The frequent mention of Genii (from Arabic جني jinnie) in this work,
and the erroneous accounts that have been given of these fabulous
beings by various European writers, have induced me to examine the
statements respecting them in several Arabic works; and I shall here
offer the result of my investigation, with a previous account of the
Angels.
The Muslims, in general, believe in three different species of created
intelligent beings; namely, Angels, who are created of light; Genii,
who are created of fire; and Men, created of earth. The first species
are called “Meláïkeh” (sing. “Melek”); the second, “Jinn” or “Ginn”
(sing. “Jinnee” or “Ginnee”); the third, “Ins” (sing. “Insee”). Some
hold that the Devils (Sheytáns) are of a species distinct from Angels
and Jinn; but the more prevailing opinion, and that which rests on the
highest authority, is that they are rebellious Jinn.
“It is believed,” says El-Kazweenee, “that the Angels are of a simple
substance, endowed with life, and speech, and reason; and that the
difference between them and the Jinn and Sheytáns is a difference of
species. Know,” he adds, “that the Angels are sanctified from carnal
desire and the disturbance of anger: they disobey not God in
celebrating of his glory; their drink, the proclaiming of his
holiness; their conversation, the commemoration of God, whose name be
exalted; their pleasure, his worship: they are created in different
forms, and with different powers.” Some are described as having the
forms of brutes. Four of them are Archangels; Jebraeel or Jibreel (
Gabriel), the angel of revelations; Meekaeel or Meekál ( Michael), the
patron of the Israelites; ’Azraeel, the angel of death; and Isráfeel,
the angel of the trumpet, which he is to sound twice, or some say
thrice, at the end of the world: one blast will kill all living
creatures (himself included): another, forty years after, (he being
raised again for this purpose, with Jebraeel and Meekaeel,) will raise
the dead. These Archangels are also called Apostolic Angels. They are
inferior in dignity to human prophets and apostles, though superior to
the rest of the human race: the angelic nature is held to be inferior
to the human nature, because all the Angels were commanded to
prostrate themselves before Adam. Every believer is attended by two
guardian and recording angels; one of whom writes his good actions,
the other, his evil actions: or, according to some, the number of
these angels is five, or sixty, or a hundred and sixty. There are also
two Angels, called Munkar (vulg. Nákir) and Nekeer, who examine all
the dead, and torture the wicked in their graves.
The species of Jinn is said to have been created some thousands of
years before Adam. According to a tradition from the Prophet, this
species consists of five orders or classes; namely, Jánn (who are the
least powerful of all), Jinn, Sheytáns ( Devils), ’Efreets, and
Márids. The last, it is added, are the most powerful; and the Jánn are
transformed Jinn; like as certain apes and swine were transformed men
(Kur-án 5:65). It must however, be remarked here, that the terms Jinn
and Jánn are generally used indiscriminately, as names of the whole
species (including the other orders above mentioned) whether good or
bad; and that the former term is the more common. Also, that “Sheytán”
is commonly used to signify any evil Jinnee. An ‘Efreet is a powerful
evil Jinnee: a Márid, an evil Jinnee of the most powerful class. The
Jinn (but generally speaking, evil ones) are called by the Persians
“Deevs;” the most powerful evil, “Narahs” (which signifies “males,”
though they are said to be males and females); the good Jinn,
“Perees;” though this term more commonly applies to females.
In a tradition from the Prophet, it is said, “The Jánn were created of
a smokeless fire.” The word which signifies “a smokeless fire” has
been misunderstood by some as meaning “the flame of fire:” El-Jóharee
(in the Seháh) renders it rightly; and says that of this fire was the
Sheytán (Iblees) created. “El-Jánn” is sometimes used as a name for
Iblees; as in the following verse of the Kur-án:- “And the Jánn [the
father of the Jinn, i.e. Iblees] we had created before [i.e. before
the creation of Adam] of the fire of the samoom [i.e. of the fire
without smoke].” “Jánn” also signifies “a serpent;” as in other
passages of the Kur-án; and is used in the same book as synonymous
with “Jinn.” In the last sense it is generally believed to be used in
the tradition quoted in the commencement of this paragraph. There are
several apparently contradictory traditions from the Prophet which are
reconciled by what has been above stated: in one, it is said, that
Iblees was the father of all the Jánn and Sheytáns; Jánn being here
synonymous with Jinn: in another, that Jánn was the father of all the
Jinn; here, Jánn being used as the name of Iblees.
