Part 6

' Recorded by Muslim, in the Kitab al-Salam , Hadith 124, and by Ahmad in his

? Recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi

> A devil (Shaytan) assigned to every human being (this term denotes the individual).

*“The World of Jinn and. Devils”.

it applies exclusively to the Prophet 4 who was protected by Allah 3€ against any evil intention from the Devil. Therefore, whoever claims that the matter applies to all people must provide evidence from the Qur’an or the Sunna to support his claim.

“Umar ibn Al-Khattab & had strong faith, firm ‘aqeedah and was very attentive in the practice of his deen. His aim was to make the Devil fear him, but he could not influence the Devil to embrace Islam. If we were to suppose that a Muslim — apart from the Prophet 3% - managed to persuade the Devil to be good, then the wisdom of the test and trial that Allah 3% has set His servants through him would be annulled.

It is true that the Muslim might weaken his Qareen by the intensity of the remembrance of Allah, by the practice of all acts of worship, and. by the recitation of the Qur’an, as understood in this Hadith, narrated by Abu Hurayra 4. The Prophet 4 said: “The believer controls. his Qareen the way you control your mount in your journeys”. According to al-Haythami, this Hadith was narrated by Ahmad, and the authority includes Ibn Lahi‘ah (known for his weak narrations)’.

I (the author) say: The narration also includes Musa ibn Rawdan, who is not reliable.

The devils are chained up in Ramadan

Abu Hurayra 4 narrated that the Prophet # said: “When Ramadan starts, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.” According to another narration, he # said: “When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and the rebellious Jinn are chained, the gates of Hell are locked and not one of them is operied; the gates of Paradise are opened and not one of them is locked...”!.

The scholar Muhammad ibn Muflih said: “The devils are chained in Ramadan, as pointed in the Hadith — or the rebellious ones (Jinn) as in

’ Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

the second narration. It was likewise confirmed by Ibn Hibban and other scholars. It does not mean that evil will not exist then, but that it will be reduced because of the weakness of the devils during this blessed month.

Imam Ahmad took this Hadith at its surface meaning. His son ‘Abdullah said: ‘I remarked to my father: ‘but sometimes we see a man possessed in the month of Ramadan!’ He replied: ‘The Hadith was quoted from the Prophet 3 in this manner, and there should be no other interpretation for it’. Imam Ahmad did not try to find other interpretations for the Ahadith, apart from those the Salaf (righteous ancestors) had made before.”

It is prohibited to sacrifice animals for Jinn

All the scholars agreed that the sacrifice for the Jinn is haram; rather, it is a form of polytheism, because it is not done for Allah 3%. Therefore, it is not lawful for a Muslim to eat from it, let alone to doi it. Yet we see ignorant people, in all times and places, practising such evil acts. Yahya ibn Yahya said: ‘Wahb told me that once, in Makka, people dug a source (of water) and wanted to run its course, so they sacrificed an animal for the jinn (at the devils’ request so that they would not ruin the water in return), and fed people. When Ibn Shihab received the news, he said: ‘The sacrifice (of the animal) is haram, and he has fed people with unlawful meat; for the Prophet 4 has prohibited offering

slaughtered animals for Jinn”.

Tbn Shihab is Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, who was a scholar and Sheikh of Imam Malik.

Ibn al-Qayyim reported that the above-mentioned incident took place in Makka, where one of the men who were digging came out possessed. He stood quiet for a while, then he shouted: O Muslim people, why do you act unjustly towards us? Khalifa ibn Mahmud alKilani, who was in charge of the digging, replied: “But how did we act

' Masa’ib al-insan (144), Muhammad ibn Muflib. 2 Akam al-marjan (78).

unjustly towards you?’ the man said: ‘We (Jinn) are the inhabitants of this land, and by Allah, I am the only Muslim among them; and they have sent me to tell you that we will not let you run the course of water until you fulfil our right’. Khalifah asked him: ‘And what is your right?’ he said: “You take a bull and adorn it with the best ornaments, and walk it through Makka — with celebrations — as far as this spot, then slaughter it and throw us its blood, its organs and its head in the Well of Abd al-Samad, otherwise we will never let the water in this land. Khalifa replied: ‘Yes, I will do so’. Then, the man came around, wiping his face, saying: ‘La iJaha illa Allah, where am 1?’

