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72. Al-Jinn
Name
"Al-Jinn" is the name of this Surah as well as the title of its subject matter, for in it the
event of the Jinn's hearing the Quran and returning to their people to preach Islam to
them, has been related in detail.
Period o Revelation
According to a tradition related in Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Hadrat Abdullah
bin Abbas, once the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) was going to Visit the Fair of
Ukaz with some of his Companions. On the way be led the Fajr Prayer at Nakhlah. At that
time a company of the jinn happened to pass that way. When they heard the Quran being recited, they tarried and listened to it attentively. This very event has been
described in this Surah.
Most of the commentators, on the basis of this tradition, believe that this relates to the
Holy Prophet's well known journey to Taif, which had taken place three years before the
Hijrah in the 10th year of the Prophethood. But this is not correct for several reasons. The
jinn's hearing the Quran during the journey to Taif has been related in Al-Ahqaf 29-32. A
cursory reading of those verses shows that the jinn who had believed after hearing the
Quran on that occasion were already believers in the Prophet Moses and the previous
scriptures. On the contrary, vv. 2-7 of this surah clearly show that the jinn who heard the
Quran on this occasion were polytheists and deniers of the Hereafter and
Prophethood. Then, it is confirmed historically that in his journey to Taif none accompanied the Holy
Prophet except Hadrat Zaid bin Harithah. On the contrary, concerning this journey Ibn
Abbas says that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) was accompanied by some of
his Companions. Furthermore, the traditions also agree that in that journey the jinn
heard the Quran when the Holy Prophet had stopped at Nakhlah on his return journey
from Taif to Makkah, and in this journey, according to the traditions of Ibn Abbas, the
event of the jinn's hearing the Quran occurred when the Holy Prophet was going to Ukaz
from Makkah. Therefore, in view of these reasons what seems to be correct is that in
Surah Al-Ahqaf and Surah Al Jinn, one and the same event has not been narrated, but
these were two separate events, which took place during two separate journeys.
As far as Surah Al-Ahqaf is concerned, it is agreed that the event mentioned in it occurred
on the return journey from Taif in the 10th year of Prophethood. As for the question,
when this second event took place, its answer is not given by the tradition of Ibn Abbas,
nor any other historical tradition shows as to when the Holy Prophet had gone to the Fair
of Ukaz along with some of his Companions. However, a little consideration of vv 8-10 of
this surah shows that this could only be an event of the earliest stage of Prophethood. In
these verses it has been stated that before the appointment of the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be peace) to Divine Mission the jinn used to have one or another opportunity to
eavesdrop in the heavens in order to hear news of the unseen, but after it they suddenly
found that angels had been set as guards and meteorites were being shot on every side
so that they could find no place of safety from where they could hear the secret news.
Thereupon they had set about searching for the unusual thing that had occurred on the
earth, or was going to occur, because of which the security measures had been tightened
up. Probably since then many companies of the jinn must have been moving about in
search of the unusual occurrence and one of them after having heard the Quran from the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) must have formed the opinion that that was the
very thing for the sake of which all the gates of the heavens had been shut against the
jinn.
Reality of Jinn
Before one starts the study of this Surah one must clearly know what is the reality of the
jinn so as to avoid any possible mental confusion. Many people of the modern times are
involved in the misunderstanding that the jinn are not real, but only a figment of the
ancient superstition and myths. They have not formed this opinion on the basis that they
have known all the realities and truths about the universe and have thus discovered that
the jinn do not exist. They cannot claim to possess any such knowledge either. But they
have assumed without reason and proof that nothing exists in the universe except what
they can see, whereas the sphere of human perceptions as against the vastness of this
great universe is not even comparable to a drop of water as against the ocean. Here, the
person who thinks that what he does not perceive, does not exist, and what exists must
necessarily be perceived, in fact, provides a proof of the narrowness of his own mind.
With this mode of thought, not to speak of the jinn, man cannot even accept and acknowledge any reality, which he cannot directly experience and observe, and he
cannot even admit the existence of God, to say nothing of admitting any other unseen reality.
Those of the Muslims who have been influenced by modernism, but cannot deny the Quran either, have given strange interpretations of the clear statements of the Quran
about the jinn, Iblis and Satan. They say that this does not refer to any hidden creation,
which may have its own independent existence, but it sometimes implies man's own
animal forces, which have been called Satan, and sometimes it implies savage and wild
mountain tribes, and sometimes the people who used to listen to the Quran secretly. But
the statements of the Quran in this regard are so clear and explicit that these interpretations bear no relevance to them whatever.
