PART 6 – ABOUT THE JINN
26. Jinn Possessing Humans and Speaking to Them
Praise be to Allah, and may His peace and prayers be upon His Messenger, his kin, his companions and his followers.
In the month of Sha‘ban, 1407 H., some local papers as well as others published reports, long and short, on the story of the Jinni that converted to Islam in Riyadh. The Jinni declared that in the presence of Abdullah Ibn-Musharraf A1-Amri, who got it out of a Muslim woman by means of Ruqyas.
Performing the Ruqyas, Abdullah preached to the Jinni on the value of Allah‘s remembrance and the prohibition of injustice, which is a major sin. When asked to get out, the Jinni was eventually convinced to get out, and in fact declared his Islam.
Abdullah and the woman‘s family wanted to bring the woman in my presence so that I can witness the Jinni‘s declaration of his Islam. When I asked the woman, who was sitting next to me, why he possessed her, he answered my question in a man‘s voice though using the woman‘s tongue. All this was taking place in the presence of the woman‘s brother and sister, Abdullah, the Raqi, and some Sheikhs, who came particularly to witness the whole event. The Jinni explicitly declared his Islam, and said he had been a Buddhist Indian. I advised him to fear Allah and get out of the woman, and to put an end to the injustice he had done unto her. He readily agreed and expressed his satisfaction with Islam. When I advised him to invite his fellow Jinn to Islam, he promised to do so. He, then, got out, his last words were: Assalamu Alaikum (Peace be upon you). The woman was able to speak normally and felt safe and free from his trouble.
Months later, the woman, with her sister, two brothers and uncle, came to me and told me she was well and – by Allaہ’s Grace – the Jinni never returned. When I asked her how she felt when the Jinni was there, she said that she used to have wicked thoughts contradictory with Shari‘ ah, and she had inclinations towards Buddhism and Buddhist publications. Since Jinni’s departure, she has felt safe from such erratic thoughts.
Regrettably, I have learned that Sheikh Tantawi denies that such an event can occur, considers it a lie and a type of charlatanism, and suggests it might be a recording trick. When I listened to a recording of Sheikh Tantawi‘s comments, I wondered how he could say that; I asked the Jinni some questions, and he answered them, how then can something recorded conduct such a dialogue? ! To suggest that it might have been a recording trick is a grave error and admission of falsehood.
Sheik Tantawi also claims that the conversion of a Jinni to Islam by a human is inconsistent with Allah‘s saying in the story of Prophet Sulaiman – may His blessings be upon him – (“… bestow on me sovereignty such shall not belong to any after me….’’). (Saadh Surah, Ayahs 35) This claim is not only another mistake he has made – may Allah guide him – but also a misunderstanding since there is no contradiction whatsoever between Sulaiman‘ s prayers and the conversion of Jinn to Islam at the hands of humans. For example, a lot of Jinn adopted Islam at the hands of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم this is explicitly stated in Al-Ahqaaf and Al-Jinn Suras and is mentioned in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim in the Hadith narrated by AbuHurayrah. According to Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Satan came in front of me and tried to interrupt my prayer, but Allah gave me an upper hand on him and I choked him. No doubt, I thought of tying him to one of the pillars of the mosque till you get up in the morning and see him. Then I remembered the statement of Prophet Solomon, `My Lord! Bestow on me a kingdom such that it shall not belong to any other after me. (Saadh Surah, Ayahs 35) Then Allah made him (Satan) return with his head down (humiliated).’’ (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab AI-’Amal Fis-Salah (Book of Prayer Works), Hadith No. 1210.) In Sahih Muslim, the same Hadith is mentioned with slightly different wording. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab As-Salah (Book of Prayers), Hadith No. 541.)
Annasa‘i narrated on the authority of Aisha that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was praying when Satan came to disturb his prayers, but he overpowered and choked Satan so hard that he “felt the coldness of his (Satan‘s) tongue on his hands. But for Prophet Sulaiman‘s prayers, he would have been tied till the morning for people to see him.’’ The same Hadith is narrated by Ahmad and Abu-Dawood with a slight variation (“… I choked him so hard that I felt his saliva come upon my fingers’’) (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 3/82.)
