Surah al-Jinn

It is also called "Qul Uhiya Ilayya" (Say: It has been revealed to me). It is Meccan by consensus, and its verses are twenty-eight without disagreement.

Regarding the reason for its connection [to the preceding surah], Jalal al-Suyuti said: "I reflected upon it for a period, and nothing became clear to me except that He, the Exalted, said in Surah Nuh: 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers,' and He, the Mighty and Majestic, said in this surah to the disbelievers of Mecca: 'And if they had remained straight on the way, We would have given them abundant water to drink.' This connection is clear."

Regarding his statement "to the disbelievers of Mecca," there is an issue that you will come to know, if Allah the Exalted wills. It is permissible to add to this that this surah includes matters related to the heavens, similar to the previous surah, and mentions the punishment for whoever disobeys Allah the Mighty and Majestic in His, the Exalted's, saying: "And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger—then indeed, for him is the fire of Hell; they will abide therein forever." This corresponds to His, the Exalted's, saying: "They were drowned and put into the Fire."

Abu Hayyan said regarding this that when He, the Exalted, recounted the persistence of the people of Nuh in disbelief and their devotion to the worship of idols—and he was the first messenger to the people of the earth, just as Muhammad, may Allah exalt him and grant him peace, is the last messenger to the people of the earth, and the Arabs, from whom he—may Allah exalt him and grant him peace—came, were idolaters like the people of Nuh, to the extent that they worshipped idols like those of that people in name, or indeed identical to them—and that which he, peace and blessings be upon him, brought was a guide to rectitude, and the Arabs heard it yet most of them refrained from believing in it, Allah the Exalted revealed Surah al-Jinn. He placed it after Surah Nuh as a rebuke to the Quraysh and the Arabs for their sluggishness in believing. The Jinn were better than them, for those who came to believe among them did so—even though they were of a different species than the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him—until they nearly crowded him [in a dense mass]. Despite this sluggishness, they were deniers of him and what he brought, out of envy and tyranny, because Allah bestows His bounty upon whom He wills of His servants.

So He, the Mighty in Speech, said:

Al-Jinn: (1) Say, "It has been revealed to me..."

Say, "It has been revealed to me..." Ibn Abi Abla, al-Ataki—narrating from Abu ‘Amr—and Jawba ibn ‘A’idh al-Asadi read it as wahy without a glottal stop (hamza), having the same meaning as ūhiya with the hamza. From this is the saying of al-‘Ajjaj: "It [the decision] was revealed (wahy) to it, so it settled."

Zayd ibn ‘Ali, Jawba—according to the report of al-Kisa’i—and Ibn Abi Abla in one narration, read it as uhiya, substituting the waw of wahy with a hamza, just as they say a‘ada for wa‘ada. Al-Zamakhshari said: "This is from the absolute transposition (qalb) that is permissible in every waw that is damma-vocalized." Al-Mazini also extended this to the kasra-vocalized waw, such as ishah, i‘a’, and isada. This is one of two opinions held by al-Mazini; the other opinion restricts this to what has been heard (by transmission). As for the absolute permissibility he mentioned regarding the damma-vocalized waw, it has been objected that the damma-vocalized waw may be initial, medial, or final, and each has its own rules; some of which are subject to dispute and detailed in books of grammar, so let them be referred to.

Some eminent scholars added the transposition of the waw when the letter preceding it is damma-vocalized, stating that it is also a regular and consistent analogy (qiyas) and that it may occur in fatha-vocalized instances, such as ahad. In all readings, the prepositional phrase is connected to what is implied by it, and the deputy subject (na’ib al-fa’il) of the verb "it has been revealed to me" is the clause "that [it has been listened to...]", etc., on the basis that it is interpreted as a verbal noun (masdar) and the pronoun refers to the matter (sha’n).

"Listened to" That is, the Quran, as mentioned in al-Ihyaq. It is omitted because what follows indicates it.

"A party of the Jinn" Nafar (a party) in common usage is between three and ten. Al-Hariri stated in his Durra that nafar only applies to three to ten men; however, he was mistaken in this, for it may be applied to more than ten in eloquent speech. More than one linguist has mentioned this, and in the speech of al-Sha’bi: "More than ten nafar told me." It is not restricted to men, nor to humans, because it is applied to the Jinn here. In al-Mujmal, raht and nafar are used up to forty, and the difference between them is that raht refers back to a single ancestor, unlike nafar. It may also refer to a people (qawm), as in His saying, "And mightier in nafar (following/people)," or the saying of Imru’ al-Qays: "It does not grow, its arrow-shot; its wealth, no number from its nafar."

Imam al-Kirmani said: "The nafar has another meaning in convention, which is 'man,' intending by convention the convention of the language, because he interpreted the authentic hadith by it, so let this be memorized."