“It is held,” says El-Kazweenee, “that the Jinn are aerial animals,
with transparent bodies, which can assume various forms. People differ
in opinion respecting these beings: some consider the Jinn and
Sheytáns as unruly men; but these persons are of the Moatezileh [a
sect of Muslim freethinkers]: and some hold, that God, whose name be
exalted, created the Angels of the light of fire, and the Jinn of its
flame [but this is at variance with the general opinion] and the
Sheytáns of its smoke [which is also at variance with the common
opinion]; and that [all] these kinds of beings are [usually] invisible
to men, but that they assume what forms they please, and when their
form becomes condensed they are visible.” - This last remark
illustrates several descriptions of Jinnees in this work; where the
form of the monster is at first undefined, or like an enormous pillar,
and then gradually assumes a human shape and less gigantic size. The
particular forms of brutes , reptiles, &c., in which the Jinn most
frequently appear will be mentioned hereafter.
It is said that God created the Jánn [or Jinn] two thousand years
before Adam [or, according to some writers, much earlier]; and that
there are believers and infidels and every sect among them, as among
men. Some say that a prophet, named Yoosuf, was sent to the Jinn:
others, that they had only preachers, or admonishers: others, again,
that seventy apostles were sent, before Mohammed, to Jinn and men
conjointly. It is commonly believed that preadamite Jinn were governed
by forty (or, according to some, seventy-two) kings, to each of which
the Arab writers give the name of Suleymán (or Solomon); and that they
derive their appellation from the last of these, who was called Jánn
Ibn-Jánn, and who, some say, built the pyramids of Egypt. The
following account of the preadamite Jinn is given by Al-Kazweenee.-
“It is related in histories, that a race of Jinn, in ancient times,
before the creation of Adam, inhabited the earth and covered it, the
land and the sea, and the plains and the mountains; and the favours of
God were multiplied upon them, and they had government, and prophecy,
and religion, and law; but they transgressed and offended, and opposed
their prophets, and made wickedness to abound in the earth; whereupon,
God, whose name be exalted, sent against them an army of Angels, who
took possession of the earth, and drove away the Jinn to the regions
of the islands, and made many of them prisoners; and of those who were
made prisoners was ’Azázeel [afterwards called Iblees, from his
despair]; and a slaughter was made among them. At that time, ’Azázeel
was young: he grew up among the Angels [and probably for that reason
was called one of them], and became learned in their knowledge, and
assumed the government of them; and his days were prolonged until he
became their chief; and thus it continued for a long time, until the
affair between him and Adam happened, as God, whose name be exalted,
hath said, ‘When we said unto the Angels, Worship ye Adam, and [all]
worshipped except Iblees, [who] was [one] of the Jinn.’”
“Iblees,” we are told by another authority, “was sent as a governor
upon the earth, and judged among the Jinn a thousand years, after
which he ascended into heaven, and remained employed in worship until
the creation of Adam.” The name of Iblees was originally, according to
some, ’Azázeel (as before mentioned; and according to others,
El-Hárith: his patronymic is Aboo-Murrah, or Abu-l-Ghimr. It is
disputed whether he was of the Angels or of the Jinn. There are three
opinions on this point. - 1. That he was of the Angels, from a
tradition from Ibn-‘Abbás. - 2. That he was of the Sheytáns (or evil
Jinn); as it is said in the Ku-rán, “except Iblees, [who] was [one] of
the Jinn:” this was the opinion of El-Hasan El-Basree, and is that
commonly held. - 3. That he was neither of the Angels nor of the Jinn;
but created alone, of fire. - Ibn-‘Abbás founds his opinion on the
same text from which El-Hasan El-Basree derives his: “When we said
unto the Angels, Worship ye Adam, and [all] worshipped except Iblees,
[who] was [one] of the Jinn” (before quoted: which he explains by
saying, that the most noble and honourable among the Angels are called
“the Jinn,” because they are veiled from the eyes of the other Angels
on account of their superiority; and that Iblees was one of these
Jinn. He adds, that he had the government of the lowest heaven and of
the earth, and was called the Táoos (literally, Peacock) of the
Angels; and that there was not a spot in the lowest heaven but he had
prostrated himself upon it: but when the Jinn rebelled upon the earth,
God sent a troop of Angels who drove them to the islands and
mountains; and Iblees being elated with pride, and refusing to
prostrate himself before Adam, God transformed him into a Sheytán. -
But this reasoning is opposed by other verses, in which Iblees is
represented as saying, “Thou has created me of fire, and hast created
him [Adam] of earth.” It is therefore argued, “If he were created
originally of fire, how was he created of light? For the Angels were
[all] created of light.” - The former verse may be explained by the
tradition, that Iblees, having been taken captive, was exalted among
the Angels; or perhaps there is an ellipsis after the word “Angels;”
for it might be inferred that the command given to the Angels was also
(and à fortiori) to be obeyed by the Jinn.