Al-Bukhari has documented this Hadith on the authority of Abu-Hurayrah, who says, “Allah‘s Apostle deputized me to keep the Ramadan Zakat (alms). A corner came and started taking handfuls of the foodstuff (of the Zakat) stealthily. I took hold of him and said, ‘By Allah, I will take you to Allah‘s Apostle.‘ He said, ‘I am needy and have many dependents, and I am in great need,‘ so I released him. In the morning Allah‘s Apostle asked me, `What did your prisoner do yesterday?‘ I said, “O Allah‘s Apostle! The person complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so I pitied him and let him go.‘ Allah‘s Apostle said, ‘Indeed, he told you a lie and he will be coming again.‘ I believed that he would show up again as Allah‘s Apostle had told me. Therefore, I waited for him watchfully. No sooner did he start stealing handfuls of foodstuff than I caught him and said, `I will definitely take you to Allah‘s Apostle.‘ He said, `Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will not come back again.‘ I pitied him and let him go. In the morning Allah‘s Apostle asked me, `What did your prisoner do?‘
I replied, `O Allah‘s Apostle! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free.‘ Allah‘s Apostle said, “Verily, he told you a lie and he will return.‘ I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff, I caught him and said, `I will surely take you to Allah‘s Apostle as it is the third time you promise not to return, yet you break your promise.” He said, ‘Let me teach you some words with which Allah will benefit you.‘ I asked, “What are they?‘ He replied, `Whenever you go to bed, recite Al-Kursi Ayah `Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-lHaiy-ul Qaiyum…’’ (Al-Baqarah’ Surah, Ayah No. 255.) I till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no devil will come near you till morning. `So, I released him. In the morning, Allah‘s Apostle asked, `What did your prisoner do yesterday?‘ I replied, `He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah will benefit me, so I let him go.‘ Allah‘s Apostle asked, `What are they?‘ I replied, `He said to me: Whenever you go to bed, recite AlKursi Ayah from the beginning to the end -`Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-lHaiy-ul-Qaiyum…‘ He further said to me: (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no devil will come near you till morning.‘ (Abu Hurayrah or another sub- narrator) added that they (the companions) were very keen to do good deeds. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‗He really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar. Do you know whom you were talking to these three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?‘ Abu Hurayrah said, `No.‘ He said, `It was Satan‘ ‘’ (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Fadha’il Al-Qur’an (Book of the Virtues of the Qur’an, Hadith No. 5010.)
On the authority of Safiyyah, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Satan runs in the body of Adam‘s son (i.e. man) through his blood streams.’’ (Op. Cit.)
In his Musnad, Imam Ahmad narrated that Uthman Ibn Abil-Abbas said, “O Messenger of Allah, Satan intervenes between me and my prayer and my recitation of the Qur‘an and he confounds me. Thereupon, Allah‘s Messenger said, `That is the doing of a devil known as Khinzab, and when you perceive its effect, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit three times to your left.‘ I did that and Allah dispelled that from me.’’ (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 4/216.) It is also confirmed in the Sunnah that each human has two Qareens (companions), an angel and a devil; in the case of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , the devil became a Muslim saying only what is good. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab Sifat Al-Munafiqeen (Book of the Hypocrites’ Description), Hadith No. 2814.)
Thus, there is clear evidence in the Qur‘an, the Sunnah and Ijma‘ that the Jinn can get into and overpower humans. One wonders how a scholar can deny such clear evidence without valid reasons, but only in imitation of those who are anti-Sunnah, antiJama‘ah! May Allah be our Helper, without Whom there is neither might nor power.
What follows is a selection of what the Ulama have said on the issue under discussion.
