul Qayyim said, „One of his plans is to keep people’s heads enchanted until they are deceived, making their minds attractive to what will harm them.“
If you give alms, you become poor, he says; Emigrating for God’s cause leads to loneliness, he whispers. Satan sows enmity among people, instills doubts in them and causes breaks between husband and wife. He has extensive experience in the field of deception. He has tricks and temptations, his words are soft and tempting, and he has armies of helpers among men and women. Although there are believers among the Jinn, as we discussed in the previous article, the vast majority of them are mischievous and malefactors. They willingly and contentedly work with Satan to frighten, deceive, and ultimately destroy true believers.
In the following article we will talk about where the Ǧinn congregate, how to recognize their signs and how we protect ourselves and our families from their mischief.
Footnotes:
[1] Al Ashqar, U. (2003). The World of Jinn and Devils. Islamic Creed Series. International Islamic Publishing House: Riyadh. & Sheikh ibn Al Qayyim in Ighaathat al Lahfaan.
[2] http://www.islamreligion.com/de/articles/1190/
(part 3 of 3): Ǧinn exist among us separately from us
We are not alone! This statement sounds a bit like advertising a science fiction film. It could be, but it is not. We really are not alone here on earth. We are God’s creatures, but we are not the only creatures of God. In the last two articles we learned a lot about the Ǧinn. We have found that God created them from smoke-free fire before humanity was created. We have also found that there are male and female, good and bad, believers and unbelievers of the Jinn.
Ǧinn exist in our world, but separate from us. Shaitan is a Ǧinn and his followers are from both the Ǧinn and the people. Now that we understand that we are not alone, it becomes necessary to recognize the signs that indicate the presence of Ǧinn and how to protect ourselves from their harm and harm.
„And truly, we have created man out of dry, clayey clay, out of black, formed mud.“ (Quran 15: 26-27)
„And I have created the Ginn and the people only so that they serve me ( (Quran 51:56)
Since the Jinn share this world with us, we should know their whereabouts. Ǧinn tend to congregate in ruins and deserted places, sometimes in large numbers. They tend to collect in dirty places, garbage dumps and cemeteries. Sometimes the Ǧinn also gather in places where it is easy to create mischief and chaos, such as in marketplaces.
In the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, that God’s blessings and peace be upon him, we find that some of the companions instructed people not to be the first to enter the market place and not the last to leave because they are Battlefields for devils and mischief-makers. [1]
When a shaitan chooses a human dwelling as his own place of residence, we are given „weapons“ with which we can drive them out of our homes. These include saying Bismillah (I start with the name of God), commemorating God regularly, and reciting Quranic words, especially chapters two and three. The Jinn also flee when they hear the call to prayer.
The Prophet Muhammad explained that the jinn gather in great numbers when it gets dark. For this reason, he ordered us to leave our children indoors at dusk. [2] He also informed us that the Ǧinn own animals and that the food for their animals is the dung of our animals.
Sometimes humans-related animals are associated with the Ǧinn. For example, many Ǧinn are able to take the form of serpents and the Prophet called the black dogs devils. He also said: „Do not pray in the camel pigs because devils live there.“ [3] He connected camels to the Ǧinn due to their aggressive nature.
There are many ways in which we can protect ourselves and our families from the evil caused by the Jinn. The most important thing is to turn to God and beg His protection; we do this by adhering to the words of the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. Seeking refuge with God protects us from the jinn and devils. We should seek His protection when we enter the bathroom [4], when we get angry [5], before sexual intercourse [6], when resting on a trip or when traveling through a valley. [7] It is also important to seek refuge from God when reading the Quran.
„And if you read the Qur’an, take refuge with God from Satan, the cursed one. Truly, he has no power over those who believe and trust in their Lord.“ (Quran 16: 98-99)
Understanding the nature of the jinn makes it possible to understand some of the strange phenomena that occur in our world today. People turn to fortune tellers and clairvoyants to see the future or the unknown. Men and women on television and on the Internet claim to speak to dead people and share secrets and mysterious information. Islam teaches us that this is not possible. Fortune tellers and astrologers pretend to be able to predict the future and read personalities with the help of the stars and other celestial bodies. Islam teaches us that this is also not possible.
However, in ancient times, the Jinn were able to ascend to the heavens. At that time, they managed to listen and find out about events before they happened. During the time of Prophet Muhammad, heavenly protection was increased and remained so. The Ǧinn can no longer listen to the conversations of the heavenly inhabitants.
„And we used to sit on some of his seats to listen. But if you listen now, you will find a shooting star for yourself. And we do not know whether (something) evil is intended for those who are on earth , or whether the Lord wants to send them (something) good. “ (Quran 72: 8-10)
The Prophet Muhammad explained the meaning of the verse: „When God has resolved a matter in heaven, the angels flap their wings out of obedience to His testimony, which sounds like a chain that is pulled over a rock. The (angels) say: „What did your Lord say? Some answer, ‚The truth.‘ And He is the Great, the Great. ‚ (Quran 34.23) Then those who steal (ie the devils or jinn) stand one above the other. A flame can overtake and burn the eavesdropper before he transmits the message to him or she cannot overtake him before he has conveyed it to him, who in turn transmits it to him and so on, until he gets the message transmitted to Earth. [8]
The Ǧinn are able to take a grain of truth and mix it with lies and so amaze and confuse people. Strange phenomena, even if they can sometimes be strange or even scary, are nothing more than nonsense to tear people away from God. Sometimes the devilish jinn and people work together to trick the believers into committing the sin of the shirk – partnering with God.
Occasionally, in this strange and wonderful world, we are faced with trials and sufferings that often seem to weigh heavily on us. Dealing with the Ǧinn’s calamity and evil intentions seems to be an even greater test. However, it is comforting to know that God is the source of all strength and strength and that nothing happens without His permission.
The Prophet Muhammad explained to us that the best words with which God’s protection against the evil of humanity and the Jinn are the last three chapters of the Quran. We may at times encounter the evil of the Jinn, but God is our safe haven, turning to Him is our salvation. There is no protection except God’s protection, It is He alone that we worship and It is He alone that we ask for help.
Footnotes:
[1] Sahieh Muslim
[2] Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Sahieh Muslim
[3] Abu Dawud.
[4] Ibid
[5] Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Sahieh Muslim
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibn Majah.
[8] Sahieh Al-Bukhari
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/sind-wir-allein