According to a tradition, Iblees and all the Sheytáns are
distinguished from the other Jinn by a longer existence. “The
Sheytáns,” it is added, “are the children of Iblees, and die not but
with him: whereas the [other] Jinn die before him;” though they may
live many centuries. But this is not altogether accordant with the
popular belief: Iblees and many other evil Jinn are to survive
mankind; but they are to die before the general resurrection; as also
even the Angels; the last of whom will be the Angel of Death,
’Azraeel: yet not all the evil Jinn are to live thus long: many of
them are killed by shooting stars , hurled at them from heaven;
wherefore, the Arabs, when they see a shooting star (shiháb), often
exclaim, “May God transfix the enemy of the faith!” - Many also are
killed by other Jinn; and some, even by men. The fire of which the
Jinnee is created circulates in his veins, in place of blood:
therefore, when he receives a mortal wound, this fire, issuing from
his veins, generally consumes him to ashes. - The Jinn, it has been
already shown, are peccable. They also eat and drink, and propagate
their species, sometimes in conjunction with human beings; in which
latter case, the offspring partakes of the nature of both parents. In
all these respects they differ from the Angels. Among the evil Jinn
are distinguished the five sons of their chief, Iblees; namely, Teer,
who brings about calamities, losses, and injuries; El-Aawar, who
encourages debauchery; Sót, who suggests lies, Dásim, who causes
hatred between man and wife; and Zelemboor, who presides over places
of traffic.
The most common forms and habitations or places of resort of the Jinn
must now be described.
The following traditions from the Prophet are the most to the purpose
that I have seen. - The Jinn are of various shapes; having the forms
of serpents, scorpions, lions, wolves, jackals, &c. - The Jinn are of
three kinds; one on the land; one in the sea; and one in the air. The
Jinn consist of forty troops; each troop consisting of six hundred
thousand. - The Jinn are of three kinds; one have wings, and fly;
another are snakes, and dogs; and the third move about from place to
place like men. - Domestic snakes are asserted to be Jinn on the same
authority.
The Prophet ordered his followers to kill serpents and scorpions if
they intruded at prayers; but on other occasions, he seems to have
required first to admonish them to depart, and then, if they remained,
to kill them. The Doctors, however, differ in opinion whether all
kinds of snakes or serpents should be admonished first; or whether any
should; for the Prophet, say they, took a covenant of the Jinn
[probably after the above-mentioned command], that they should not
enter the houses of the faithful: therefore, it is argued, if they
enter, they break their covenant, and it becomes lawful to kill them
without previous admonishment. Yet it is related that ’Áïsheh, the
Prophet’s wife, having killed a serpent in her chamber, was alarmed by
a dream, and, fearing that it might have been a Muslim Jinnee, as it
did not enter her chamber when she was undressed, gave in alms, as an
expiation, twelve thousand dirhems (about £300), the price of the
blood of a Muslim.
The Jinn are said to appear to mankind most commonly in the shapes of
serpents, dogs, cats or human beings. In the last case, they are
sometimes of the stature of men, and sometimes of a size enormously
gigantic. If good, they are generally resplendently handsome: if evil,
horribly hideous. They become invisible at pleasure (by a rapid
extension or rarefaction of the particles which compose them), or
suddenly disappear in the earth or air, or through a solid wall. Many
Muslims in the present day profess to have seen and held intercourse
with them.