Relevant to the issue is the Qur‘anic verse: “Those who swallow usury cannot rise up save as he ariseth whom the devil hath prostrated by (his) touch.’’ (Al-Baqarah Surah, Ayah No. 275.) Let us see how the Ulama interpret it:
According to Abu-Ja‘ far Ibn-Jareer: the state of the usurer is compared to the one whom the devil possesses in this world and turns insane; Al-Baghawi, too, interprets the `touch‘ as insanity.
According to Ibn-Katheer: on Resurrection Day, the usurer comes out of the grave in a state similar to that of the one who is possessed by the devil; it is a reprehensible come-back. As interpreted by Ibn-Abbas, on Resurrection Day, the usurer comes out mad and choking.
According to Al-Qurtubi: the Ayah demonstrates that it is false to deny the Jinn possession of humans, false to claim that it is purely human behaviour, and false to claim that Satan does not enter humans.
There are a lot of similar interpretations; what is mentioned above is only for illustration purposes.
As mentioned in Majmu-al-Fatawa (Collection of Religious Verdicts), Vol.19, pp.9-65, in his book EedhahuDdalalah Fee Umumi-Risalah Liththaqalain (Clarification of Evidence to the Message Universality to Both Humans and Jinn) Ibn-Taymiyah argues: .. . a group of Mu‘tazilah, such as Al Jibaey and Abu-Bakr Arrazi deny that the Jinn can be within the human body of the possessed, but do not deny their existence, as such existence is much more cited than possession in the Sunnah literature. In this respect those Mu‘tazilah are wrong; in Essays of Ahl-As Sunnah Wal Jama`ah, Al-Ash‘ari mentions that they believe a Jinni can get into a human as mentioned in the Ayah: “Those who swallow usury cannot rise up save as he ariseth whom the devil hath prostrated by (his) touch.’’
As reported by Abdullah Ibn-Ahmad Ibn-Hanbal, “I told my father, `Some people claim that no Jinni can enter a human body.‘ He replied, `They are lying. There is the Jinni speaking through the tongue of the human, who is lying helpless knowing nothing of what is being said. The possessed human is beaten very hard, yet he never feels it. He may pull an ordinary person around, pull the carpet they are sitting on, move things from place to place, run or do other things which demonstrate that whoever is speaking or doing such things is someone else other than the human.‘ ’’
No Muslim Imams deny that a Jinni can enter and possess a human. Whoever denies that denies Shari‘ah, in which there is nothing to suggest possession is not a reality.
As mentioned in Al-Fatawa, Vol. 24, pp.276-2T7, Ahmad Ibn-Hanbal also said, “According to the Qur‘an and the Sunnah, and agreement among the Umma‘s Salaf and Imams, the existence of Jinn is real; so is the Jinn‘s entry and possession of humans according to the Imams of Ahl-Assunnah Wal-Jama‘ah.’’ Allah says, “Those who swallow usury cannot rise up save as he ariseth whom the devil hath prostrated by (his) touch.’’ The Prophet says, “Satan reaches within the human body where blood circulates.’’
In his Zad Al-Ma’ad, pp.66-69, Ibn-Al-Qayyim mentions two types of insanity: one (spiritual) caused by earthly evil spirits, and the other (physical) by harmful materials; the latter‘s diagnosis and treatment are the concern of medical practitioners.
The insanity caused by evil spirits is recognized by leading wise practitioners. They also recognize that its treatment is by having the higher good spirits meet the wicked ones to counteract their evil effects and foil their deeds. In some of his writings, Hippocrates mentioned some medications which were appropriate for treating the physical type of insanity, but which were not suitable for the spiritual one.
The spiritual type of insanity is denied only by the worst and most ignorant of medical practitioners, who consider blasphemy a virtue and who deny without good reasons that spiritual insanity affects the body. Besides, there is nothing in medical practice to disprove spiritual insanity. However, to attribute insanity to physical causes is partly, but not entirely, true. The truth of the matter is those who are well aware of the reality of evil spirits and their effects realize the ignorance and feeble-mindedness of those who affirm the physical origin of insanity while denying its spiritual origin.
