Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:27

"And the Jinn"—this is the father of the Jinn, as narrated from Ibn Abbas, and its plural is Jinan, like Ha’it (wall) and Hitan (walls), or Ra’in (shepherd) and Ra’yan (shepherds), as stated by al-Tabarsi. It is also said: It is Iblis, which is narrated from al-Hasan and Qatadah. However, in al-Durr al-Masun, it is stated that he is the father of the Jinn. Ibn Bahr said: It is a noun for the species of the Jinn, and since the species originated from a single individual created from a single substance, the species was [also] created from it. Al-Hasan and ‘Amr bin ‘Ubayd recited it as "al-Ja’n" (with a hamzah), and its accusative case is governed by a verb implied by what follows it, "We created him." This is stronger here than the nominative case (which would imply) a conjunction to the verbal sentence.

"Before"—meaning, before the creation of man. It is said: From this appears the permissibility that what is meant by "the predecessors" is one of the two Thaqalayn (jinn and mankind), and by "the successors" is the other, and the address in His saying—Exalted is He—"among you" applies to all; but this is extremely far-fetched.

"From the fire of the Samum"—meaning the hot wind that kills. This is narrated from Ibn Abbas. It blows most frequently in fire, and it may blow at night. It is called Samum because, due to its subtlety, it penetrates the pores of the body; from this comes the "lethal poison" (al-sum al-qatil). It is said: "Our day is Samum" (i.e., becomes hot), if that wind blows during it. It is also said: The Samum is fire without smoke, and from it come lightning bolts; Abu Rawq narrated this from al-Dahhak from Ibn Abbas. Thus, the genitive construction is of the "general added to the specific." Others say the Samum is excessive heat, and the construction is of the "described added to the descriptor," meaning the fire of excessive heat.

In some traditions, there is evidence that the fire from which the Jinn were created is hotter than the known fire. Ibn Marduwayh recorded from Ibn Mas’ud, from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), that he said: "The true dream of a believer is one-seventieth of prophecy, and this fire is one-seventieth of the Samum from which the Jinn were created." And he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the verse.

The creation from fire has been questioned: How can life exist within it, seeing as it is a simple element not composed of parts of different natures? Life—like temperament—cannot exist except in composite things, and the philosophers have stipulated a composite structure for it. It is answered by denying this; for if it is created in immaterial beings, such as the angels (according to one opinion) and the Intellects which the philosophers have established, then a fortiori [it is possible] in simple substances. Moreover, there is no prohibition against it being created in individual parts, contrary to the Mu'tazilah, who stipulated a structure composed of atoms, and they have no argument for this weaker than a spider's web. Furthermore, the argument is irrelevant to begin with, because the meaning of the Jinn being created from fire is that it is the greatest, predominant part of them, like earth in man; thus, they are not simple. Some say: The Jinn are airy or fiery bodies in the sense that those elements predominate in them, but they are composed of the four elements, like the angels (peace be upon them), according to one opinion.

Then, the apparent transmission from most philosophers is the denial of the Jinn, but this is not the view of all of them. A great number of their ancients held the belief in their existence, and it is the view of the majority of religious scholars and those who study spiritual beings. They call them "lower spirits," and they claimed they are quicker to respond than celestial spirits, though weaker. Yes, those who affirmed them differed; some claimed they are not bodies nor substances dwelling in them, but rather essences existing by themselves, yet differing in essence according to the specific nature, just as the essences of accidents differ despite their equality in needing a locus. Some of them are noble, free, and lovers of good, and some are base, vile, and lovers of evil. None knows the number of their types except Allah, Exalted is He. It is not unlikely that among their types are those capable of arduous tasks that exceed human power; likewise, it is not unlikely that each type has an affinity for a specific type of body in this world.

Others among the people claimed that when human spirits and rational souls depart from their bodies and increase in strength and perfection due to the revelation of spiritual secrets in that spiritual realm, if it happens that a body is formed similar to the body from which it departed, then due to that similarity, that departed soul attains a certain connection to this body, becoming an assistant to the soul of that body in its actions and management of that body. If this state occurs in virtuous souls, that helper is called an "angel" and that assistance is called "inspiration." If it occurs in evil souls, that helper is called a "devil" and that assistance is called "whispering."

Others said: They are bodies, but they differed; some said they are of differing natures even if they share in a specific quality. Others said they are equal in the perfection of their nature. The Imam [Fakhr al-Din al-Razi] has spoken at length on this in the commentary of Surah al-Jinn. He mentioned in the commentary of this verse that they differed regarding the Jinn, some saying they are a species distinct from devils. The most correct [view] is that devils are a category of the Jinn; so whoever among them is a believer is not called a devil, and whoever among them is a disbeliever is called by this name. The proof for the correctness of this is that the word Jinn is derived from istitar (concealment/veiling), so whoever is such is of the Jinn. What he mentioned as the most correct is what the majority held, but the evidence he cited is weak.

Wahb said: Among the Jinn are those who beget, eat, and drink like humans, and among them are those like the wind who do not reproduce, eat, or drink, and they are the devils. Ibn Arabi mentioned that the procreation of the Jinn is by casting air into the womb of the female, just as procreation in humans is by casting water into the womb. They are confined to twelve tribes as foundations, which then branch out into clans, and wars occur between them. Some zawabi’ (whirlwinds) occur during their wars, for the zawba’ah is when two winds meet, each preventing the other from passing through, which leads to rotation. Not every whirlwind is a war.

Al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma’, Abu Nu'aym, al-Daylami, and others recorded with a sound chain—as al-'Iraqi said—from Abu Tha'labah, in a marfu’ (elevated) manner: "The Jinn are three types: one type has wings and flies in the air; one type is snakes and dogs; and one type settles and travels." Regarding this classification, in my view, there is a problem that becomes apparent through reflection. Perhaps the essence of it is that one type has flight in the air as their predominant trait, one type has settling and traveling, and one type has remaining and residing in certain places, and they were expressed as "snakes and dogs" due to their frequent taking of those forms, unlike the other two types. For although it is permissible for them to take various shapes—as they are from the Jinn, and it has been said they are capable of that (even if this is disputed on the grounds that it would mean there is no trust in anything, which is answered by the fact that Allah has guaranteed this nation immunity from falling into things that lead to doubt in religion and the loss of trust in a scholar and others, making such a consequence impossible in Islamic law)—yet they do not frequently take those forms. It may be said that the capability for transformation belongs only to the "settled" type, and proving it for the Jinn in their [scholars'] speech is satisfied by its correctness regarding [some] types, but this is very far-fetched; so let it be reflected upon properly. Al-Haytami said: The narrators of this Hadith were deemed reliable, though some have a weakness. If the Hadith is weak for that reason, then there is nothing further to be said, and Allah, Exalted is He, knows the reality of the matter. God willing, a comprehensive discussion on this topic will follow with the help of Allah, the King, the All-Knowing.

Finally, the sequence of the noble verse, as it is said, just as it is to signify the perfection of His power—Exalted is His majesty—and to clarify the beginning of the creation of the two Thaqalayn, it is [also] to draw attention to a premise upon which the possibility of the resurrection depends: the receptivity of materials to be gathered and brought to life. So reflect.