The Zóba’ah, which is a whirlwind that raises the sand or dust in the
form of a pillar of prodigious height, often seen sweeping across the
deserts or fields, is believed to be caused by the flight of an evil
Jinnee. To defend themselves from a Jinnee thus “riding in the
whirlwind,” the Arabs often exclaim “Iron! Iron!” (Hadeed! Hadeed!),
or, “Iron! Thou unlucky! (Hadeed! yá mashoom!), as the Jinn are
supposed to have a great dread of that metal: or they exclaim, “God is
most great!” (Alláhu akbar!), A similar superstition prevails with
respect to the water-spout at sea, as the reader may have discovered
from the first instance of the description of a Jinnee in the present
work, which occasions this note to be here inserted.
It is believed that the chief mode of the Jinn is in the mountains of
Káf, which are supposed (as mentioned on a former occasion) to
encompass the whole of our earth. But they are also believed to
pervade the solid body of our earth, and the firmament; and to choose,
as their principal places of resort, or of occasional abode, baths,
wells, the latrina, ovens, ruined houses, market-places, the junctures
of the roads, the sea, and rivers. The Arabs, therefore, when they
pour water, &c., on the ground, or enter a bath, or let down a bucket
into a well, or visit the latrina, and on various other occasions,
say, “Permission!” or “Permission, ye blessed!” (Destoor! Or, Destoor
yá mubara-keen!”). - The evil spirits (or evil Jinn), it is said, had
liberty to enter any of the seven heavens till the birth of Jesus,
when they were excluded from three of them: on the birth of Mohammed,
they were forbidden the other four. They continue, however, to ascend
to the confines of the lowest heaven, and there listening to the
conversation of the Angels respecting things decreed by God, obtain
knowledge of futurity, which they sometimes impart to men, who, by
means of talismans, or certain invocations, make them to serve the
purposes of magical performances. To this particular subject it will
be necessary to revert. - What the Prophet said of Iblees, in the
following tradition, applies to the evil Jinn over whom he presides: -
His chief abode [among men] is the bath; his chief places of resort
are the markets, and the junctures of roads; his food is whatever is
killed without the name of God being pronounced over it; his drink,
whatever is intoxicating; his muëddin, the mizmár (a musical pipe;
i.e. any musical instrument); his kur-án, poetry; his written
character, the marks made in geomancy; his speech, falsehood; his
snares are women.
That particular Jinnees presided over particular places, was an
opinion of the early Arabs. It is said in the Kur-án, “And there were
certain men who sought refuge with certain of the Jinn.” In the
commentary of the Jeláleyn, I find the following remark on these
words: - “When they halted, on their journey, in a place of fear, each
man said, ‘I seek refuge with the lord of this place, from the
mischief of his foolish ones!’”. In illustration of this, I may insert
the following tradition, translated from El-Kazweenee: - “It is
related by a certain narrator of traditions, that he descended into a
valley, with his sheep, and a wolf carried off a ewe from among them;
and he arose, and raised his voice, and cried, ‘O inhabitant of the
valley!’ whereupon he heard a voice saying, ‘O wolf, restore to him
his sheep!’ and the wolf came with the ewe, and left her, and
departed.” - The same opinion is held by the modern Arabs, though
probably they do not use such an invocation. - A similar superstition,
a relic of ancient Egyptian credulity, still prevails among the people
of Cairo. It is believed that each quarter of the city has its
peculiar guardian-genius, or Agathodæmon, which has the form of a
serpent.
It has already been mentioned that some of the Jinn are Muslims; and
others, infidels. The good Jinn acquit themselves of imperative duties
of religion; namely, prayers, alms-giving, fasting during the month of
Ramadán, and pilgrimage to Mekkeh and Mount ’Arafát: but in the
performance of these duties they are generally invisible to human
beings. Some examples of the mode in which good Jinn pay the alms
required of them by the law, I have given in a former work.
Of the services and injuries done by Jinn to men, some account must be given.
It has been stated, that, by means of talismans, or certain
invocations, men are said to obtain the services of Jinn; and the
manner in which the latter are enabled to assist magicians, by
imparting to them the knowledge of future events, has been explained.
No man ever attained such absolute power over the Jinn as Suleymán
Ibn-Dáood (Solomon, the Son of David). This he did by virtue of a most
wonderful talisman, which is said to have come down to him from
heaven. It was a seal-ring, upon which was engraved “the most great
name” of God; and was partly composed of brass, and partly of iron.
