Djinn / Elementals
Throughout history man has always had a deep attraction for the supernatural and the unseen. The existence of a world parallel to our own has always fascinated people. This world is commonly referred to as the spirit world, and almost every set of people have some concept of one.
With some people, these spirits are no more then the souls of dead people- or ghosts. With others, spirits are either the forces of good or the forces of evil - both battling against one another to gain influence over humanity.,
Islam explains this realm of the unseen. It is from this realm that Islam explains to us about the world of the Jinn. The Islamic explanation of the Jinn provides us with so many answers to modern day mysteries.
The djinn are beings created with free will, living on earth in a world parallel to mankind. The Arabic word jinn is from the verb 'Janna' which means to hide or conceal. Thus, they are physically invisible from man as their description suggests.
This invisibility is one of the reasons why some people have denied their existence. However, (as will be seen) the affect which the world of the Jinn has upon our world, is enough to refute this modern denial of one of GOD's creation.
The origins of the Jinn can be traced from the Qur'an . Also Djinn or Jinnee, plural Djinni or Jineeyeh, Jin and Jinx are some variations of the term. Spirits present among Humans everywhere, made of smokeless fire. The word translated as meaning approxiamately elementals although they are fearsome and often portrayed as monstrous demons.
We can not ordinarily see the Jinn, unless they take a material form, which is usually an unpleasant or ugly form such as a snake or a black dog, as opposed to angels who take beautiful ethereal forms. They can also take a human form.
The djinn were created out of smokeless fire, and populated the earth before the creation of Man for two thousand years. They were perverse and vicious, and turned evil very quickly after they were created, so God banished them to the stars and the oceans, although Prophets were sent to salvage them the majority did not reform, among them are a handful of believing Jinn who do service to Humanity by fighting etherically against the armies of destructive Jinn.
The Jinn were unrepentant, and were driven away from the earth. God sent against them a troop of Angels who battle them and cast them away to islands in the seas. So, when Allah said: ''I am placing (mankind) generations after generations on Earth, They (the Angels) said, Will You place therein one who will cause corruption and shed blood? (Al Baqarah, 2:30), That is:
Just as those Jinn did?? Then GOD said:'' I know that which you do not know.'' One of the Jinn known as Azazel/Iblis, had reached high ranks because the angels requested he be elevated amongst them, He fought against armies of the disbelieving Jinn, But refusing when commanded by God to prostrate himself before Adam, he was degraded to the position/condition of a shaytan/satan, which he was known as from then fourth.
Only through this order did he show the true colours of his Arrogant nature. '' Noone with an atom of pride/arrogance in their heart, shall enter paradise''--The Qur'aan Shaytan requested in exchange for his years of service/worship to God, that he may exist in the world, and lead Humanity to Hell, save the true believers, who he cannot enter their hearts.
God granted him this request, until the final day, where he will enter his own sealed fate. The Jinn are not immortal, but destined ultimately to die. They eat, drink and procreate, just as human do, living in communities, and are ruled over by princes.
In Islam, jinn are fiery spirits (Qur'an 35. 15) particularly associated with the desert. While they are disruptive of human life, they are considered worthy of being saved. A person dying in a state of great sin may be changed into a jinni in the period of a barzakh , separation or barrier.
The djinn were thought by some to be spirits that are lower than angels because they are made of fire and are not immortal. They can take on human and animal shapes to influence men to do good or evil. They are quick to punish those indebted to them who do not follow their many rules. There are several myths concerning the home of the djinns.
According to Persian mythology some of them live in a place called Jinnistan. Others say jinn live with other supernatural beings in the Kaf, mystical emerald mountains surrounding the earth.
The djinn spirits were said to inhabit caves, graveyards, darkness, & the underground, & could consort with deities in pre-Islamic traditions. In Islamic traditions, the jinn are lower beings than humans & angels, & were made to bow before Adam. The Jinn tempt & seduce mankind to stray from God.
According to the traditions, Prophet Muhammed (saws) said: ''There are 3 types of djinn; One type flies through the air, another type consists of snakes and dogs. A third is based in one place but travels about''
The 3 types of Jinn are as follows:
1 Amir: (Resident Jinn) used to mean that he is one of those who lives with people.
2 Shaytan: Used for a Jinni who is malicious and has become wicked.
3 Ifrit: Used for a Jinni who is stronger and more powerful than a Shaytan.
The way of life for the djinn is just like Human Beings. For Example: they are accountable for their actions, just as Human Beings Ibliss/azazel has his throne in the sea, and he sends out his dispatchments of shaytan/satan to aggravate people.
The dearest of them to him is the one who causes the most mischief. Abilities That which clearly distinguishes the Jinn from mankind, are their powers and abilities. God has given them these powers as a test for them. If they oppress others with them, then they will be held accountable. By knowing of their powers, we can often make sense of much of the mysteries which go on around us.
One of the powers of the djinn, is that they are able to take on any physical form they like. Thus, they can appear as humans, animals trees and anything else. Over the last few years the interest in the subject of aliens and UFO's has become heightened.
Thousands of people have sighted strange looking creatures all over the world. These sightings however, have still not proven substantially that aliens exist. Rather - and it seems more plausible all the sightings of such creatures were just djinns parading in different forms. So the next time you see something that looks like E.T, its most probably just a wicked djinn trying to scare and confuse you!
