The RAYS of FAITH

TAUGHT BY: SHEIKH WALEED BASYOUNI Notes compiled by Qabeelat Hayl.

CHAPTER ONE: BELIEF IN THE ANGELS

What/Who are the Mala'ikah (Angels)?
Linguistic Definition of Mala'ikah: First opinion: Plural of malak. Where malak means great strength. Second opinion, it is from (al-alooka = the message). This is because angels carry out Allah s messages or commands. Some scholars say it is from (al-maalik = owner). Technical Definition: Angels are created from light and they carry out Allah SWT s commands.
Qur-anic Verses and Hadith of Their Appearance All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the (only) Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, - two or three or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things. [35:1] And if you could but see when the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.) are in the agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands (saying): "Deliver your souls! This day you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation because of what you used to utter

against Allah other than the truth. And you used to reject His Ayat with disrespect!" [6:93]

'Aishah (RA) narrates that the prophet SAW said, "The angels were created from light,
and the jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, Adam was created of what has been described to you." [Muslim] Say: "Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel (let him die in his fury), for indeed he has brought it (this Qur an) down to your heart by Allah's Permission, confirming what came before it and guidance and glad tidings for the believers. [2:98]

The rulings regarding Belief in the Angels:

Belief in the Angels is the 2nd pillar of Eeman. A person is NOT a believer without this pillar. This pillar of faith comes after the belief in Allah and before believing in the books. The reason is because they are the ones that deliver the message or brings the books to the messengers..
The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord. As do the men of Faith. Each one (of them) believes in Allah, His Angels, His books, and His Apostles. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His Apostles." And they say, "We hear and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to you is the end of all journeys." [2:285]

Characteristics of the Angels:

They were created to worship Allah and to carry out His Command.
They (i.e. the angels) glorify His Praises night and day, (and) they never slacken (to do so). [21:20]

They commit no sin and have no free will: Allah SWT says
angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded. [66:6]

So there is no scope of being fallen angels as some of the Christians have claimed. Also this is why some scholars say that the man is better than Angels because man has a choice whereas angels don t. They have levels or ranks: Some angels have higher ranks than others. For example Jibreel (AWS) is the leader of all angels. Whereas the angels who participated in battle of Badr have higher status among all of the angels. o Jibreel asked the Prophet (SAW) who are the best of men. The Prophet said Those who attended Badr. Jibreel said and so for the Angels.
Narrated Rifaa (who was one of the Badr warriors) Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, "How do you look upon the warriors of Badr among yourselves?" The Prophet said, "As the best of the Muslims." or said a similar statement. On that, Gabriel said, "And so are the

Angels who participated in the Badr (battle)." [Saheeh al-Bukhari:

They do not have a gender.

Verily, those who believe not in the Hereafter, name the angels with female names. [53:27] They have the ability to change form: Angels can take the shape of men. o Proofs in the Quran. _ Jibreel came to Maryam (AWS) in a form of a man to announce to her the birth of Eesa (AWS). As Allah SWT says in the Qur an Then We sent to her Our Ruh [angel Jibreel (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects.[19:17]

_ When the Angels came to prophet Ibraheem (AWS), he thought they were human beings.
And verily, there came Our Messengers to Ibrahim with glad tidings. They said: Salam (greetings or peace!) He answered, Salam and he hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. [2:69]

o Proofs from the Hadeeth: Hadeeth Jibreel: Jibreel (AWS) came as a Bedouin from the desert mentioned in the opening.
On the authority of Umar (RA), who said, One day, while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (SAW), a man, with very white clothes, very dark hair and who was unknown to us, passed by us and sat next to the Prophet, leaning his knees on his knees and laying his palms on his (the Prophet s) thighs. He said, Then he (the stranger) left. I waited for some time, then he (the Prophet) said to me, O Umar! Do you know who the questioner was? I said, Allaah and his Messenger have more knowledge. He said He is Jibreel; he came to teach you your religion. [Bukhari

and Muslim, from different narrators] Jibreel (AWS) would some times take the shape of Dihya al-Kalbi (RA):
Narrated Abu Uthman, I got the news that Gabriel came to the Prophet while Um Salama was present. Gabriel started talking (to the Prophet and then left. The Prophet said to Um Salama, "(Do you know) who it was?" (or a similar question). She said, "It was Dihya (a handsome person amongst the companions of the Prophet)." Later on Um Salama said, "By Allah! I thought he was none but Dihya, till I heard the Prophet talking about Gabriel in his sermon."

[Saheeh al-Bukhari: Chapter: Virtues and Merits of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions] And there are many other Ahadeeth that mention about Jibreel (AWS) and other angels taking the shape of human beings. They never tire of their worship:
They celebrate His Praises night and day, never do they flag or intermit. [21:20]

o They don t eat or drink. Example when they met prophet Ibraheem he hastened to entertained them with a roasted calf [11:69]. But the angels did not eat
But when he saw their hands went not towards it (the meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said: "Fear not, we have been sent against the people of Lout (Lot)." [11:70]

Angels are of an enormous number:

.And none can know the hosts of your Lord but He.[74:31] Hadeeth mentions that the hellfire will be pulled to the land of resurrection by 70,000 chains and each chain is held by 70,000 Angels. In total there are 70000x70000 = 4.9 Billion angels carry the hellfire. Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Jahannam will be brought forth on that day with seventy thousand thongs and each thong will have seventy thousand angels pulling it." [Saheeh al-Muslim]