With the brass he stamped his written commands to the good Jinn; with
the iron (for a reason before mentioned), those to the evil Jinn, or
Devils. Over both orders, he had unlimited power; as well as over the
birds and the winds, and, as is generally said, the wild beasts. His
Wezeer, Ásaf the son of Barkhiya, is also said to have been acquainted
with “the most great name,” by uttering which, the greatest miracles
may be performed; even that of raising the dead. By virtue of this
name, engraved in his ring, Suleymán compelled the Jinn to assist in
building the Temple of Jerusalem, and in various other works. Many of
the evil Jinn he converted to the true faith; and many others of this
class, who remained obstinate in infidelity, he confined in prisons.
He is said to have been monarch of the whole earth. Hence, perhaps,
the name of Suleymán is given to the universal monarch of the
preadamite Jinn; unless the story of his own universal dominion
originated from confounding him with those kings of the Jinn.
The injuries related to have been inflicted upon human beings by evil
Jinn are of various kinds. Jinnees are said to have often carried off
beautiful women, whom they have forcibly kept as their wives or
concubines. I have mentioned in a former work, that malicious or
disturbed Jinnees are asserted often to station themselves on the
roofs, or at the windows, of houses, and to throw down bricks and
stones on persons passing by. When they take possession of an
uninhabited house, they seldom fail to persecute terribly any person
who goes to reside in it. They are also very apt to pilfer provisions,
&c. Many learned and devout persons, to secure their property from
such depredations, repeat the words “In the name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful!” on locking the doors of their houses,
rooms, or closets, and on covering the bread-basket, or anything
containing food. During the month of Ramadán, the evil Jinn are
believed to be confined in prison; and therefore, on the last night of
that month, with the same view, women sometimes repeat the words above
mentioned, and sprinkle salt upon the floors of the apartments of
their houses.
To complete this sketch of Arabian mythology, an account must be added
of several creatures believed to be of inferior orders of the Jinn.
One of these is the Ghool, which is commonly regarded as a kind of
Sheytán, or evil Jinnee, that eats men; and is described by some as a
Jinnee or an enchanter who assumes various forms. The ghools are said
to appear in the forms of various animals, and of human beings, and in
many monstrous shapes; to haunt burial-grounds and other sequestered
spots; to feed upon dead human bodies; and to kill and devour any
human creature who has the misfortune to fall in their way: whence the
term “Ghool” is applied to any cannibal. An opinion quoted by a
celebrated author, respecting the Ghool, is, that it is a demoniacal
animal, which passes a solitary existence in the deserts, resembling
both man and brute; that it appears to a person travelling alone in
the night and in solitary places, and, being supposed by him to be
itself a traveller, lures him out of his way. Another opinions stated
by him is this: that, when the Sheytáns attempt to hear words by
stealth [from the confines of the lowest heaven], they are struck by
shooting stars; and some are burnt; some, falling into the sea, or
rather a large river (bahr), become converted into crocodiles; and
some, falling upon the land, become Ghools. The same author adds the
following tradition:- “The Ghool is any Jinnee that is opposed to
travels, assuming various forms and appearances;” and affirms that
several of the Companions of the Prophet saw Ghools in their travels;
and that ’Omar, among them, saw a Ghool while on a journey to Syria,
before El-Islám, and struck it with his sword. - It appears that
“Ghool” is, properly speaking, a name only given to a female demon of
the kind above described: the male is called “Kutrub.” It is said that
these beings, and the Gheddár, or Gharrár, and other similar creatures
which will presently be mentioned, are the offspring of Iblees and of
a wife whom God created for him of the fire of the Samoon (which here
signifies, as an instance before mentioned, “a smokeless fire”); and
that they sprang from an egg. The female Ghool, it is added, appears
to men in the deserts, in various forms, converses with them, and
sometimes prostitutes herself to them.
