Yeah, there are many who believe that there are some beings which do not have material form and that some human beings exercise control over them, and for instance they can cause sickness, illness to other people through this agency. And when they find a jinn mentioned in the Koran, they take this as support of their beliefs. So in this background, I would request you to clarify the Koranic teaching about jinn. Right, Inshallah. Although I have spoken on this subject very extensively quite a few times before, but I should like to answer this question to you because this is your first question and you remember that joke about pehla vaar hai?
So this is your first question here and I should like to respond to it, though briefly in this session. The fact is that the jinn have been spoken of in the Holy Koran and also have been explained differently at different places, not in the same manner. Some jinn are of different nature, some jinn are of different nature, some jinn are of such physical nature that they can be held in bondage under physical chains, like the jinns of Hazrat Sulaiman and Hazrat Dawood. And they are spoken of as made of fire as well in the Holy Koran and also as such as they can dive deep into sea and bring out the stones and things, precious gems.
So they are not the same jinn. Those made of fire could not dive into the sea and come out alive. Those made just of spirits without any physical form could not be held in chains because the jinn can walk through the walls and everything, stones and whatever they are made of. So how could they be held in chains while the Holy Koran tells us mukarrameena fil asfad. The jinns of Hazrat Sulaiman were bound in chains.
So that shows that the Holy Koran tells us of various jinns and every time it speaks of jinns, it also has very intricate references from which you can infer, if you want to, the nature of those jinns. And the Arabic language also speaks very widely of various types of jinns. The fundamental character of the word jinn, as understood from the Arabic dictionary, is something which hides you, which escapes your sight.
So, according to the Arabic language, all such people who live in mountains, who generally escape the sight and knowledge of the people living ordinarily in the plains, they are also called jinns. Such people who are called big people, who generally avoid contact with the commoners in the masses, they are also called jinns. Even women are called jinns, those who observe purdah, of course. Not the ladies here, I mean, generally speaking, because the character of the word jinn is missing here. If you keep aloof, away from common sight or common touch, then you can be called a jinn. And also, the snakes are called jinns.
Those who hide from the people, from the sight of other animals as well, and live in underground burrows, because they have that character, they are called jinns. Also, according to the Prophet, the bacteria are called jinns. They also avoid sight. And that can be proved positively, categorically, from a tradition of the Prophet, where he mentions that although normally it is said that you should use other dry objects for cleaning yourself, if you do not have water, after you have gone for stools, but you should avoid use of bones. You can use stones or earth or other things, dry objects, to clean yourself if you do not have water, like you use hair paper.
But he said that you should not use bones for this purpose, because that is the diet of jinns. Now, it’s fantastic, absolutely flabbergasting. How could the Prophet conceive of bacteria at that time? Allah must have told him that there is some harmful creature attached to this which you don’t see. So, because he didn’t see and he knew Arabic better than anybody else, so he used one common word, jinn, for that being, that creature.
So, now we know what he meant. But Sahaba, even if they didn’t know, they would follow him and they benefited from that obedience. So, they stopped using bones, because if they used it for cleaning themselves, they may convey some harmful bacteria inside the body and to the ultimate detriment of the person himself. So, this is the jinn, as we understand from the Holy Quran. But I have no objection to any jinn of any form. Most welcome. But I am not called upon by the Holy Quran to believe in them. Iman Billah is a must. Iman Bil Qutub, that is the books, is a must.
Belief in prophets is a must. Belief in the Day of Judgment and angels, they are must. But I have nowhere read in the Holy Quran that a belief in jinn-i is a must. So, let them be and let them not be. I don’t know. I don’t know.