And the Jinn The singular is Jinni, like Rum and Rumi. They are rational bodies dominated by fire, as evidenced by His saying: "And He created the Jinn from a smokeless flame of fire." It is said that they are airy, all of them—or a class of them—capable of taking on various forms. It is their nature to be hidden, and they may be seen in forms other than their original ones, and indeed even in the original forms in which they were created, like the angels—peace be upon them. This is for the Prophets—the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them—and whomever Allah wills from His elite servants. They have the strength for arduous tasks. There is no rational barrier to some subtle, fiery bodies being different in essence from other types of subtle bodies and possessing the capacity to receive the effusion of life and the ability for wondrous actions. For example, the scholars of modern philosophy have claimed the existence of subtle bodies, proving for them qualities that dazzle the intellects; so let the bodies of the Jinn be of that type of body. The world of nature is too vast to be bounded by the enclosure of what understandings have stored within it. Most philosophers are in denial of the Jinn. In Risalat al-Hudud by Ibn Sina, it is stated: "The Jinni is an airy animal taking on various forms." This is an explanation of the name, and its outward meaning is a denial that this reality has an existence externally; such denial is clear disbelief, as is not hidden. A great group of ancient philosophers and practitioners of spirituality have acknowledged their existence, calling them the "lower spirits." It is well known that they claimed they are essences subsisting by themselves, not bodies or corporeal; they are types differing in essence just as the essences of accidents differ. Some are good, and some are evil, and no one knows the number of their types and classes except Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It is not unlikely that the saying "it grows," etc.—it is said anma when it hides—implies that among their types are those capable of great, arduous actions that humans are incapable of. Furthermore, it is not unlikely, according to what has been said, that each type of them has a connection to a specific type of the bodies of this world. Among the people are those who claim that human spirits and rational souls, upon departing their bodies, increase in strength and perfection due to the unveiling of spiritual mysteries in that spiritual world. If it happens that another body occurs, similar to what that departed soul had, the soul attaches itself to it with a certain attachment and becomes like an assistant to the soul of that body in its actions and management of that body. If this state occurs in good souls, that assistant is called an "angel" and that assistance "inspiration" (ilham). If it occurs in evil souls, that assistant is called a "devil" (shaytan) and that assistance "whispering" (waswasa). All of this contradicts the statements of the Salaf and the apparent meanings of the verses and hadiths. The majority of the followers of religions recognize their existence, like the Muslims, even if they differ regarding their essence. The complete discussion on this subject is sought in Akam al-Marjan, and in al-Tafsir al-Kabir there is a portion of what relates to that, so refer to it if you desire it.

There is a difference of opinion regarding the number of listeners. It is said they were seven; from Zirr, three from the people of Harran and four from the people of Nasibin—a village in Yemen, not the village in Iraq. From ‘Ikrimah, it is reported that they were twelve thousand from the district of Mosul. Where are seven or nine from twelve thousand? Perhaps nafar here refers to the leaders of the people. In al-Kashshaf, they were from the Shayṣabān, who are the most numerous of the Jinn, and the general body of Iblis’s soldiers are from them. The verse is apparent that he, the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, knew of their listening to him through revelation, not through witnessing them. It has occurred in the hadiths that he, upon him be peace and prayer, saw them; this is reconciled by the multiplicity of the event. It is stated in Akam al-Marjan—the essence of which is that in the two Sahihs, in the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas: "The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, did not recite to the Jinn, nor did he see them; rather, he set out with a party of his Companions to the market of ‘Ukaz, and the Jinn had been barred from the heaven by shooting stars. They said: 'This has not happened except for something that has occurred, so travel to the easts of the earth and its wests.' Those of them who went to Tihama passed by him, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, while he was praying the dawn prayer with his Companions at Nakhla. When they listened to him, they said: 'This is what has come between us and the heaven,' and they returned to their people and said: 'O our people...' Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed to him: 'Say: It has been revealed...'" Then he said: "Ibn ‘Abbas’s negation is only regarding this event, and their listening to his recitation, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, in the dawn prayer in this specific event, not absolutely." This is indicated by His saying: "And when We directed a party of the Jinn to you," for it indicates that he, upon him be peace and prayer, spoke to them, invited them, and made them messengers to those other than them, as al-Bayhaqi said. Abu Dawud reported from ‘Alqama, from Ibn Mas’ud, from the Prophet, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, that he said: "The caller of the Jinn came to me, so I went with him and recited the Quran to them." He said: "And he went with us and showed us their tracks and the tracks of their fires," etc. The hadiths have indicated that the arrival of the Jinn was six times. Ibn Taymiyyah said that Ibn ‘Abbas knew what the Quran indicated, and he did not know what Ibn Mas’ud and Abu Hurayrah knew of the Jinn coming to him, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, and their speaking to him. The story of the Jinn was three years before the Hijrah. Al-Waqidi said it was in the eleventh year of Prophethood. Ibn ‘Abbas had reached the age of maturity at the Farewell Pilgrimage. Thus, you have known that the story of the Jinn occurred six times. In the commentary of al-Bayhaqi, through various chains from Ibn Mas’ud, it is said that the Prophet, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, prayed the Isha prayer, then turned away and took my hand until we came to such-and-such a place, and he seated me and drew a line around me, then said: "Do not leave your line." While I was sitting, men of them came to me as if they were the Zutt... and he mentioned a long hadith, and that he, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, did not come to him until dawn. He said: "I began to hear voices." Then he, upon him be peace and prayer, came, and I said: "Where were you, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "I was sent to the Jinn." I said: "What are these voices I heard?" He said: "They are their voices when they bade me farewell and greeted me." The difference regarding the few and the many may also be reconciled by the multiplicity of the event. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

There is a difference of opinion regarding what they listened to. ‘Ikrimah said: "Read in the name of your Lord," and it is said: "Surat al-Rahman."

"So they said" That is, to their people upon their return to them.

"We have heard a Quran" That is, a book being recited, according to how some eminent scholars interpreted it. It was interpreted as such to point to what they mentioned in its description, of which the rest of the surah speaks—the whole of it, not just the part recited. The intent is that it is from the heavenly books. The tanwin is for magnification; meaning: a Quran of magnificent status.

"Amazing" Unique, distinct from human speech in the beauty of its composition and the precision of its meaning. It is a verbal noun (masdar) used as an adjective for emphasis (mubalagha).