The Sealáh, or Saaláh, is another demoniacal creature, described by
some [or rather, by most authors] as of the Jinn. It is said that it
is mostly found in forests; and that when it captures a man, it makes
him dance, and plays with him as the cat plays with the mouse. A man
of Isfahán asserted that many beings of this kind abounded in his
country; that sometimes the wolf would hunt one of them by night, and
devour it, and that, when it had seized it, the Sealáh would cry out,
“Who will liberate me? I have a hundred deenárs, and he shall receive
them!” but the people knowing that it was the cry of the Sealáh, no
one would liberate it; and so the wolf would eat it. - An island in
the sea of Es-Seen (or China) is called “the Island of the Sealáh,” by
Arab geographers, from its being said to be inhabited by the demons so
named: they are described as creatures of hideous forms, supposed to
be Sheytáns, the offspring of human beings and Jinn, who eat men.
The Ghaddár, or Gharrár (for its name is written differently in two
different MSS. In my possession), is another creature of a similar
nature, described as being found in the borders of El-Yemen, and
sometimes in Tihámeh, and in the upper parts of Egypt. It is said that
it entices a man to it, and either tortures him in a manner not to be
described, or merely terrifies him, and leaves him.
The Delhán is also a demoniacal being, inhabiting the islands of the
seas, having the form of a man, and riding on an ostrich. It eats the
flesh of men whom the sea casts on the shore from wrecks. Some say
that a Dalhán once attacked a ship in the sea, and desired to take the
crew; but they contended with it; whereupon it uttered a cry which
caused them to fall upon their faces, and it took them. - In my MS. of
Ibn-El-Wardee, I find the name “Dahlán.” He mentions an island called
by this name, in the Sea of ’Omán; and describes its inhabitants as
cannibal Sheytáns, like men in form, and riding on birds resembling
ostriches.
The Shikk is another demoniacal creature, having the form of half a
human being (like a man divided longitudinally); and it is believed
that the Nesnás is the offspring of a Shikk and of a human being. The
Shikk appears to travellers; and it was a demon of this kind who
killed, and was killed by, ’Alkameh, the son of Safwán, the son of
Umeiyeh; of whom it is well known that he was killed by a Jinnee. So
says El-Kazweenee.
The Nesnás (above mentioned) is described as resembling half a human
being; having half a head, half a body, one arm, and one leg, with
which it hops with much agility; as being found in the woods of
El-Yemen; and that one was brought alive to El-Mutawekkil: it
resembled a man in form, excepting that it had but half a face, which
was in its breast, and a tail like that of a sheep. The people of
Hadramót, it is added, eat it; and its flesh is sweet. It is only
generated in their country. A man who went there asserted that he saw
a captured Nesnás, which cried out for mercy, conjuring him by God and
by himself. A race of people whose head is in the breast is described
as inhabiting an island called Jábeh (supposed to be Java), in the Sea
of El-Hind, or India. A kind of Nesnás is also described as inhabiting
the Island of Ráïj, in the Sea of Es-Seen, or China, and having wings
like those of the bat.
The Hátif is a being that is heard, but not seen; and is often
mentioned by Arab writers. It is generally the communicator of some
intelligence in the way of advice, or direction, or warning.
Here terminating this long note, I must beg the reader to remark, that
the superstitious fancies which it describes are prevalent among all
classes of the Arabs, and the Muslims in general, learned as well as
vulgar. I have comprised in it much matter not necessary to illustrate
the introductory portion of this work, in order to avoid frequent
recurrence to the same subject. Another apology for its length may
also be offered: - its importance as confuting Schlegel’s opinion,
that the frequent mention of Genii is more consistent with Indian than
with Arab notions.
Note 4. Sing. of Jinn (Genii), being created of fire. The species of
Jinn is said to have been created some thousands of years before Adam.
According to a tradition from the Prophet, this species consists of
five orders or classes; namely, Jann (who are the least powerful of
all), Jinn, Sheytans (or Devils), ‘Efrits, and Marids. The last, it is
added, are the most powerful; and the Jann are transformed Jinn; like
as certain apes and swine were transformed men. The terms Jinn and
Jann, however, are generally used indiscriminately, as names of the
whole species (including the other orders above mentioned), whether
good or bad; the former term in the more common. [Iblis is Satan,
their King.] “Sheytan” is commonly used to signify any evil Jinn. An
‘Efrit is a powerful evil Jinni: a Madrid, an evil Jinni of the most
powerful class. The Jinn (but generally speaking, evil ones) are
called by the Persians Divs; the most powerful evil Jinn, Narahs
(which signifies “males,” though they are said to be males and
females); the good Jinn, Peris, though this term is commonly applied
to females.
No comments:
Post a Comment