As for combating spiritual insanity, it has two sides: one is concerned with the patient, and the other with the provider of treatment. On the one hand, the patient has to be psychologically determined, to have faith in Allah, the Creator of those spirits, and to rightly seek refuge regularly, by word and heart, with Him from evil spirits; this is like real combat where the combatant cannot achieve victory without two things: he must have faith in the effectiveness of his good weapon, and the hand that holds it must be strong. If either thing is missing, the weapon becomes useless. What if both are missing, i.e., a heart void of piety, faith and remembrance of Allah, the One and Only God, and no weapon to fight with?!
On the other hand, the provider of treatment, like the patient, must fulfill the two requirements.
According to Ibn-A1-Qayyim, Ibn-Taymiyah would send someone to the possessed in order to address the possessor spirit saying: The Sheikh says to you it is not right for you to be in there; at that, the possessed would regain his normal self. The Sheikh would sometimes address the spirit himself. In some cases, the spirit would be too defiant to get out, so he would get it out by beating, but the patient would not feel any pain after he comes back to normal.
Ibn-Al-Qayyim said that they had been a witness to what the Sheikh had done a lot. He concluded: none could deny spiritual insanity except those with scant knowledge and wisdom; evil spirits‘ power over humans comes mainly from the fact that the latter‘s faith is so weak, and their hearts and tongues are so oblivious to Allah‘s remembrance and the Prophet‘s teachings that they become defenseless in the face of such evil spirits.
Thus, in the light of the above-mentioned Shar‘i evidence and the agreement of the Ulama of Ahl-Al Sunnah Wal-Jama‘ah on that the Jinn can enter the bodies of humans, it is obvious how baseless its denial is and how wrong Sheikh Tantawi‘s comments are. Since he has promised that he shall accept what is right when pointed out to him, now that we have pointed it out, we hope he will accept it. May Allah bless us and him with guidance and success.
Annadwah newspaper published on Shawwal 14, 1407 H. An argument by Dr. Mohammad Irfan. He maintains: the word `Junun‘ (madness) has disappeared from the medical dictionary; the Jinn‘s entry into humans and speaking through their tongues are absolutely false from the scientific point of view. Dr. Irfan‘s view is false, for it ignores the established Shar‘i sciences and the conclusions made by the Ulama of Ahl-Assunnah Wal-Jama‘ah. Besides, if something is not known to many in medical practice, it does not mean that thing does not exist. In fact, it indicates how such medical practitioners are ignorant of what others who are known for their integrity, insight and honesty do know regarding such religious issues, which unanimously accepted by Ah-Al Sunnah Wal-Jama‘ah, as confirmed by Ibn-Taymiyah and by Abul-Hassan Ashshibli (who died in 799 H.) in his book Akumal-Marfan Fee Ghara `lb Al-A khbar-wa-Ahkam-al-Jann (Coral Reefs of News Unusual and Rulings on Jinn), Chapter 51.
Reiterating Ibn-Al-Qayyim‘s view, mentioned earlier, leading and wise medical practitioners recognize the reality of spiritual insanity, whereas the low, ignorant and blasphemous ones deny it. Readers are advised to be aware of these facts, to hold on to the truth and not to mislead by the ignorant, who express views based not on knowledge or reason, but on uncritical imitation of those involved in bringing about nonIslamic alternatives, such as the Mu‘tazilah. May Allah be our helper.
Conclusion:
The sound Hadiths we have mentioned and the conclusions of the Ulama demonstrate that speaking and preaching to a Jinni and inviting him to Islam, and the latter‘s acceptance does not contradict the Ayah where Prophet Sulaiman – may His peace and blessings be upon him – asks Allah, “My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.’’ (Saadh Surah, Ayahs 35.)
