Part 4

' Recorded by al-Bukhari (4/487). ? Surat al-A’raf, verse 27.

who claim to have seen them after they have progressed and assumed a different form as animal should not be criticised, because there are

many narrations that confirm this possibility’”’.

The Prophet %# said: “Jinn can change into snakes, the way the Children of Israel were transformed into monkeys and pigs (as punishment from Allah a)".

Abu Qulabah # reported that the Prophet 48 said: “Had dogs not been a nation, I would have ordered them all to be killed, but I dread to destroy a whole nation. Therefore, (you may) kill any black dog, for it

is a demon or represents one”.

Abu Dharr 4 reported that the Prophet said: “When any one of you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of the saddle that covers him and unless he has before him (a thing) equal to the back of the saddle, his prayer would be cut off by (passing of an) ass, a woman, or a black dog”. I asked: ‘O Abu Dharr, what feature is there in a black dog which distinguishes it from a red dog or a yellow dog?’ He said: ‘Son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah 3 as you are asking me, and he said: The black dog is a devil’*.

Ibn Taymiyah has said: “The black dog is the Devil of the dogs, and Jinn transform themselves into its shape, and they do the same in the form of the black cat; for blackness gathers the forces of evil...”*.

On the day of Badr, Iblis assumed the shape of Suraqah bin Malik, the leader of Mudlij tribe; he supported the polytheists with his army, saying: “Today you are undefeated and I am your support.” But when people lined in ranks, the Prophet 3& took a handful of dust and threw it towards the faces of the unbelievers who retreated immediately. Jibril #6 came to Iblis, whose hand was helping one of the polytheists; he immediately pulled out and left the scene with his followers. The man he was helping said: “Suraqah, you claim that you are supporting us.”

! Fath al-bari (4/489).

? Recorded by Ibn Hibban, al-Tabarani, and Ibn Abi Hatim.

? Recorded by Muslim, in the book of “al-musdagdat”, No. 47.

* Recorded by Muslim (4/226) al-Nas@’i (2/64), Ibn Majah (1/306) and al-Darimi

5 The Book of Jinn (41).

Iblis replied: “I see what you do not see; I fear Allah and His Punishment (as he said when he saw the Angels)'.

According to Ibn Taymiyah: “Jinn take the form of humans and animals; they may change into snakes, scorpions, camels, cows, sheep, horses, mares, asses; and also into the form of birds and humans”.

How are Jinn transformed?

The Qadi (Judge) Abu Ya’la Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin al-Fara’ said: “Demons are not able to change their creation and be transformed into other shapes. However, it is possible that Allah 4% may teach them some words and acts that once they perform or utter them, Allah transforms them into other forms. So we say a Jinn is able to transform and deceive — i.e. he knows some words and acts that enable him, by the Will of Allah, to adopt different different forms.

In my view, this statement is good, however it needs a proof; it is possible to support it with a narration from Ibn Abi Shayba, that demons were mentioned to ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, who said: “No one is able to change from the form that Allah has created him in, but, they have sorcerers just as in the world of humans. So if you see them, make Adhan (i.e. mention the name of Allah)’. Al-Hafid has stated that this narration is authentic’.

As for Ibn Abi Dunya’s narration from Jabir, that the Prophet 4 was asked about ghouls and replied ‘They are the sorcerers of Jinn’, its chain of authority is weak. Nevertheless, it does not conflict with the narration of Jabir that the Prophet 3% said: “There is no transmitted disease, no ill omen, no ghoul”; he 48 did not deny the existence of ghouls, but he refuted the belief of the Arabs (before Islam) that ghouls had the ability to misguide people.

' Tafsir Ton Kathir, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas 4. 2 The Book of Jinn (32).

3 Fath al-bari (6/344)

* Recorded by Muslim (14/217).

Al-Nawawi said: “According to the majority of scholars, the Arabs claimed that ghouls dwell in waterless desert. They are one type of demons, who appear to people in different colours; they mislead people and harm or destroy them. So the Prophet # disproved this statement.”

Are there male and female Jinn?

Anas bin Malik # said that whenever the Prophet 3 was about to enter the toilet, he would say: “O Allah, I seek refuge with You against male

Concerning a Hadith from Abu Hurayra about the merit of Ayat alKursi, al-Hafid commented on the last part of the Hadith “If you do so, Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no demon will come near you till morning”. He stated that another narration by Abu al-Mutawakkil includes the words “If you do so... no male or female demon will come near you”; and another one by Ibn alDaris: “... there will come near you no male or female demon, neither younger nor elder”. In the present writer’s view, it is understood that there are both male and female demons, and Allah knows best.