In another hadeeth:
The Prophet said: .Then I was taken up to the seventh heaven. Gabriel asked the (gate) to be opened. It was said: Who is he? He said: Gabriel It was said. Who is with thee? He replied: Muhammad (may peace be upon him.) It was said: Has he been sent for? He replied: He has indeed been sent for. (The gate) was opened for us and there I found Ibrahim (Abraham peace be upon him) reclining against the Bait-ul-Ma'mur and there enter into it seventy thousand angels every day, never to visit (this place) again . [Sahih Muslim: Book 001, Number 030]

Thus we wonder about the number of angels by looking at the sheer fact that since their creation even before human kind how many days have past and how many angels have already visited Bait-ul-Ma mur. The things that harm people harm them: Eating onions/garlic. Smell of it harms angels. Jabir bin 'Abdullah said, "Once a big pot containing cooked vegetables was
brought. On finding unpleasant smell coming from it, the Prophet asked, 'What is in it?' He was told all the names of the vegetables that were in it. The Prophet ordered that it should be brought near to some of his companions who were with him. When the Prophet saw it he disliked to eat it and said, 'Eat. (I don't eat) for I converse with those whom you don't converse with (i.e. the angels)." (Saheeh al_Bukhari, Hadeeth No. ??, Vol. ??)

Another Hadeeth: Narrated Abu Huraira: Prophet said, "If anyone of you stands for prayer, he
should not spit in front of him because in prayer he is speaking in private to Allah and he should not spit on his right as there is an angel, but he can spit either on his left or under his left foot and bury it (i.e. expectoration)." [Saheeh al-Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 8, Number 408, Chapter:

Prayers] They love the righteous and pray for them: Narrated Abu Huraira, Rasool Allah (SAW) said:
"If Allah loves a person, He calls Gabriel, saying, 'Allah loves so and so, O Gabriel love him' So Gabriel would love him and then would make an announcement in the Heavens: 'Allah has loved so and-so therefore you should love him also.' So all the dwellers of the Heavens would love him, and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth." [Saheeh al-

Bukhari, Hadeeth No. 66, Vol. 8] Angels pray for the righteous. They pray for those: _ Who pray for another person who is absent. _ Who makes wudu before sleep _ The person who is teaching and learning. _ Those who go to the masjid. _ Those who are in the first row of congregational prayer. _ When we say dua' in the salah _ Who fill the gap during the salah. _ Who sit after the prayer _ Who eat Sahoor. _ Those who pray(give salawat) on the prophet (SAW) _ Those who go to visit the sick, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. _ They pray against the wrongdoers: Angels make dua' against: _ Those who hide the truth. As Allah SWT says:
Verily, those who disbelieve, and die while they are disbelievers, it is they on whom is the Curse of Allah and of the angels and of mankind, combined. [2:161]

_ Those who disobey Allah. _ Who innovates in the matter of religion. Ahlul bida'. _ Whoever gives shelter to such an innovator. _ Whoever does a sin in Madinah. _ Whoever curses and speaks bad about the sahabah (Tabrani from Ibn Abbbas) _ A stingy person. Narrated 'Ali: We have nothing except the Book of Allah and this written
paper from the Prophet (where-in is written:) Medina is a sanctuary from the 'AirMountain to such and such a place, and whoever innovates in it an heresy or commits a sin, or gives shelter to such an innovator in it will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people, none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship will be accepted. And the asylum (of protection) granted by any Muslim is to be secured (respected) by all the other Muslims; and whoever betrays a Muslim in this respect incurs the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people, and none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship will be accepted [Saheeh

al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 30, Number 94]

The Wisdom behind their Creation:

_ General: All Angels were created to worship Allah and glorify Him. They celebrate His Praises night and day, never do they flag or intermit. [21:20] And we are verily ranged in ranks (for service).[37:165] _ Specific: Different angels have their special responsibility. Archangel Jibreel (AWS): Brought the revealed messages of Allah to all the prophets (including the Zaboor, Tawrah, Injeel, and Qur'an). One opinion says the name Jibreel

comes from Jabr (aid) and eel (messenger). Other angels include Meeka'eel: Discharges control of vegetation and rain. Israfeel: Who will blow the trumpet on Yawm al-Qiyamah (the Day of Ressurection). Angel of Death: He and his associate angels take the souls of living beings during their death. Usually called Azraeel. But there is NO proof for this name. Guard of hellfire: Maalik.
And they will cry: "O Malik (Keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord make an end of us." He will say: "Verily you shall abide forever."[43:77]

Guard of paradise: Ridwan. No proof of this name even though Ibn Katheer has mentioned this name. There is a poetry work hard for the jannah. This mentions the name Ridwan. Angels for writing: Every single thing is documented. Allah SWT says: Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it). [50:18] There are total of three different (3) angels for recording. Left and Right records: Every human being has two angels recording their deeds, one on the left and one on the right. The angel on the right records only good deeds and the angel on the left records only the bad deeds.
Kiraman (honourable) Katibin writing down (your deeds). They know all that you do.

[82:11-12] 3rd record: This is a general record for every single action. This will record everything including what we have thought about. So these angels even have the special ability to document our thoughts. And everyday will be a new page in the record. (Food for thought: How was my page-of-record today?) If someone changes their intention from a bad one to a good one, they will record it as a reward. (subhan'Allah) If we repent within 6 (six) saa'ah (hour) the bad deed will not be recorded. The scholars said that an hour refers to a short period of time. If the person repents before six hours it will not be written in his record at all in the first two records. But the third record will record these forgiven things too. After six hours it will be written in all of them and if he repents it will be forgiven inshAllah. We have to keep in mind the rule in relation to the texts of the unseen that dwelling on the details of the unseen matters destroys the effect of the texts. The Hadeeth that mentions that the angel will wait six hours before recording a bad deed was mentioned to encourage people to hasten their repentance. Story of Ummul Mu'mineen Aisha (RA): The angels write all we say.
Aisha RA was making umrah, and sisters in another tent were talking on and on, and she came to them and said "Why don't you give your angels a break."

