The jinn appear many times in the Qur'an. A whole chapter is named after them, and they appear in the stories of Iblis and of Sulayman. Muslims believe in them as part of the unseen: the things we cannot see, but that Allah (﷾) has told us about.
People everywhere tell stories of hidden beings: spirits, ghosts, genies. This guide sets out what the Qur'an and the authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) actually say, calmly and without fear. It also looks at the stories people tell, and at why what is called a ghost may well be a jinn.
At a glance
- The word jinn comes from an Arabic root meaning "to hide". They are real beings that Allah (﷾) made from fire free of smoke, before He made humans.
- Like us, they have free will. Some believe and some do not. Iblis (Satan) was one of them.
- They do not know the unseen, and Satan has no authority over those who trust in Allah (﷾).
- The Qur'an says the dead are not sent back: a barrier, the barzakh, stands before them until the Day they are raised. What people call ghosts, spirits or poltergeists may well be jinn. Not every strange event is one, and illness needs a doctor.
- Genie stories are folklore. Muslims turn to the Qur'an and the authentic hadith, and never to fortune-tellers.
Who the jinn are
The word jinn comes from an Arabic root meaning to hide. The jinn are beings we do not normally see. Allah (﷾) created them, as He created humans and angels. Belief in the unseen is part of the faith itself. Arkan al-ImanQur’an 2:3
The Qur'an says Allah made man from clay, and that He had made the jinn before, from fire. Qur’an 15:26Qur’an 15:27
He created Jinns from fire free of smoke
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that the angels were created from light, the jinn from fire, and Adam from what the Qur'an has described. So the jinn are not angels. The angels never disobey Allah (﷾), while some jinn do. Sahih Muslim 2996Qur’an 66:6Adam
Like us, the jinn have free will, and they will be held to account. Some believe and some do not, and the Qur'an has them say so themselves. Qur’an 72:14Qur’an 72:15Qur’an 6:130
There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary: we follow divergent paths.
Allah (﷾) created both humans and jinn to worship Him. Iblis, who is also called Satan, was one of the jinn. He refused to bow to Adam out of pride. He and the jinn who follow him are the devils of the jinn. So when Islam speaks of Satan, it speaks of one who chose to rebel. It does not say that all jinn are evil. Qur’an 51:56Qur’an 18:50Qur’an 2:34Qur’an 6:112
The jinn in the Qur'an
Chapter 72, Surah al-Jinn, is named after them. It begins with a group of jinn who heard the Qur'an and believed. Another chapter, al-Ahqaf, tells how they listened in silence, and then went back to their people to warn them. Qur’an 72:1Qur’an 46:29Qur’an 46:30Qur’an 46:31
It gives guidance to the Right, and we have believed therein: we shall not join (in worship) any (gods) with our Lord.
The jinn also appear in the story of the prophet-king Sulayman (Solomon). One ifrit among them, a jinn of great strength, offered to bring something to him before he rose from his seat. But the jinn do not know the unseen. When Sulayman died, they did not know it until his staff gave way beneath him. Qur’an 27:39Qur’an 34:14Sulayman
The Qur'an also says that the jinn used to try to listen in at the heavens, and that they are now kept away from it. The jinn say so themselves, in Surah al-Jinn. Qur’an 72:8Qur’an 72:9Are shooting stars missiles against devils (Qur'an 67:5)?
The Qur'an says that Satan and his tribe see us, while we cannot see them. It says this as a warning about Satan, who is our enemy. It does not mean that we are at the mercy of the jinn, as the last section explains. Qur’an 7:27
he and his tribe watch you from a position where ye cannot see them
Finally, the Qur'an speaks to jinn and humans together. Both are asked to believe, both are accountable, and neither can slip out of Allah's (﷾) reach. Together, they could not produce the like of the Qur'an. Qur’an 6:130Qur’an 55:33Qur’an 17:88
The jinn in the authentic hadith
The authentic sayings of the Prophet (ﷺ) add a few things. They do not feed curiosity. They teach us how to live calmly beside what we cannot see.
He told his Companions that every one of them has a companion from the jinn. They asked whether he had one too. He said yes, but that Allah (﷾) helps him against that companion, so he is safe from it, and it commands him only to do good. The Qur'an teaches us to seek refuge in Allah (﷾) from the whisperer, among jinn and among men. A whisper is not control: each of us still chooses what to do. Sahih Muslim 2814Qur’an 114:4Qur’an 114:5Qur’an 114:6
One night the Companions could not find him. In the morning he told them that a messenger from the jinn had come and invited him. He had gone with him and recited the Qur'an to them. Sahih Muslim 450Qur’an 46:29
He also taught simple habits for the evening. At nightfall, keep children close to you for a while. Close the doors, and mention Allah's (﷾) name. Cover your vessels, and mention Allah's (﷾) name. These are sensible things to do, and each is joined to the remembrance of Allah (﷾). Sahih al-Bukhari 3280
Ghosts, spirits and poltergeists
People in every age and country describe things they cannot explain. They speak of footsteps in an empty house, a presence in a room, and objects that seem to move. The words differ: ghosts, spirits, poltergeists. Many such experiences have ordinary causes. Islam does not ask us to believe every story we hear.
