On Qur'anic jinn

Abstract

Going through the stories of "A Thousand and One Nights" and other Arabian folk tales, one encounters many fantastic and mythological figures, such as: jinn, ghul, si 'Iat, 'ifrit, etc. Each region from Morocco to Persia, has its own particular tales which project the intense popular belief in such spiritual beings. Of these beings the Qur'an mentions only the jinn. The word 'ifrit is used only once' in the Holy Book of Islam: ., An efreet of the jinns said, 'I will bring it to thee .. :" (Q. 27, 39). It appears that 'ifrit is not a particular category of spiritual being, but it is a quality app!ied to a being be it man or spirit. Lane defines 'ifnt any person "insolent and audacious in pride and in acts of rebellion or disobedience, who rolls his adversary in the dust." He thus connects the word 'ifrit (piu. 'afart) with 'afar, meaning dust, and holds that both these words are derived from the verb 'afara, meaning: to rub with dust, to roll someone in the dust; and by extension: to bring, someone low, i.e. to insult, to offend someone. In the case of Q. 27, 39 authors agree that the expression "an efreet of the jinns" simply means "a wicked jinni." Since the jinn, spiritual intelligent beings non-angels and non-humans, are mentioned in the Qur'an, they constitute a serious theological problem. What are they really? What can we say about the God-jinn relationship) In the present study we shall try to find an answer to these and other questions. But we do' not pretend to give an adequate and final interpretation of the existential nature of jinn resulting from some modern exegetical conclusion. For the time being we shall content ourselves by what classical Muslim exegetes of the Qur'an ,have to say regarding; jinni beings. In some later Cate, God willing, we shall perhaps be in a position to make our own attempt to provide a more adequate and modern interpretation.