Some other special angels: o Angel of inspiration: This angel inspires the believer for what is good. That's his sole job. o Guardian Angel: If a believer makes wudu, recites ayatul Kursi and goes to sleep, an angel will protect him during his sleep.

o Four sides' guardian angels: There are angels that protect us from all four sides from the harm of as-Shayateen.

The effects of Belief in the Angels on the Life of the Muslim:

_ Protects from the false belief and heresy: Correct belief in all pillars of Eemaan helps us from falling in the trap of false belief. _ Aids the believers in remaining steadfast in their religion: It reminds the believer that he is not alone in worshipping Allah SWT. _ Helps the Believers to be patient: When we know that angels are praying for us, it encourages us to be steadfast in our religion. _ Shows the honor of the believing human: o Even though the angels are so righteous, noble and special, Allah SWT had told them to prostrate before Adam and serve people. o Allah SWT says that He has honored human kind.
And indeed We have honored the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with lawful good things, and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preference. [17:70]

Al-Mu'tazila brought a new issue: That the angels are better than the human. Shia' say: Their imams are better than angels who in turn are better than human. (Imam > angels > human) Many of the Ahl-al-sunnah involved themselves in the discussion of this issue. Imam Ibn-Taymiah clarified this issue by stating that: "Angels are better in this worldly life, but in the hereafter as the human being enter the paradise, they are better than the angels." _ Demonstrates the Greatness of our Lord: When we learn about the might and power of some of the angels we appreciate the greatness of our Creator. For example, Jibreel (AWS) told the Prophet (SAW) that with the tip of his wing he could turn a town upside down. Also, when Saad ibn Muadh (RA) died, his funereal prayer, as reported by the prophet (SAW), was witnessed by 70,000 (seventy thousand) angels and they made istigfaar (dua' for forgiveness) for him.

How to understand following two verses in relation to our belief in the Angels?
First Verse:
And when We said to the Angels, Bow down to Adam, they bowed down. Not so Iblees, he refused and was haughty. He was of those who reject Faith. [2:34]

This verse might give the meaning that Iblees is from angel. But it is almost a common sense that Iblees can't be from angels. Thus one very important point to note here is that we never take one text and disregard other texts. Very important principle: take all evidences together in consideration. Because in another verse it is stated expressively that Iblees is from the jinn.
And (remember) when We said to the angels; "Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis (Satan). He was one of the jinns; he disobeyed the

Command of his Lord. Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for the Zalimun. [18:50]

Iblees himself said that he is from fire as are the jinns:

Allah) said: "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you?" Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." [7:12]

Why Allah (SWT) mentions iblees didn't bow even though He SWT gave the order to the angels? The explanation is that Iblees was among angels, but he is not one of them. He used to be very righteous. He strove hard and reached their level, and he was with them and amongst them in worship Sheikh Ibn Taymiah said that Allah (SWT) honored him so much He gave him the shape of angel. In Arabic, in the group if most have a thing in common, and only one or two don t have it, then it can be said that the group is from that thing. For example, the ayat above. The only being in the group who wasn t an Angel was Iblees.

Second Verse:
They followed what the Shayateen gave out (falsely) in the lifetime of Sulaimaan. Sulaimaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men Magic, and such things that came down at Babylon to the Malakain, Haroot and Maroot. But neither of these taught anyone (such things) without saying: "We are only for trial, so do not disbelieve. They learned from them the means to cause separation between man and his wife. But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's permission. And they learned what harmed, not what profited them. And they knew that the buyers of it (Magic) would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter. And vile was the price for which they sold their souls, if they but knew. [2:102]

People said Solomon was a magician. With the above verse Allah SWT states that what people propagated is completely false. Sending the two angels with magic among the people involved a very Hard Test for them. Anyone would learn this knowledge and that will make him/her a disbeliever. This was their test. But the scholars ask, How can the angels teach people things that cause disbelief? There are different efforts to reconcile the above verse and the nature of angels. o Some say that the word Malakain does not mean angels. There is another way of reciting saying Malikainee meaning kings. So Allah was mentioning the two kings of Babylon. AbdurRahman al-Qudsi recites this way. o Imam Ibn Hazm said that they are two kings from the jinn. o Another understanding that the word ma in "wa ma" either means to affirm (with) or to negate. Imam Qurtubi takes this meaning which is like "walam unjila 'alal malakainee". This gives the meaning that the magic did not come with the two angels. And the rest of the verse applies to the Shayateen. o The vast majority of the scholars understand the verse as it is. So the "malakain" (two angels) were just ordered to do what Allah SWT

wanted and that was to put people in very hard test. Sometimes Allah SWT does give people very hard tests. For example people of Israel were given a test such as to kill each other to expiate their sins during Musa (AWS). In a sense it was a mercy to them since before Musa (AWS) the nations that disobeyed were completely destroyed.

CHAPTER ONE: BELIEF IN THE JINN

What are the Jinn?
Linguistic Definition of Jinn
Comes from the word 'Jannah'. This means something that is concealed, secluded, invisible, remote or hidden. This is because they can see us but we can't see them.
Verily, he and his soldiers (from the jinns or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see them.