The ability to possess and take over the minds and bodies of other creatures is also a power which the Jinn have utilised greatly over the centuries. This however, is something which has been prohibited to them as it is a great oppression to possess another being. Human possession is something which has always brought about great attention. But the true knowledge of this subject is rare amongst the people.
Over the last 3 decades the subject of possession has become very commercialised. During the 70's films such as The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby were used to educate people about possession. However, because such institutions (the film industry) were heavily influenced by the occult.
Rather then educate people about Jinn possession, films such as The Exorcist just tended to scare the living daylights out of us! Only through Islam can we understand such a phenomena. We know that Jinn possess people for many reasons. Sometimes it is because the Jinn or its family has been hurt accidentally. It could be because the Jinn has fallen in love with the person. However, most of the time possession occurs because the Jinn is simply malicious and wicked. For this reason we have been told by the Prophet (saws) not to loiter in those places where the Jinns reside, e.g. graveyards, ruins, deserts, market places etc.
We have also been commanded to recite the Qur'aan frequently in our houses as the Prophet (saws) said: "Indeed, the shaytan flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah (the 2nd chapter of the Qur'an) is recited" . If a person does become possessed, then the name of Allah has to be used in expelling the Jinn. If we look at the practice of the Prophet and his companions, we find many duas (supplications) to exorcise the Jinn.
How contrary this is to many modern-day exorcists. Many exorcists, Muslim and non-Muslim, often invoke the names of others besides GOD to exorcise the Jinn. When the Jinn does leave, these people believe that their way was successful.
However, this is a ploy of the Jinn, as it knows that if it obeys the exorcist, then it has succeeded in making him worship others besides God. The Jinn often returns when the exorcist leaves, as it knows that nothing except the words of God can stop it from oppressing others.
It is not only humans which are possessed, but also animals, trees and other objects. By doing this, the evil Jinn hope to make people worship others besides God.
The possession of idols is one way to do this. Not so long ago the world-wide phenomenon of Hindu idols drinking milk, shocked the world. From Bombay to London, Delhi to California, countless idols were lapping up milk. Ganesh the elephant god, Hanuman the monkey god and even Shiva lingam, the male private organ, all seemed to guzzle down the milk as if there was no tomorrow!
Unfortunately people were taken in by this and many flocked to feed (?) the Hindu gods. Anyone who knows about Jinn possession, will undoubtedly know that this is a classic attempt to make people commit idolatry. And it worked, as many people started to worship these lifeless pieces of wood and marble.
Anyone with half a brain would say to themselves, 'why on earth does a god need to be fed?!! Surely if Ganesh, Hanuman or Shiva were divine then they wouldn't need feeding?' However, such common sense seemed to be lacking as the Jinns played havoc with these gullible people.
The Occult
Through their powers of flying and invisibility, the Jinn are the chief component in occult activities.
Voodoo, Black magic, Poltergeists, Witchcraft and Mediums can all be explained through the world of the Jinn. Likewise, so can the illusions and feats of magicians.
Because the Jinn can traverse huge distances over a matter of seconds, their value to magicians is great. In return for helping them in their magic, the Jinns often ask for the magicians to sell their souls to them and even to Iblis/satan. Thus the magicians take the Jinn and Iblis/satan as lords besides God.
Some of the feats performed by magicians and entertainers are without doubt from the assistance of the Jinn. Making the Statue of Liberty disappear, flying across the Grand Canyon and retrieving a ship from the Bermuda Triangle, have all been done by the magician David Copperfield.
There is NO way that a man could do such things without the assistance of the Jinn. It would not be surprising therefore, if David Copperfield had sold his soul to Iblis himself. One of the most frequent activities associated with the Jinn, is fortune telling.
These people would use their associates from the Jinn to find out about the future. The Jinns would go to the lowest heaven and listen to the Angels conversing amongst themselves about events of the Future which they heard from God.
The Jinn would then inform the fortune-tellers. This is why before the time of the Prophet (saws) many fortune-tellers were very accurate in their predictions. However, upon the Prophet's arrival the heavens were guarded intensely by the Angels, and any Jinn who tried to listen was attacked by meteors (shooting stars): "And We have guarded it (the heavens) from every accursed devil, except one who is able to snatch a hearing and he is pursued by a brightly burning flame" (Surah Al-Hijr 15:1 The Prophet (saws) also said: "They (the Jinn) would pass the information back down until it reaches the lips of a magician or forrtune-teller Sometimes a meteor would overtake them before they could pass it on. If they passed it on before being struck, they would add to it a hundred lies". Thus, it is clear from this as to how fortune-tellers get predictions of the future. By visiting Muslim lands such as Morocco, one is able to see as to how much inter Jinn-fortune-teller activity there really is. If you look up at the sky on a clear night in Morocco, you will see the heavens ablaze with shooting stars! A clear display of the devils being chased away from the heavens. Fortune-tellers also operate through the Qareen.
The Qareen is the Jinn companion which is assigned to every human being. It is this Jinn which whispers to our base desires and constantly tries to divert us from righteousness. The Prophet (saws) said: "Everyone of you has been assigned a companion from the Jinn.
The world of the Jinn is one which is both sinister and intriguing. By knowing of this world we can explain many of the mysteries and issues which bother us. By doing this we can avoid the extremes which the people have gone to; nothing being more extreme then worshipping others besides God.
By understanding the Unity of God, we defend and protect ourselves from these hidden allies of Iblis/satan: "Indeed he (Iblis) and his tribe watch you from a position where you cannot see them" Qur'aan
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