To request the Jinni to follow what is right and stop what is wrong, and to beat it if necessary do not contradict the mentioned Ayah. In fact, such things are required for eliminating injustices, supporting the oppressed, propagation of virtue and prevention of vice among Jinn, exactly as required in the case of humans. As mentioned earlier in the sound Hadith, the Prophet choked a devil so hard that he felt the saliva on his blessed hands, and he said, “Had it not been for the prayers of my Brother Sulaiman, he would have remained tied till the morning for people to see.’’ (Op. Cit.) According to another Hadith narrated by Muslim, the Prophet said, “Allah‘s enemy, Satan, came with a flame of fire to put in my face, but I said three times, `I seek refuge in Allah from you,‘ then said, `I curse you with Allah‘s perfect Curse,‘ but he was defiant three times, so I wanted to keep him tied till the morning for the Medina kids to play with, but for the prayers of our Brother Sulaiman.’’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab Al-Masajid (Book of Mosques), Hadith No. 542.) In this respect, there are a lot of Hadiths expressing the same meaning, which the Ulama adopt.
I hope that what we have said is enough to convince those seeking the truth. We appeal to Allah with His Fairest names and Highest Attributes to grant us and all Muslims insight into His religion and steadfastness in adhering to it, and to bless us with pursuit of the truth in word and deed. We appeal to Him to protect us and all Muslims from speaking without sufficient evidence and from denying what we know nothing of. Indeed, none but He can answer these prayers. May His prayers and peace be upon His Messenger and slave Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم , his kin, his companions and his followers. (Two letters by Ibn-Baz on Possession by the Jinn and Treatment by Magic.)
27. Denial of the Existence of Jinn & How Such Denial Affects Faith
Question:
Nowadays, there are a lot of arguments about the Jinn and their possession of humans. Some people deny such possession. In fact, some entirely deny the existence of Jinn.
Does such denial affect a Muslim‘s faith? Is there evidence that we must believe in their existence? What is the difference between Jinn and angels.
Answer:
To deny the existence of Jinn is an act of Kufr, apostasy, for it is denial of what is confirmed by the Qur‘an and the Sunnah. Belief in their existence is part of belief in the Unseen. Though we cannot see them, we believe in their existence through the truth conveyed to us; Allah says, “… Lo! He [Jinni] seeth you, he and his tribe, from whence ye see him not…’’ (Al-‘Araf Surah, Ayah 27.)
However, to deny Jinn possession of humans does not amount to Kufr, but is an error of judgment and denial of Shar‘i evidence and of a frequent occurrence. Since the issue belongs to the invisible, its denial does not mean Kufr, only an error of judgment, for such denial is not based on evidence; it is based on a type of observation and reasoning that cannot identify the Unseen or consider Shar‘i evidence.
As for the Jinn and angels, there are some differences: Firstly, the Jinn are originally created from fire, whereas angels from light.
Secondly, angels are programmed to be obedient. They are honoured by being made near to Allah, Who says about them, “Nay, but (those whom they call sons) are honored slaves; They speak not until He hath spoken, and they act by His command.’’ (AI-Anbiya’ Surah, Ayahs 26-27.) He also says, “… who resist not Allah in that which He commanded them, but do that which they are commanded.’’ (At-Tahrim Surah, Ayah 6.)
The Jinn can be Muslims and can be Kafirs (disbelievers), as mentioned in the Qur‘an, “And there are among us [the Jinn] some who have surrendered (to Allah) and there are among us some who are unjust.’’ (Al-Jinn Surah, Ayah 14.) Also, they can be obedient or disobedient to Allah‘s commands; the Qur‘an tells us what they say about themselves, “And among us there are righteous folk and among us there are far from that. We are sects having different rules.’’ (Al-Jinn Surah, Ayah 11.) In the Qur‘an there are other Ayahs about the Jinn. (Al-Fawzan‘s Selected Fatwas, Vol.2, pp. 59-60.)
28. Guarding a Baby with a Copy of the Qur’an
Question:
A mother, busy doing the housework, leaves her baby on its own. She puts a copy of the Qur‘an beside it for protection from the Jinn.
What is the ruling regarding that mother‘s behaviour?
Answer: She must not do that, for it is an insult to the Qur‘an, and there is no legal basis for it. (Al-Fawzan’s Selected Fatwas Vol. 2, p. 150.)
By Khaled al-Jeraisy
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