Al-Jinn (, “The

Jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

”) is the 72nd chapter (

sūrah A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...

) of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

with 28 verses ( āyāt). The name as well as the topic of this chapter is

jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

. In the Quran, it is stated in that humans are created from the earth and jinn from smokeless fire. Although ''Al-Jinn'' is a

Meccan surah A Meccan surah is, according to the timing and contextual background of their revelation ('' asbāb al-nuzūl'') within Islamic tradition, a chronologically earlier chapter ('' suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronolog ...

, it is generally agreed that it was revealed much later than any other sura contained in ''

Juz' A ''juzʼ'' (Arabic: ; : , ''ajzāʼ''; ) is one of thirty parts of varying lengths into which the Quran is divided. It is also known as parah ( Persian: ) in Iran and subsequently the Indian subcontinent. There are 30 ''ajzāʼ'' in the Quran, ...

Tabāraka -lladhi'' (which covers surahs 67 to 77).

Abdullah Yusuf Ali Abdullah Yusuf Ali (; 14 April 1872 – 10 December 1953) was an Indian-British barrister who wrote a number of books about Islam, including an exegesis of the Qur'an. A supporter of the British war effort during World War I, Ali received the C ...

says that it is "tolerably certain" that ''Al-Jinn'' was revealed around 2 B.H. when Muhammad was evangelising near present-day

Ta'if Taif (, ) is a city and governorate in Mecca Province in Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarawat Mountains, Sarat Mountains, the city has a population of 563,282 pe ...

. Maulana Muhammad Ali agrees with the date of around 2 B.H., saying that this surah was revealed at a time when opposition to the Prophet's message was reaching a climax.

Summary

:1-2 A number of

genie GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange) was an online service provider, online service created by a General Electric business, GEIS (now GXS Inc., GXS), that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around ...

converted to Islam by hearing the Quran :3-7 The folly of men and genii in ascribing offspring to God :8-9 Genii prying into heavenly secrets are driven away with fiery darts :10-14 Different classes of genii, some Muslims and others infidels :15-18 Believing genii rewarded in Paradise, the unbelievers punished in hell :19 The genii pressed upon Muhammad to hear the Quran :20-24 Muhammad can only publish what hath been revealed to him :25-26 The judgments of God shall overtake the unbelievers :27-28 God revealeth his secrets to his apostles only

Exegesis

1 Definition of jinn

Muslim scholars discuss the definition of the term ''jinn'': a) they are invisible bodies in which air and fire dominates b) disembodied spirits of the planets, mostly held by the philosophers c) the souls of the dead, often attributed to Christian beliefs.Calverley, E. E., & Pollock, J. W. (2002). "Chapter 2: Incorporeal Substantial Beings". In Nature, Man and God in Medieval Islam (vol. 1/2). Leiden, Niederlande: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004531468_023

2 Jinn recant their belief in false gods

In the second verse the jinn recant their belief in false gods and venerate

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

for his

monotheism Monotheism is the belief that one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...

. The jinn apologize for their past

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

and criticize mankind for either neglecting them or encouraging their disbelief.

6 Discrediting veneration of jinn

The third verse mentions that travelers among humans sought refuge among the jinn, when they were scared, for example, when passing through a valley. When humans sought refuge among the jinn, it increased the sin of both the jinn and humans. Since the verse speaks about "men from the jinn", jinn are believed to have men and women among them, and that they procreate like humans do.

7 Islamic Judgement Day, Qiyamah

The Judgement in verse 7, and the punishment in verse 25, are both references to the

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Judgement Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the ''Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus, Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God in Abrahamic religions, God of a ...

Qiyamah In Islam, "the promise and threat" () of Judgement Day ( or ), is when "all bodies will be resurrected" from the dead, and "all people" are "called to account" for their deeds and their faith during their life on Earth. It has been called "the do ...

8 The jinn used to spy on heaven

The eighth verse speaks about the belief that jinn and devils spied on the gates of heaven to reveal news to soothsayers, until the skies were found filled with meteors.

20-22 Monotheism among the Jinn is reaffirmed

Verses 20-22 are especially important as

Monotheism Monotheism is the belief that one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...

(''

tawhid ''Tawhid'' () is the concept of monotheism in Islam, it is the religion's central and single most important concept upon which a Muslim's entire religious adherence rests. It unequivocally holds that God is indivisibly one (''ahad'') and s ...

'') among the Jinn is reaffirmed and the inescapable wrath of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

is emphasized.

25-28 Qiyamah is known only to God

Verses 25-28 establish that

is known only to God, and that God takes into account all the deeds of a man when judging him.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Islamic mythology

Exorcism in Islam