This visit by the invisible Jinns to the Holy Prophet Muhammed, on whom be peace, occurred near Mecca not far from the time when he declared prophethood in Arabia.
Jinns, as repeatedly stated in past articles, are intelligent creations of God like we humans, yet distinct from us by the fact that they are invisible. They are the progenitors of Satan and his followers. The good ones amongst them are called Jinns, and the bad and evil ones are called Satans. They live in outer space, on the earth, in valleys, and in towns with us.
It so happened that after the abortive attempt to win souls in Ta’if, about 12 miles from Mecca, the Prophet and the few companions who accompanied him on that mission were returning home when they decided to spend the night at the Nakhla oasis.
In the morning, he led them in worship (Salat) and was reciting verses from the Quran in his best voice when about nine Jinns, in search of the cause of Jinns being driven from heaven by the Angels with shooting stars (meteorites), chanced upon him and his companions in worship.
On hearing the linguistically couched beautiful verses, they concluded instantly that the cause of their misfortune was the revelation of the Holy Quran. They accepted its message on the spot, went to their people, and delivered the same to them.
It has ever been a divine tradition that the advent of true Prophets and Messengers is heralded by the falling down of stars in unusual numbers; so shall it be in the latter days to herald the second advent of Christ according to the gospels. In the instance of Muhammed, on them all be peace, this phenomenon, as observed by such historical accounts as Ibn Sa’d and Ibn Hisham, also occurred.
It was a most wonderful and beautiful phenomenon yet frightening to watch. The people of Ta’if, fearful of an evil omen about to overtake them, slaughtered their animals to appease the gods but to no avail.
The Holy Prophet Muhammed, literally and symbolically, explained the unusual phenomenon to mean the driving of Satan and his followers from the heavens to prevent them from accessing divine revelation, with special reference to the revelation of the Holy Quran.
Such illustrious companions as Ibn Abass, Ibn Mas’ud, and Abu Hurairah—on them all be peace—are unanimous that the Prophet of Islam was unaware of the Jinns when they listened to the Quran’s recitation. It was after they had gone to their people to inform them when Allah revealed whatever occurred to him.
This is quite evident from the first verse of Surat Jinn (Chapter 72:1):
“Say it has been revealed to me that a company of the Jinns (numbering about nine) listened to the Quran and said; We have heard a wonderful Quran.”
If the Prophet was aware of their presence, the style of the revelation would have been a reminder like, “Remember when the Jinns listened to the Quran…” like the Jinns’ second visit as supported in Quran 46:28.
But by the Jinns standing very close to the Prophet and the companions and listening without them being aware underscores the very nature of the Jinns as invisible. Little wonder the chapter is named Al-Jinn, meaning the chapter of the invisible beings called the Jinns, as opposed to the chapter called Suratul Ins, meaning chapter of Human beings (Quran 114).
For space constraint, let me interpret some few verses of the chapter that underscore the fact that Jinns are separated from men. From Quran 72:6 we read:
“And that some men (Rijaal) from the human beings (Ins) used to seek protection from men (Rijaal) from the Jinns; thereby increasing more harm on them (human beings).”
Interpreting the verse, Hadrat Ibn Abass, may Allah be pleased with him, said: In the pre-Islamic era, it was a custom amongst the Arabs that whenever travelling caravans reached a valley at the onset of night, their leader, a man (Rajulun), would pray to the chief, a man (Rajulum) of the Jinns in that valley, seeking his protection from the harm of Jinns in that valley.
When the Jinns realised the subservience of the human beings (Ins) to the Jinns, the latter became prouder and inflicted more harm on the humans.
In other traditions, it is also narrated that with the advent of Islam, the seeking of the protection of Jinns by human beings was abolished and replaced by men seeking the protection of Allah from the harm of the Jinns (Suyuti, Asbaabul Nazul).
The fact that the word “Rajulun” (man), as opposed to ladies, has also been used for the Jinns (Rijaalun min Al-Jinn), shows clearly that Jinns can manifest in human form, while female Jinns can also manifest in the human form as ladies.
On a number of occasions, the Arch-Angel Gabriel manifested as a handsome man called Dehya Kalbi, a companion of Muhammed. The Angel who killed Lekhram of Peshawaar, according to a prophecy of Ahmad, manifested as a young man.
In short, the word Rajulun (singular of Rijaal), meaning man, is also used for Angels, Men, and Jinns for the fact that the human form is the best form — “Surely we have created man (Insaan) in the best make” (Quran).
So much so that He (Allah) at times manifests in dreams and visions in the human form. If you see your father in a dream, that is interpreted as having seen Allah, the Merciful. The Promised Messiah and the Mahdi, on whom be peace, saw Allah in his dreams and visions as a Majestic King who flicked red ink from the tip of his pen towards him that materialised as red drops in his attire.
Quran 72:7 is a definite proof of the existence of the Jinns:
“Then we reached the heavens and found it filled with strong guards and shooting stars.”
These were the words uttered by the Jinns in their attempt to reach the uttermost limit of space (the heavens) in their obsession to access divine revelation. But everywhere they reached, they found space filled with angels of God (strong guards) and shooting stars (meteorites).
It is impossible for human beings to soar into space in our naked bodies since we cannot survive for a microsecond in airless space. Besides, our human bodies cannot survive the space atmosphere of intense gamma and X-rays.
From Quran 72:8, we read:
“We used to sit in some of its seats to listen, but whoso listens to divine news is ambushed by God’s Angels with shooting stars.”
In other words, they (the Jinns) would at times sit in some of the seats of space in reference to such fragments of heavenly bodies as meteorites, asteroids, and comets all floating in outer space. There as well, they are driven away by God’s Angels using meteorites, popularly called shooting stars.
Listening to divine news means their attempts to eavesdrop divine news from heaven in reference to divine decrees issued by Allah, the Omnipotent, to His Angels.
Similarly, in Quran 72:9, we read:
“We do not know whether God desires evil or good for the people of the earth or He desires guidance.”
With thousands of meteorites hurtling towards the earth at top speed, the occurrence of a meteoric shower is spectacular and fearsome. From the present level of scientific knowledge, if these highly energetic meteorites should break through gravity and the ozone layer, they could lead to disaster for humans on earth similar to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, believed to have been caused by a meteoric shower.
In effect, it was not only the Arabs who witnessed that fearsome phenomenon, but also the Jinns. They thought, as humans also thought, that it could be either a good or bad omen or that Allah was about to send guidance to the people of the earth.
In conclusion, let it be emphasised that the significance of Allah directing the Jinns to accept Islam from the Holy Prophet, as revealed in the Surat, was that if human beings would not accept the message of Islam, Allah, the Omnipotent, would cause the Jinns to accept.
Conclusion
There is overwhelming evidence in Suratul Jinn to prove that by the Quranic use of the word Jinn, the Holy Book means the intelligent and spiritual beings called Jinns as opposed to Men (Ins).
By Khalid Kofi Ahmad