[7:27] It is out of mercy of Allah SWT that we can't see them. Otherwise we will be so uncomfortable to see them around so much. They do not wear clothes. In Surah al Aaraf Allah SWT mentions that He SWT guided Adam to cover his private parts and Shaytaan mislead Adam and his wife to disobey Allah SWT and He punished them by stripping them of their garments and sending them in this world.
O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves and as an adornment .[7:26]

Technical Definition of Jinn

Accountable beings They have free will. Are created from fire. They are invisible to human. Have some special abilities that human beings don t have.

The creation of the jinn

A. Why were the jinn created?
Allah SWT says in the Qur an
I have only created jinn and men, that they worship Me Alone. [51:56]

It is clear from this verse that Allah SWT created jinn to worship Him.

B. The nature of their creation

In the Qur an, Allah SWT mentions
And the jinn, we had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind. [15:27]

In another verse,
And He created jinn from fire free of smoke. [55:15]

From the previous two verses it is obvious that Allah SWT created jinn from fire.

C. Jinn were created before mankind.

THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 24 The proof for this statement is in the following couple of verses. When Allah SWT told the angels that "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth. they said
They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood

[2:30] So the Angels knew that that human will fight each other and will cause mischief on the face of the earth as they observed the same thing among the jinn who were created earlier. Also from the following verse it is obvious that jinn were created before the first man Adam (AWS).
And (remember) when We said to the angels; "Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis (Satan). He was one of the jinns; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord.

[18:50]

D. Can humans see Jinn in their original forms?

The answer is NO. But if someone sees jinn it will be in a specific shape of an animal. What is seen is the form they choose to take, not their original form. They can appear in different forms, common are in the shape of snakes, cats, black dogs etc.

The Ruling in believing in Jinn

Belief in jinn is obligatory. Jinn were mentioned clearly throughout the Qur an and Sunnah. Denying their existence of jinn is kufr by the consensus of the scholars. In surah al-Jinn Allah SWT says
Say (O Muhammad): "It has been revealed to me that a group of jinns listened (to this Qur'n). They said: 'Verily! We have heard a wonderful Recital (this Qur'n)! [72:1]

Ash-Shaytan:
A. Who is Ash-Shaytan (Satan)?
o His name is Iblees, the great taaghoot, and the Enemy of Mankind. o His is one of the jinn.
When we said to the Angels, Bow down to Adam, they bowed down except Iblees. He was one of the jinn. [18:50]

o Is Iblees the father of all jinn? Sheikh Ibn Taymiah mentions that Iblees is the father of all jinn. o He was given the shape of an angel due to his excellent worship to Allah SWT. When he disbelieved he was changed back to his original or worsened shape, no more like an angel. o He has horns, and his face looks like an ugly fruit from the bottom of the hellfire. Describing the tree in hellfire, Allah SWT says

Verily, it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hell-fire, The shoots of its fruit-stalks are like the heads of Shayatin (devils) [37:64-65]

B. The wisdom behind the creation of Ash-Shaytan

o Struggling against ash-Shaytan and his allies is a manifestation of completing one s servitude to Allah. Allah loves that we struggle so that we will earn our reward by fighting him (Iblees) back. o Fearing sin. Our struggle with ash-Shaytan brings the concepts of repentance and forgiveness. This will make Allah SWT al-Ghafur and arRaheem. o A test for humanity. o A manifestation of Allah s complete power. Demonstrates the ability of Allah to create anything, something and its opposite. o Appreciating the opposite. _ See the people who deserve Allah s mercy and those who don t. _ We don t appreciate something until we see the opposite, i.e. health vs. sickness. o Demonstrating Allah s complete control and ownership. o Manifestation of Allah s complete wisdom. _ Showing us what happens when you disobey Allah. _ The reason why Allah gave Iblees such a long life is so he can accumulate more sins and he will be punished so much in the Hereafter. o Praising Allah for suppressing the Shaytan and showing His Patience. He SWT didn t destroy Iblees immediately. Gave him a prolonged life. What is the wisdom behind Iblees s prolonged life? _ Most experienced enemy of human kind. Has so much (thousands of years of) experience. If he was able to deceive Adam (AWS) from the beginning, imagine how good he is at deceiving us. _ Despite his impressive experience, we are able to defeat him almost every time. The simplest of protection is to say A oodhu Bi Allah (I see refuge in Allah). _ Uniform trial for every section of human since they have this common enemy. _ His long life is a form of reward for his previous worship to Allah SWT. _ Some scholars mention that his prolonged life is a punishment in disguise. His accumulated disobedience to Allah SWT during this long life will lead him to suffer in the lowest level of hellfire.

C. Ash-Shaytan: The Enemy of Men

Ash-Shaytan s hatred towards us is so much that he wants to destroy and punish us by taking us all to hellfire. Allah SWT says
Verily Ash-Shaytan is an enemy to you, so treat him as an enemy. He only

invites is adherent that they may become dwellers of the blazing fire. [35:6] THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN

28 o He shows bad dreams and nightmares. He does not let the believers even to have some rest during their sleep. o He hates humans so much that even a new born baby just came out of the womb will get a poke from him. o Helps spread plague among the people. o An enemy without any days off. Working 24/7. o He has so many followers among jinn and men. o Has unlimited access to us and he know us very well. o Knows how to play the game. o Shaytan will hurt humans the most in the moments of their death. _ The Prophet (PBUH) made a dua saying Oh Allah I seek your protection from the Shaytan during the moment of my death. _ Beware that Shaytan can harm us no matter what time. Attempt at the life of the Prophet (SAW): While prophet (SAW) was in Makkah, ash-Shaytaan gathered his entire army of jinn shayateen. Thousands and thousands of Shayateen were coming down from the Makkan hills to destroy him from every direction and Prophet (SAW) did not know what to do or say. Jibreel (AWS) came and asked the prophet to repeat with him Awudhu bi kalimati tamma min sharrima khalaq Our weapon against shaytaan is simple Awudhu billahi minash Shaytanir Rajeem .

