'O Apostle of God, leave off reproaching me, because I am one of those who believed in Noah and repented through him '; I then reproached him for his prayer (against his people — al-Kur'an LXXI:27), upon which he cried and made me cry, and said, 'I am by God, verily one of those who have repented and I take refuge with God from being one of the ignorant ones. I then met Hud and believed in him, and I met Abraham with whom I was in the fire when he was thrown into it, and I was with Joseph when he was thrown into the well, preceding him to the bottom of it; I met Jethro (Shu'aib), and Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary, who told me, "If you meet Mohammed greet him with my salutation," and now I have delivered to you his message and have believed in you.' The Prophet thereupon said, 'Salutation to Jesus and to you! What is it you want, O Hamah?' and he replied, 'Moses taught me the Pentateuch, and Jesus taught me the Gospel and now teach me the Koran.' In another version, it is said that the Prophet taught him ten chapters out of the Koran. So firm is the belief in jinn that long disputes have arisen regarding the question of 40 people being present in the Friday congregation. Some authorities hold that they are counted among them and others will not accept the testimony of those who claim to see them. Special sections are also devoted in books of Moslem law regarding marriage of Jinn with human beings and their rights of inheritance! We also learn that jinn do not enter a house in which there is a citron. "It has been related to us regarding the Imam Abu'l-Husain 'Ali b. al-Hasan b. al-Husain b. Mohammed al-Khila'i - he was so surnamed on account of his selling robes of honor and was one of the disciples of al-Shafi'i; his grave is a well-known one at al-Karafah, and prayers addressed in its name are answered; he was called the kadi of the jinn,— as having informed that they (the genii) used to come to him and recite the Koran (for the purpose of learning it); one Friday they kept away from him, and when they came again he asked them the reason of that, and they replied, "There was in your house a citron, and we do not enter a house in which that fruit is.' " 2 Similar precautions against evil germs of the spirit world are common in India and Egypt to-day. In Egypt as in Morocco the belief in jinn includes such things as setting aside dishes of food at dusk to propitiate them. Others keep loaves of bread under their mattresses with a similar idea; while meal and oil are thrown into the corner of new houses for the jinn. The placing of knives and daggers under the pillows of the sick is for the same purpose. Skeat in his book "Malay Magic" gives a complete account of the Malay pantheon and shows how the jinn, good and bad, dominate the thought of the masses. There is an interesting account of the origin of the jinn according to Moslem belief, and he speaks of how they may be bought at Mecca at a fixed price. He gives a picture of the black and white jinn mentioned: "The White Genie is said to have sprung, by one account, from the blood-drops which fell on the ground when Habil and Kabil bit their thumbs; by another, from the irises of the snake Sakatimuna's eyes (benih mata Sakatimuna), and is sometimes confused with the White Divinity ('Toh Mambang Puteh), who lives in the sun. "The name of his wife is not mentioned, as it is in the case of the Black Genie, but the names of three of his children have been preserved, and they are Tanjak Malim Kaya, Pari Lang (lit. kite-like, i.e., 'winged Skate), and Bintang Sutan (or Star of Sutan). "On the whole, I may say that the White Genie is very page references are to Ad-Damiri's Hayat al-Hayawan 2 All (Jayaker). A facsimile reproduction, one-half reduced, of a Chinese Moslem amulet sold at Shanghai in the leading mosques. The central character is the Arabic for Bismillah "In the name of God." At the four corners are the names of the archangels, Gabriel, Michail, Azrail and Asrafil. On the right side of the central monogram is the call to prayer in the usual form. On the left side is the first chapter of the Koran followed by the six articles of the orthodox creed. On the outer edge beginning at the upper right hand corner is the Verse of the Throne. This amulet is used to defend the possessor against Jinn and other evil influences and to produce good health and prosperity. seldom mentioned in comparison with the Black Genie, and that whereas absolutely no harm, as far as I can find out, is recorded of him, he is, on the other hand, appealed to for protection by his worshipers." "A very curious subdivision of Genii into Faithful (Jin Islam) and Infidel (Jin Kafir) is occasionally met with, and it is said, moreover, that Genii (it is to be hoped orthodox ones) may sometimes be bought at Mecca from the 'Sheikh al Jin' (Headman of Genii) at prices varying from $90 to $100 apiece." 3 One may almost say of popular Islam what Dr. Warneck does of the heathen Battaks of Sumatra : "The worship of spirits, with the fear underlying it, completely fills the religious life of the Battaks and of all animistic peoples. Their whole daily life in its minutest details is saturated with it. At birth, name-giving, courting, marriage, house-building, seed-time and harvest, the spirits must be considered.” 4 What the Moslem belief in jinn involves can best be indicated by giving here the table of contents of one of the standard works on the subject called Akam ul Mirjan fi Ahkam al Jann by Mohammed ibn Abdallah al-Shibli who died 789 A. H. It is for sale in every Moslem city throughout the world. I follow the chapter headings without note or comment: the reader will pardon its literalisms: Introduction: Proof of the existence of Jinn. Moslems, People of the Book and the infidels of the Arabs agree on the existence of jinn. Great philosophers and physicians proclaim their exist ence Beginning of creation of jinn. The origin of jinn is fire as the origin of man is earth. Bodies of jinn. Skeat's "Malay Magic," pp. 95-96. 66 Living Christ and Dying Heathenism," p. 80. Kinds of jinn. Demons' ability of diversification. God gave different forms to angels, jinn and men. Jinn look at the private parts of man when exposed. Jinn eat and drink. Some traditions concerning this subject. The Devil eats and drinks with his left hand. What prevents jinn from taking the food of man. Jinn marry and beget children. That jinn have responsibilities. Were there any prophets of jinn before the Prophet? The jinn are included in the mission of the Prophet. The jinn went to the Prophet and heard him. Sects of jinn. Worship of jinn with man. Reward of jinn. Infidels of jinn enter the Fire. Believers of jinn enter Paradise. Do the believers of jinn see God in Paradise? Prayers behind a jinni. A jinn passed between the hands of a praying man. Marriage of jinn. Jinn expose themselves to women. Some jinn prevent others from exposing themselves to women. If a jinn cohabited with a woman must she purify herself? The hermaphrodites are the sons of the jinn. What if jinn robs a woman of her husband? |