But Islam does not say that the souls of the dead wander among the living. After death, the Qur'an says, there is a barzakh: a barrier, a partition, until the Day they are raised. The Qur'an describes someone at death who begs to be sent back to put things right. The answer is no. Qur’an 23:99Qur’an 23:100What happens after death in Islam?
Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up.
So what are people describing? If something real lies behind what they call ghosts, spirits or poltergeists, it may well be jinn: hidden beings who share our world. The Qur'an says that Satan, who is one of the jinn, and his tribe see us when we cannot see them. This is not a claim that any particular story is true. It is the answer that fits what Islam teaches about whatever is real in them: not the dead, but the jinn. Qur’an 7:27Qur’an 18:50
And not every strange event is a jinn. Tiredness, stress, grief, fever and poor sleep can make people see, hear or feel what is not there. So can illnesses of the body or the mind. These need a doctor, not a story. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that there is no disease Allah (﷾) has created without also creating its treatment. So a person who is unwell should look for that treatment. Sahih al-Bukhari 5678
The jinn in folklore
The jinn were part of Arab life long before Islam: belief in them was common in Arabia then. The Qur'an says that some people used to take shelter with the jinn, and that it only led them into folly. Some even made the jinn equals of Allah (﷾), and worshipped them. Encyclopaedia BritannicaQur’an 72:6Qur’an 6:100Qur’an 34:40Qur’an 34:41
Poets and soothsayers of that time were said to be inspired by the jinn. So when the Prophet (ﷺ) brought the Qur'an, some of his enemies called him a poet, or said he was possessed. The Qur'an answers both. It is not the word of a poet, and the one who brought it is not possessed. Encyclopaedia BritannicaQur’an 37:36Qur’an 69:41Qur’an 81:22Did Muhammad (ﷺ) write the Qur'an himself?
In the folklore of North Africa, Egypt, Syria, Persia and Turkey, the jinn became favourites of storytellers, most famously in the Thousand and One Nights. English already had the word "genie" for a guardian spirit, from the French génie. The French translation of those tales used génie for the Arabic jinni, because the two words happen to sound alike. That is how the genie got its present meaning. The genie who grants three wishes is a storyteller's invention, not an Islamic teaching. Encyclopaedia BritannicaOnline Etymology Dictionary: genie
Folklore adds much more. It tells where the jinn live and how they punish anyone who harms them, even by accident. It tells how they cause illness and every kind of accident. Islam does not take its beliefs from such stories. Our sources are the Qur'an and the authentic hadith, and we leave out what is not found in them. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Protection, without fear
None of this is a reason to be afraid. The jinn are creatures, like us, under Allah's (﷾) command, and Allah (﷾) is greater than all of them. The Qur'an says that Satan has no authority over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord. Qur’an 15:42Qur’an 16:100
No authority has he over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord.
The Prophet (ﷺ) confirmed a simple protection. Abu Hurayrah once caught a thief taking from the charity he was guarding. The thief told him that whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi, the Verse of the Throne (2:255), on going to bed has a guard from Allah (﷾). He also said that no devil comes near that person until morning. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that this was true, although the one who said it was a liar: it was a devil. Sahih al-Bukhari 2311Qur’an 2:255
Every night, when he went to bed, he cupped his hands together. He recited Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas (chapters 112, 113 and 114) into them, and blew gently. Then he wiped his hands over as much of his body as he could, three times. Sahih al-Bukhari 5017Qur’an 112:1Qur’an 113:1Qur’an 114:1
He also said that Satan runs away from a house in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited. He told his people not to make their homes like graveyards. The Qur'an says that hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah (﷾). A home where Allah (﷾) is remembered is a calm one. Our guide to dua, asking Allah (﷾) in your own words, is a good place to begin. Sahih Muslim 780Qur’an 13:28Dua
One more thing the sources teach plainly: do not go to fortune-tellers, or to anyone who claims to know the unseen. The Qur'an says the jinn themselves do not know the unseen. The Prophet (ﷺ) warned that when someone goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about anything, that person's prayer is not accepted for forty nights. When Aisha told him that fortune-tellers had told them things that came true, he explained that a jinn snatches a true word. The jinn throws it into the ear of his friend, the fortune-teller, and a hundred lies are added to it. Qur’an 34:14Sahih Muslim 2230Sahih Muslim 2228
If something troubles you, speak to your doctor, to people you trust, and to a qualified scholar. Turn to Allah (﷾), the One who is greater than anything we cannot see.
What we can learn
The unseen is real, but Allah (﷾) is greater than all of it, so there is nothing to fear and no need for fortune-tellers.
- The unseen is real, and Allah (﷾) is greater than all of it. We believe in what Allah (﷾) has told us. We do not need to fear it.
- Every creature chooses. The jinn have free will like us. Some believe, some rebel, and each is accountable for what they choose.
- Stay calm, and check. Not every strange event is a jinn. A tired mind, a sick body or an old house can explain a great deal. See a doctor when you are unwell.
- Take your knowledge from the sources. The Qur'an and the authentic hadith say a little, and say it clearly. Folklore says a lot, and cannot be trusted.
- Turn to Allah (﷾), never to fortune-tellers. Remembering Him is the protection the Prophet (ﷺ) taught.
A group of jinn heard the Qur'an, and they believed. They went back to their people and told them to answer the one who calls to Allah (﷾). If beings that we cannot see were moved by this book, we, who can read it, can do the same. Qur’an 46:29Qur’an 46:31