Every human has a Qareen from the Jinn

_ Every human has a Qareen. This is a non-Muslim jinn that whispers to the person. _ Even Prophet (SAW) had a Qareen. As he (SAW) told A ishah that even he has a Qareen. [Muslim]
Abd-Allaah ibn Mas ood narrated: The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said: There is no one among you but a companion from among the jinn has been assigned to him. They said, Even you, O Messenger of Allaah? He said, Even me, but Allaah helped me with him and he became Muslim (or: and I am safe from him), so he only enjoins me to do that which is good. According to another report, There is assigned to him a companion from among the jinn and a companion from among the angels. [Saheeh Muslim,

2814 ] _ Allah SWT says:

And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allah) (i.e. this Quran and worship of Allah), We appoint for him Shaitan (Satan devil) to be a Qarin (an intimate companion) to him. [43:36]

Among the Jinn are the Good and Evil:

There are both good and evil members among the jinn themselves. Allah SWT says in surah

Jinn
There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary. We follow divergent paths. [72:11]

Among them there are Muslims and non-Muslims.

'And of us some are Muslims and of us some are Al-Qsitn (disbelievers those who have deviated from the Right Path)'. And whosoever has embraced Islam, then such have sought the Right Path." [72:14]

There are even sects like shia and other misguided groups among them. A Story from the past: Ibraheem Nakhaee (teacher of Imam Abu Hanifa), a scholar from Kufa in Iraq, had students from the jinn. He asked one of this students, Do you have sects? The student s response was, Yes . They do have sects among them. And when Sheikh Ibraheem asked him about the worst sect among them, his reply was Shia . And sheikh Ibraheem told him this is same with us human too.

Can a Shaytan become Muslim?

Iblees will never be a Muslim. He will never repent and is so much involved in sins. It can be same with us as we know that it becomes harder for a person to come back to the right path if he/she is into sins too much. Lesson to learn: if involved in a sin, we should not think that we will quit later. There might be no opportunity to return back. Story about a Stage-4 cancer patient: Sheikh mentioned about a successful Muslim doctor who himself was in stage-four cancer patient. His son told the sheikh Waleed that he never heard father to mention Allah or Alhamdulillah . He never saw his father praying. When went to give some naseeha, the sheikh found out that he did not want to quit any more. When asked to repent that man s answer was, I am OK. I lived my life . And he died in that status. Can Kafir (disbeliever) jinn become a Muslim? Yes. In some instances that did happen. THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 31

Did the Prophet s (PBUH) Qareen become Muslim?

As narrated in Saheeh al-Muslim, A ishah asked the Prophet (PBUH) if he had a Qareen. He said yes. But the Prophet (SAW) told her that Allah helped him and fa aslama or fa aslamu . The scholars deduce two meanings from that statement. _ His Qareen became Muslim, fa aslama with the meaning aslama hua _ Prophet (SAW) was granted security from his whisper, fa aslamu with the meaning aslamanee

The life of the Jinn

They eat and drink. Sometimes even with us. This has been reported in several ahadeeth, such as the narration of Ibn Umar in which he related the Prophet (PBUH) said, Shaytan eats and drinks with his left hand.
Prophet (SAW) said: When any one of you eats, let him eat with his right hand, and when he drinks, let him drink with his right hand, because the Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand. [Saheeh al-Muslim, 3764]

The jinn and marriage

A. Do the jinn marry and procreate?
This issue can be established using the following two verses. Allah SWT says about the maidens from the Jannah that they would not be touched by the jinn.
In them will be (maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or jinn before them has touched. [55:56]

Allah SWT also says that Iblees who is from the jinn has progeny (jurriyah).
.He was one of the jinn, and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me?... [18:50]

Only one scholar, Wahab ibn Munabbeh has denied eating and marriage of the jinn. Story about not to pry into matter that doesn t concern oneself: Ash-Shabi was asked what was Iblees s wife s name. His answer was, I was not invited to his wedding (waleemah)!

B. Can humans and jinn intermarry?

a. Some say yes. Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah said it is well-known that they can, As-Suyotee supported this. b. Some say that human men can marry female jinn. Imam Malik and other jurists, said that it is possible for a female jinn and a male human to marry, the opposite pairing is impossible. c. Most of the scholars say it is not acceptable in general. d. Some say it is impossible. Since Allah says that He has created spouses for you from your own species.
And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves [30:21]

Lifespan of the jinn and their death

- Jinn die like human beings. - The Prophet (PBUH) said in his du a, You are the One that never dies, and the humans and the jinn die. - Allah SWT says: All that is on earth will perish. [55:26]

Shapes that jinn usually take:

_ Three types of snakes that the jinn won t take form are rattle snake, cobra, and a bald snake. So if there is a snake in a house other than the types mentioned above, we should ask those three times to leave the house. After that we are allowed to remove them or kill them. _ It was reported that the Messenger (SAW) gave permission to one of his Companions to go to his wife during one of the military campaigns I think it was the campaign of al-Khandaq as he was a young man who had recently got married. When he reached his house, he found his wife standing at the door, and he objected to that. She said to him, Go inside, so he went inside and found a snake curled up on the bed. He had a spear with him, so he stabbed it with the spear until it died, and at the same instant as the snake died the man also died. It was not known which of them died first, the snake or the man. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard of that, he forbade killing the harmless kinds of snakes that are found in houses, apart from those which are maimed or are streaked and malignant . [Majmoo Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, 1/287288] _ Sheikh Siddeeq Hassan Khan from India tells a similar story. He killed a snake after asking it to leave for three times. And at night the jinns came and took him to their court. Their complaint was that he had killed one of them. He said he asked him to leave three times, like the hadeeth said (my prophet said...), and then he didn't, so he had the right to kill him. These jinns were Muslims but they did not know the hadeeth. He said it is in Saheeh al-Bukhari. So they said, wait and brought a very old jinn to witness about the hadeeth. He witnessed that he himself heard the hadeeth from Abu Hurayrah (RA). The sheikh Siddeeq Hassan is very proud to have the shortest sanad (chain of narration) of the living humans regarding this hadeeth _ It is common that jinns take the shapes of black cats and black dogs. _ Jinn can't change their shapes in front of us. _ Ash-Shaytan himself came in the shape of human being, such as When prophet Ibraheem (AWS) was about to sacrifice his son Ishmaeel (AWS) following Allah SWT's command, ash-Shaytaan came to him three times. These are the spots of Jamarat during the Hajj. When Prophet (SAW) was in Makkah, ash-Shaytan came to the Quraish leaders to join their plotting against the prophet and he gave them advice. It was his advice that Quraish should murder an-Nabee SAW. During the second pledge of Aqabah prophet (SAW) met with the people of Madinah in complete secret. The Muslims among the Hajj delegation of Madinah woke up in the middle of the night to meet the prophet. A shaytaan came and yelled out a call to the people of Quraish to inform them about the meeting. People of Madinah were ready to fight but prophet (SAW) sent them to their camp. Next morning, when Quraish enquired among the people of

Madinah the Muslims remained silent and others did not have a clue what it was all about. So the Shaytaan s plot failed. On the day of the Battle of Badr, Satan approached the polytheists in the form of a man called Suraaqa ibn Malik and he promised the polytheists aid and victory on that day. About which Allah SWT says: And when Satan made their
deeds seem fair to them and said: No one of mankind can conquer you this day, for I am your protector. [8:l48]

Shayateen have roles in deceiving people:

- One jinn name khunzob or khunzab confuses you when you make wudu. - Another type of jinn is dedicated to confuse us during our salah. - Ash-Shaytan (Iblees) has his throne on the ocean. He gathers all his lieutenants and ask them about their daily accomplishments. Some of the devils boost their actions as they made people to drink alcohol or to fornicate etc. But one of them says that he made a man to divorce his wife. Ash-Shaytan praises this devil saying he is the successful one.
It was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: The throne of Iblees is on the sea and he sends out his troops to spread mischief (fitnah) among the people. The greatest of them in his sight is the one who causes the most fitnah. [Saheeh Muslim, 5031;

Ahmad, no. 1427)

Jinn and animals

The jinn have riding animals. o Allah SWT says
And excite any of them whom you can with your voice and urge your horse .

[17:64] o Prophet (SAW) said, animals.

and every dung is feed for your riding

It is recorded from Ibn Masud that a messenger from the jinn came to the Prophet (SAW) and he went with them. The Prophet (SAW) read to them some verses. The Prophet (SAW) showed the people the remains of their embers. They asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about their provisions and he told them, .Every bone on which the name of Allah has been mentioned will have meat on it for you. And the dung are fodder for your animals.. [Saheeh al-Muslim]

Thus the Prophet (SAW) has informed us that they possess animals and that the fodder for their animals is the dung of the animals of mankind. o The Prophet (PBUH) said, Camels were created from the
Shayateen.

_ Some scholars comment that this is why we make wudu after eating the camel meat. _ Saeed ibn Mansoor said this hadeeth is not authentic.

o The Prophet (SAW) said, "The black dog is a Shaytan". [Muslim] This hadeeth doesn't mean literally. What it means is, among jinns are shayateen as black dogs among dogs.

Abilities of the jinn

Jinn has certain special abilities compared to human. These are _ Travel in short times. As Allah SWT says
A lfreet of the jinn said, I will bring it to you before you can rise from your place. Surely, I am strong and trusty for such work. Then one who had knowledge of the Book said, I will bring it to you within the blink of an eye. [27:39-40]

_ They could go to the sky.

'And we have sought to reach the heaven; but found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires. [72:8]

_ Transfer their shapes. This issue has been discussed earlier. _ Shayateen can flow throw the human body like blood. [Authentic hadeeth] _ Can whisper to human from within.
"From the evil of the whisperer (devil who whispers evil in the hearts of men) who withdraws (from his whispering in one's heart after one remembers Allah) [114:4]

The jinn s weaknesses

Even though Shayateen have some special abilities, a believer is entitled to protection from Allah SWT. They will not be able to harm a righteous person as Allah wills. He SWT says
Surely, My (faithful) servants; over them you have no power; and your Lord suffices as (their) guardian. [17:65]

Examples of their limited power: - They fear some believers. As Allah SWT mentions in the above verse they can't harm an obedient servant of Allah. Shaytaan would take a different path if he saw Umar (RA). - As An-Nabee SAW said, if we cover our plate and say 'Bismillah', Shayateen can't take off the cover. Similarly they can't enter a house if we close the door saying 'Bismillah'. Hadeeth:
If the man enters his house and mentions the name of Allah upon entering it and upon eating therein, Satan says, There is no lodging for you here and no meal here. But if the man enters his house and neglects to mention the name of Allah upon entering it, Satan says, I have found lodging for you. And if he does not mention Allah s name upon eating his meal, Satan says, I have found lodging and a meal.