The Quran frequently mentions the jinn and the men in a manner as to indicate that they
are two separate creations. For this, see Al Araf: 38, Hind : 119, Ha Mim As-Sajdah:
25,29, Ahqaf: 18, Adh Dhariyat: 56, and the entire surah Ar-Rahman, which bears such
clear evidence as to leave no room to regard the jinn as a human species.
In Surah Al-Araf: 12, Al Hijr : 26-27 and Ar-Rahman : 14-19, it has been expressly stated
that man was created out of clay and jinn out of fire.
In Surah Al Hijr: 27, it has been said that the jinn had been created before man. The
same thing is testified by the story of Adam and Iblis, which has been told at seven
different places in the Quran, and at every place it confirms that Iblis was already there
at the creation of man. Moreover, in surah Al-Kahf: 50, it has been stated that Iblis
belonged to the jinn.
In surah Al-Araf: 27, it has been stated in clear words that the jinn see the human beings
but the human beings do not see them.
In surah Al-Hijr: 16-l8, surah As-Saaffat: 6-10 and surah Al-Mulk: 5, it has been said that
although the jinn can ascend to the heavens, they cannot exceed a certain limit; if they
try to ascend beyond that limit and try to hear what goes on in the heavens, they are not
allowed to do so, and if they try to eavesdrop they are driven away by meteorites. By this
the belief of the polytheistic Arabs that the jinn possess the knowledge of the unseen, or
have access to Divine secrets, has been refuted. The same error has also been refuted in
Saba: 14.
Al-Baqarah: 30-34 and Al-Kahf: 50 show that Allah has entrusted man with the vicegerency of the earth and the men are superior to the jinn. Although the jinn also have
been given certain extraordinary powers and abilities an example of which is found in
An-Naml 39, yet the animals likewise have been given some powers greater than man,
but these are no argument that the animals are superior to man.
The Quran also explains that the jinn, like men, are a creation possessed of power and
authority, and they, just like them, can choose between obedience and disobedience,
faith and disbelief. This is confirmed by the story of Satan and the event of the jinn
affirming the faith as found in Surahs Al-Ahqaf and Al-Jinn.
At scores of places in the Quran, it has also been stated that Iblis at the very creation of
Adam had resolved to misguide mankind, and since then the Satanic jinn have been
persistently trying to mislead man, but they do not have the power to overwhelm him and
make him do something forcibly. However, they inspire him with evil suggestions, beguile
him and make evil seem good to him. For this, see An-Nisa 117-120, Al-Araf: 11-17,
Ibrahim 22, Al-Hijr 30-42, An-Nahl 98-100, Bani Israel 61-65.
The Quran also tells us that in the pre-Islamic ignorance the polytheistic Arabs regarded
the jinn as associates of God, worshipped them and thought they were descended from
God. For this, see A1-An'am: 100, Saba: 40-41, Assaffat: 158.
From these details, it becomes abundantly clear that the jinn have their own objective
existence and are a concealed creation of an entirely different species from man. Because
of their mysterious qualities, ignorant people have formed exaggerated notions and
concepts about them and their powers, and have even worshipped them, but the Quran
has explained the whole truth about them, which shows what they are and what they
are not.
Theme and Topics
In this Surah in vv. 1-15, it has been told what was the impact of the Quran on the
company of the jinn when they heard it and what they said to their fellow jinn when they
returned to them. Allah, in this connection, has not cited their whole conversation but
only those particular things which were worthy of mention. That is why the style is not
that of a continuous speech but sentences have been cited so as to indicate that they
said this and this. If one studies these sentences spoken by the jinn carefully, one can
easily understand the real object of the narration of this event of their affirming the faith
and or mentioning this conversation of theirs with their people in the Quran.
After this, in vv. 16-18, the people have been admonished to the effect: "If you refrain
from polytheism and follow the way of righteousness firmly, you will be blessed;
otherwise if you turn away from the admonition sent down by Allah, you will meet with a
severe punishment." Then, in vv. 19-23, the disbelievers of Makkah have been reproached, as if to say: When the Messenger of Allah calls you towards Allah, you
surround and mob him from every side, whereas the only duty of the Messenger is to
convey the messages of Allah. He does not claim to have any power to bring any gain or
cause any harm to the people." Then, in vv. 24-25 the disbelievers have been warned to
the effect: "Today you are trying to overpower and suppress the Messenger seeing that
he is helpless and friendless, but a time will come when you will know who in actual fact
is helpless and friendless. Whether that time is yet far off, or near at hand, the
Messenger has no knowledge thereof, but it will come to pass in any case." In conclusion,
the people have been told: The Knower of the unseen is Allah alone. The Messenger
receives only that knowledge which Allah is pleased to give him. This knowledge pertains
to matters connected with the performance of the duties of Prophethood and it is
delivered to him in such security which does not admit of any external interference
whatever.
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