Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' parallel dimension.Kelly Bulkeley, Kate Adams, Patricia M. Davis ''Dreaming in Christianity and Islam: Culture, Conflict, and Creativity'' Rutgers University Press 2009 page 144 Due to its ghostly nature, the Qareen is classified among the
Jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic ...
-type creatures, although usually not actually a Jinni.Veena Das, Clara Han ''Living and Dying in the Contemporary World: A Compendium'' Univ of California Press 2015 page 145 The Qareen as an accompanying spirit should not be confused with the '' Qarinah'', a female "childbed demon" in Middle Eastern traditions.
Qareen in Islam
Qareen are mentioned by name in the following Quran verses:
Sūrataz-Zukhruf:
"And whosoever turns away from remembering and mentioning the Most Beneficent, we appoint for him a Satan to be a ''Qareen '' to him."
Sūratas-Saffat:
"A speaker among them will say, 'Indeed, I had a Qareen.'"
Sūratan-Nisa:
"And those who spend of their wealth to be seen by the people and believe not in Allah nor in the Last Day. And he to whom Satan is a Qareen - then evil is he as a Qareen."
SūratQaf:
"And his Qareen, will say, 'This is what is with me, prepared.'"
Several opinions exist on the exact nature of the Qareen. According to one opinion, the Qareen is actually a
Shaitan
' (; ''devils'' or ''demons''), singular: (شَيْطَان) are evil spirits in Islam, inciting humans (and jinn) to sin by "whispering" (وَسْوَسَة, “waswasah”) to their qalb, hearts (قَلْب ''qalb''). Folklore suggests that t ...
, who incites a human with ''waswās'' ("evil suggestions"), but can become ''good'' in accordance with the human’s good deeds. However it is uncertain whether or not a Qareen besides that of Muhammad can actually become ''good''.
Another opinion holds that Qareen refers to any type of spirit accompanying humans. Here, the Qareen refers to demons, who cast evil suggestions, but also to angels, who advise to do good deeds.
Further the Qareen is depicted as the other self: an integral spirit that is part of the person. A dissent between the inner Qareen and the behavior may cause the same symptoms as Jinn-possession.
Other sources
The concept of a ''Qareen'' appears in pre-Islamic literature as well, and is reminiscent of the Greekdaimones and the Christian
guardian angel
A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...
. In Pre-Islamic Arabian the Qareen is said to be able to inspire poets for their works.
One of the seven mu'allaqat—Arabic poems recognized as masterpieces during the pre-Islamic period—uses the word as a metaphor. To describe his tribe's excellence in battle, poet Amr bin Kulthum says that "every tribe has taken fear of us as a ''qarin'' (or 'constant companion')," meaning that their fear of Amr's tribe is always present. This goes further to show the origin of the word ''qareen'', as described in the Arabic dictionary as a "companion".
See also
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Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...
Doppelgänger
A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person.
In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...
Familiar spirit
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to ...
Jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic ...
*
Shadow (psychology)
In analytical psychology, the shadow (also known as ego-dystonic complex, repressed id, shadow aspect, or shadow archetype) is an unconscious aspect of the personality that does not correspond with the ego ideal, leading the ego to resist an ...