[Saheeh Muslim, Musnad Imam ahmad] A story from Dubai: This incident happened in Dubai. There was a magician who would perform tricks in gatherings. He would stab him own chest and abdomen with a number of knives. People would become surprised that nothing is happening to him. In reality it were the jinns that would take the stabs, leaving him unharmed. But one day, as he was performing, a young man with 'thaub' and a miswak walked

into the show. The magician was shocked to see him as the young man seemed to be reciting verses from the Qur'an. When he stabbed himself with the knife, blood came out profusely and he was admitted to a hospital. It took him three months to recover. He became so mad at those jinns who used to protect him. When he asked why they had left him, their response was that that young man recited verses from the Qur'an which forced them to leave the entire city of Dubai. Then the magician asked them to find and harm this young Muslim. But they could not do any harm to him for two whole years as he would never miss or delay his daily prayers. Statement from Hassan al-Basri: Once a young Muslim man was hesitating to enter a dark place. Noticing that Hassan al-Basri told him, "They are more fearful about you than you are afraid of them". - The jinn cannot go another world. Not able to escape the sky [72:8]. THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 38 - They can take different forms, but cannot take the shape of the Prophet (PBUH). Anas reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said, The Shaytan cannot come in my shape.
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard the Prophet saying, "Whoever sees me in a dream will see me in his wakefulness, and Satan cannot imitate me in shape." Abu 'Abdullah said, "Ibn Sirin said, 'Only if he sees the Prophet in his (real) shape.'" [Saheeh al-Bukhari, Chapter: Interpretation

of Dreams] - They can't gather information from the sky since they are stopped from reaching that far. As Allah SWT says Indeed they have been removed far from even (a chance of) hearing it. [26:212] So if a fortune teller uses jinn, they give him 99 lies and may be one 1 truth, out of 100 information. - Like human beings they were also challenged to produce another Qur'an. But they couldn't and will not be able to.
Say: If the whole of mankind and jinn were to gather together to produce like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support. [17:88]

Possession
Can the jinn possess humans? Yes
As Allah SWT says, Those who eat Ribawill not stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to insanity [2:275] .

Different reasons of possession:

THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 39 a. Magic: This is the most common type of possession. A possessed man was brought to the prophet (SAW) and he said: Aduw Allah ukhruj (O enemy of Allah, exit the body of the possessed). Some of the incidents that sheikh mentioned during the class.

i. He gave an example of a girl who had needles all over her body because of someone that wanted to marry her and her parents refused him. Then magic was done to harm her physically. Whenever her fianc would walk into the room, the needles stood straight up and started to make her bleed all over her body that caused her to faint. But as soon as her fianc would leave the room, she would be completely normal, feeling no trace of pain. But when sheikh recited from the Qur'an, her jinn left her and she was cured 100%. ii. Word of caution: Sheikh Waleed mentions in the class that approximately 95% of all the claim of Jinn possessed cases are imaginative. Mostly people will have psychological or other type of problems instead of Jinn possession. If someone is not married, most probably he/she is not realistic rather than It is magic! It is not easy for jinn to possess a human since in the process they themselves suffer. b. Revenge: i. If a person hurts an animal that were jinn, the jinn will take revenge for it. ii. If man disturbs the jinn they would take revenge. iii. Simple hatred for the human being. Sheikh gave his personal experience describing a situation where he and three other friends were standing few feet apart and suddenly one of them was getting lashes. They could see as the marks of lash showing up one after another. One of the friends asked the jinn why he is harming evasively only that person. The jinn replied by saying that all three of them recited a dua' in the morning and that made a protection around the other three. THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 40 c. Adoration or lust: i. Jinn might have lust for females among human. Sheikh mentions a story about a man who can't approach his wife for certain 'halal' days during a month. When the sheikh recited on her and ordered the jinn to leave the lady, his reply was that she is his wife too. Later on when she was asked about this, the lady confessed that when she was in high school she would remain unclothed for an extended period of time, and observe herself in the mirror. At one point she started to have complete sexual satisfaction even though she would not do any thing and there were no other apparent reason to suggest that. So again we should recite 'adhkar' before we take off our clothes and should not remain uncovered for prolonged time. ii. Homosexuality is more widespread among the jinn than

human.

Denier of jinn possession:

a. Al-Mu'tazila: They say that fire (source of jinn) and clay (source of human) cannot mix. Reply to this: Jinn and human are not exactly fire and clay. Rather we have evidences of jinn possession. And as An-Nabee SAW tells us, The shaytaan flows through the son of

Adam like blood. [Saheeh al-Bukhari]

b. Psychologist: As they deny the existence of jinn itself so they can't accept jinn-possession. But believing in jinn is part of our Aqeedah.

Signs of possession:
The person will _ hate to hear the Quran. _ hate to pray. _ find it very hard to fast. THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 41 _ react in a very weird way. They will go from one extreme stage (e.g. extreme laughter, anger etc) to another. _ have extremely bad nightmares constantly. _ feel as if ants are crawling all over his/her body. _ feel numbness in their hands and feet. _ will speak weird languages. Languages that the person was never exposed to.

Cure:
- When the jinn attack a person, they should be told of the rulings of Allaah and His Messenger, proof should be established against them, and they should be commanded to do what is good and told not to do what is evil. - If the jinn does not leave after being addressed in this manner, then it is permissible to rebuke him, tell him off, threaten him and curse him, as the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) did with the Shaytaan when he came with a falling star to throw it in his face, and the Messenger (SAW) said: I seek refuge with Allaah from you and I curse you with the curse of Allaah three times. [Saheeh alBukhaari]. - The person should read Qur'an himself/herself. Most of the time it works. The verse that are most effective: Ayatul Qursi, (the most effective). Surah FatiHa, Surah Ikhlaas

al-Mi wadhatayn: Surah al-Falaq, and surah an-Naas

Verses from surah as-Saffat. Surah al-Baqarah, specially the last two verses.

