Jinn: Difference between revisions

'''Jinn''' (جن‎ ''ǧinn'', singular جني ''ǧinnī'' ; variant spelling ''djinn'') or, as Romanized more broadly, '''[[genies]]'''<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/genie|2=2012-04-27}} Genie] - Wiktionary, accessed April 27, 2012</ref> are said to be supernatural creatures that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. They are mentioned in the [[Qur'an]], [[hadith]], other [[Islam and Scripture|Islamic texts]] and Arab folklore. The Jinn are believed to exist in many sub-species themselves, with some living in the air, others as humans on land, and some like "snakes and dogs".<ref>Hughes, Thomas Patrick (1885). "Genii". ''Dictionary of Islam: Being a Cyclopædia of the Doctrines, Rites, Ceremonies'' . London, UK: W.H.Allen. pp. 134–6. Retrieved 4 October 2019.</ref> Together, the various jinns, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of [[Allah]]. Like human beings, the jinn can also be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent.<ref>El-Zein, Amira. [http://books.google.com/books?id=H-k9oc9xsuAC&pg=PA116-IA117&lpg=PA116-IA117&dq=Jinn:+Medieval+Islamic+Civilization+-+An+Encyclopaedia&source=bl&ots=TSnTkHUY_j&sig=mXTd96-4uH5A5dpRvcBvgDGjUS4&hl=en&ei=HScES6WOBMLDlAek9IHtAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Jinn%3A%20Medieval%20Islamic%20Civilization%20-%20An%20Encyclopaedia&f=false "Jinn,"] 420-421, in Meri, Joseph W., ''Medieval Islamic Civilization - An Encyclopedia''.</ref>

Jinn are usually invisible to humans, and humans do not appear clearly to them. Frequenting [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Toilet Etiquette#Say a prayer when entering, to ward off jinn and demons|toilets]],<ref>{{Abudawud|1|6}}</ref> they feed on feces and bones,<ref>{{Bukhari|5|58|200}}</ref> have the power to travel large distances at extreme speeds and are thought to live in remote areas, mountains, seas, trees, and the air. Like humans: jinn can also choose to become Muslims, will be judged on the Day of Judgment, and will accordingly be sent to Paradise or [[Hell]].<ref>''Tafsīr''; ''Bakhsh az tafsīr-e kohan'', p. 181; Loeffler, p. 46</ref>

While many Islamic scholars today reject the possibility of jinn possession, there is classical precedent for belief in jinn's ability to possess and interact with human beings in this and numerous other ways. Most famously, [[Ibn Taymiyya]] was a proponent of this view in his ''Essay on the jinn'' (Ibn Taymiyyah also claimed to know and have mastered the "poetry of the jinn").