Do Jinn have religious obligations?

Yes, they have religious obligations just as humans.

Abd al-Barr said: “According to the overall opinion of all the scholars, Jinn have religious obligations, and are addressed in the verse: (Company of Jinn and men, did not Messengers come to you from among yourselves relating My Signs to you and warning you of the encounter of this Day of yours?)*; and Allah 3 also said: (So which of your Lord’s blessings do you both [jinn and men} deny?)’.

‘ Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. 2 Surat al-An’am, verse 130. > Surat al-Rahman.

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi said: “All the scholars agree that the Jinn have religious obligations”.

Qadi Abd al-Jabbar said: “We do not know of any difference of opinion among the scholars that Jinn have religious obligations”.

According to al-Subki, in his Fatawa book: “If you say that they are bound by the Shari‘ah of the Prophet 38, in the aspect of Iman (belief) and everything else — indeed if it is confirmed that the Prophet 3% was sent to them as well as to mankind — then they are compelled to perform the religious obligations as long as they have the means to, except when there is a proof that specify certain obligations upon some but not on the others.

So I say: Therefore, they have to perform salah, zakah (if they possess any amount of property liable to payment), Siyam, Hajj and other duties; and anything that is Haram in Shari‘ah is prohibited for them'.

The Jinn’s beliefs and religions

In this context, Jinn are like humans; they include Muslims, Christians, Jewish. The Muslims among them are like the Muslim humans; they consist of Ahl al-Sunna, Qadariyyah’, Rawafid’, and many sects of bid‘ah (innovation in religion). They also include obedient, disobedient, pious and corrupt ones. Allah 4% has informed us about them: (Among us are some who are pious and some who are other than that. We follow many different paths)‘.

Ibn ‘Abbas 2 said that (We follow many different paths) means some of us are believers and some disbelievers.

Ibn Taymiyya said: “It means that they follow many schools: Muslims, polytheists, Ahl!-al-Sunna and followers of bid‘a (innovation)”.

' Lagt al-marjan (93).

2 A theological school that asserts man’s free will.

> The Shiite who reject the Caliphate of Abu Bakr #, Umar bin Al-Khattab # and Uthman bin ‘Affan 2.

* Surat al-Jinn, verse 11.

Will Jinn believers enter Paradise?

The Scholars in all time have agreed that the disbelieving Jinn will enter the Hell-Fire, but have different opinions about believing Jinn whether they will enter Paradise or not.

According to al-Hafid, there are four opinions:

First: that they will enter Paradise and this is the opinion of the majority. Second that they will be in the outskirts of Paradise, and this was mentioned by Imam Malik and a group of other scholars. Third that they are the Comipanions of al-A‘raf (the Ramparts). Fourth that one should abstain from answering such questions! '

Tbn Kathir said: “The truth is that their believers (the Jinn’s) will enter Paradise just like human believers; this was the opinion of a group of our ancestors, and their proof is Allah’s verse: (In them are maidens with eyes for them alone, untouched before them by either man or Jinn) and an even stronger proof is {For those who fear the Station of their Lord there are two Gardens. So which of your Lord’s blessings do you both then deny?)”. Allah 3% has blessed Jinn and men by rewarding the righteous among them with admission to Paradise. The Jinn responded to this Verse with a profound expression of thanks to Allah, saying: ‘We deny none of Your blessings, O our Lord; and all Praise is for You’. Allah 8 would not promise them a reward that they could not receive’.

' Fath al-bari (6/346). ? Surah al-Rahman. 3 Tafsir Ton Kathir (4/171).

Ibn Taymiyah said: “The disbelieving Jinn will endure punishment in the Hereafter, but the believers among them will enter Paradise.” This is the opinion of the majority of scholars. It was also said that they will be in the outskirts of Paradise, where humans can see them (but they ca not see the humans); and this statement was quoted by Malik, alShafi‘i, Ahmad bin Hanbal, and Abu Yusuf. According to Abu Hanifa, their reward is to be saved from the Hell Fire’.

Jinn’s fear of humans

Ibn Abi Dunya narrated from Mujahid: “As I was praying one night, the shape of a young man stood in front of me, so I charged at him to grab him, but he leapt over the wall, then I heard him fall on the other side, and he never came back after that day.