- People learned from their experience that the jinns hate certain smells and this fact can be used to get rid of the jinn. - We can read verses from the Qur'an and blow into a cup of water and let the possessed person drink this water. The jinn should come out immediately. - If someone is not experienced curing jinn possession then he or she should not go for reading Qur'an to heal a person. It requires an experienced person. THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 42 Sheikh mentioned a story on this issue. A young man once decided to read on a person. This was the first time he tried that. But for a whole week his life was miserable. Any thing he wanted to get done become difficult for him. For example if he is eating, a whole pot of salt would be poured on his plate. So when another sheikh read the Qur'an on the possessed person and asked the jinn why he is punishing the young man, his reply was that it was not acceptable for him that a inexperienced person would try to drive him away. - Sometime it takes many visits to get rid of the jinn.

Issue of Evil Eye:

Because of envy or Hasad people can fall into loss. As the prophet (SAW) said, the
Evil eye is a reality. If there were anything that could precede pre-destination, the Evil Eye would precede it. [Saheeh Muslim]

Can jinn help the believers?

- Yes. - Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiah who was single mentioned that so many times he would return home and found his house clean and organized. He believed it was from jinn. - For instance, this one person saw a lizard in a desert that had the guy follow. The lizard took him to a box buried under the sand with all these charms and magic. They said bismillah and burn the box. - Magic dies along with magician.

Miscellaneous jinn topics:

Magic against An-Nabee: A Jewish person did magic against the prophet (SAW) to harm his relationship with his wives. Then Allah SWT revealed al-Mi wadhatayn: Surah al-Falaq, and surah an-Naas. That shows that magic has effect on one particular aspect of one's life. Sheikh ibn Taymiah had an experience. A man claimed that he can tell how many coins someone took from a jar without looking at it. It was obvious to the sheikh that a jinn was helping the magician. So he went ahead and grabbed a handful of coins without counting them. But the man was unable to tell as this time the jinn couldn't observe how many coins the sheikh took. Previously a person would take the coins one by one and a jinn would track his count and tell the magician. From Sheikh Waleed's experience just touching a possessed person will hurt him, he doesn't need a beating or so. Imam Ash-Shafie said that if you see a man flying or crossing a river, see if he prays

and has taqwa. Otherwise it is quite possible that the person is being helped by a jinn. Jinn have their own habitat and ecosystem. Just like the ants build their own ecosystem and we really do not pay any attention. So we should not be worrying about these jinns too much. Shayateen-al-ins: Among human there are people whose heart and mind are like those of devils. They spread the bloodshed and corruption on the earth. A devil jinn is usually more interested to harm a believer.

The World of Dreams:

Sheikh has a lecture on this topic. There are three types of dreams as described by the prophet (SAW): Has nothing to do with news or information, rather it is the fruit of wondering mind called Hadeeth-an-Nafs. Bad dreams are from Ash-Shaytan. Good dream, from Ar-Rahman to His slave. This type of dream can be interpreted by skilled people to get information.

Some examples of righteous people's skill to interpret dreams:

A person's wife was pregnant. He saw a dream that he is holding a glass of water and the glass broke but the water remains in his hand. When Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Sereen interpreted this dream he told the man that his wife might die while giving birth to his child where as the child will be safe. Here the glass represented the woman and water represents his water which turned to a baby. Exactly that was what happened. THE RAYS OF FAITH CHAPTER TWO: BELIEF IN THE JINN 44 A person told Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Sereen that he saw a dream in which he was carrying the janazah of the prophet (SAW). So the interpretation was that the person is sitting among the people of innovation (ahl-ul-bida') and burying the sunnah. A woman asked about a dream to Sheikh Yusuf ibn Mutlaq that she saw she was raised in the Day of Judgment and she put her foot on the 'kursi' or footstool of Allah SWT. So sheikh asked that heel of her shoes should be opened. When they opened it they found harm in it which was a piece of paper with Ayatul Kursi. Two men came to Ibn Abbas (RA) on two different occasions. Both said that they saw themselves in dreams where they are giving Adhaan or calling 'Allahu Akbar'. For the first person Ibn Abbas told him to repent to Allah SWT. And when the second person came he told him that he might perform Hajj that year. When the surprised students asked him about two different answers he told them that, as for the first person, he seemed like a thief and Ibn Abbas (RA) remembered the verse in surah Yusuf ( ... then a crier cried: "O you (in) the caravan! Surely, you are thieves!"[12:70]). That gave him the idea that this man might be involved in theft and needed repentance. On the other

hand, the second person seemed righteous, so he remembered the verse about Ibraheem (AWS) calling people for Hajj. It is obvious Ibn Abbas (RA) had the skill of 'firasa'. In recent times, a woman asked a sheikh to interpret her dream. She saw a young girl is driving a car in her sister's house and bumping into another car. The sheikh asked her where she lived and with whom. She told that she lived with her sister and brother-in-law. So the sheikh inquired if she was harassed sexually by her brother-in-law. She agreed to that. So that sheikh told her to leave her sister's house and live in another place. Sheikh Waleed said even non-Muslims are sometimes able to interpret the dreams. He gave an example of a Mexican lady who has good skill in dream-interpretation. End of Chapter Two