Ibn al-Qayyim said that in the pre-Islamic era people in Egypt used: to adom a beautiful maid and throw her in the river Nile, until the river rose with water. But Allah 3€ abolished that Jahili practice by order of the person feared by the devil, himself: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab 4. So if that source and its likes had been dug by a man like ‘Umar #, then the devils would have run away, and the course of water would have run without even a bird being slaughtered for the Jinn!

The man who informed me of this story was my neighbour, and I was his guest. He was one of the most truthful of men; he observed well his religious obligations and was very trustworthy. All the people of Makka confirmed his truthfulness, and they had witnessed the incident themselves'.

I (the author) say that the sacrifice of animals for the Jinn is still practiced today, by sorcerers who make contact with Jinn.

We see ignorant. people consulting sorcerers to undo a spell, or to treat a person who is possessed. They ask them to provide particular animals to slaughter and spray the “sick” person with their blood, and throw the sacrificed animals in certain wells — and the Name of Allah 4 should not be mentioned when animals are thrown in a well. This is the slaughter of animals for the Jinn which is prohibited in Islam, even if the person who slaughters the animal does not utter the word “Jinn”, because actions are based on intentions.

' Akam al-marjan 79.

Anyone who slaughters animals not for Allah is cursed. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib 4 reported that the Prophet 48 said: “Allah has cursed those who sacrifice for anyone besides Allah”!.

It is haram to seek refuge with Jinn

Allah 3% quotes the Jinn as saying: (Certain men from among mankind used to seek refuge with certain men from among the Jinn, but they increased them in wickedness)’.

According to ibn Kathir, it means “We used to consider that we had points of superiority over mankind, because they used to seek refuge with us when they attend a river or a deserted place — like the Arabs who used to seek protection with the great (personality) of the place from the Jinn and any other evil that might occur to them, Therefore, when the Jinn realized that mankind seek refuge with them, as they were terrified of them, they increased their fear and terror. Abu Qatada said: “They increased their burden of oppression, that is of wickedness; the Jinn became more encouraged to oppress them”.

Al-Suda’i said: “A man would set out on a journey with his family, and when they landed at a particular place, he would say: ‘I seek refuge with the master of this river from the harm of Jinn to me, my property, my children and my herd.’ Abu Qatada said: ‘When they sought refuge with them and not with Allah, the jinn afflicted them with more oppression and wickedness”.

Ton Abi Hatim related from ‘Ikrima: “The Jinn fear mankind the way that mankind fear them, or even more. When people of mankind stop at a river, the jinn flee from the area; but when the leader of the group says: ‘We seek refuge with the leader of the tribe to which this river belongs’; then the Jinn would say: ‘They fear us as we fear them’ so they were encouraged to afflict them with mental disorder and

' Recorded by Muslim. ? Surat al-Jinn, verse 7. 3 Tafsir Ton Kathir (4/429).

I, the author, say: To seek refuge with Jinn is a form of polytheism. Allah 3€ has taught us. what to say, as Khawla bint Hakim reported that the Prophet 4% said: “When anyone arrives at a place, and then says: ‘I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of what He has created’, nothing would harm him until he moves on from that

Abu Hurayra 4 narrated that: “A person came to the Prophet 4% and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I was stung by a scorpion during the night.’ Thereupon he # replied: ‘Had you recited these words in the evening: ‘I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of what he Has created’, it would not have done you any harm”.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amru stated that when the Messenger of Allah % travelled and night fell, he would say: ‘O earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allah; I seek refuge in Allah from your evil, the evil of what you contain, the evil of what has been created in you, and the evil of what creeps upon you; I seek refuge in Allah from: lions, large black snakes, other snakes, scorpions, the inhabitants of a settlement, and a parent and his offspring’. The Hadith was regarded as sound by alHafid Ibn Hajar.

According to al-Khattabi, the expression ‘the inhabitants of a settlement’ means Jinn; it could be any settlement even if there are no buildings in it; and it is possible that ‘a parent and his offspring’ may mean Iblis and his offspring”.

Al-Qurtubi said: “It is clear that seeking refuge in the Jinn is a form of unbelief and polytheism”.

It is haram to seek help from Jinn

The method of the sorcerers is based upon seeking help from Jinn and devils, which is a form of polytheism, because this is seeking help from someone besides Allah. What is worse is that the devils do not execute the orders of a sorcerer until he becomes a disbeliever —