Generally the term Sihr describes a range of terms which are known to
us as magic, including various methods of oracles, the use of
different objects and signs, medicinal plants, assembling spells,
manufacturing talismans and notations, and communicating with
supernatural forces. During the long history of magic which begins in
the drab of mankind we find depicted walls of the caves in Altamira,
Spain, where the primitive man drew figures of punctured wild animals
wanting to influence that way his hunting skills and to strengthen his
hunting capabilities. In paganism, the first form of religion, magic
played a central role and by virtue of it and through spells
performing magic rituals the priests and priestesses addressed the
gods and spirits of nature. Later with the advent of monotheism, the
history of magic continues with the stories about Adam and his
daughter Anak, then Solomon or the Persian ruler of magic and the
world of King Jamshid all the way to Iblis and his daughter Baidah,
the angels Harut and Marut, etc.
Today we reliably know that no religion can exist without magic
because without it the religion could not exist nor could it be
accepted by the people. The things that fascinated and inspired man
for ages and ever since his origin, are the miracles and supernatural
phenomena before which he recedes and prostrates himself. If we look
at the stories of the three messengers of God Mosses, Jesus and
Mohammed we will notice magical or miraculous legends. In the case of
Mosses the division of the ocean is nothing else but a copy of the
much older Egyptian myth in which one of the pharaoh's wizards splits
a lake into two before the spellbound people. Satan's temptation of
Jesus in the desert is a classical description of an ancient wizard
who evokes and communicates with demons. Muhammad's banishment of the
devil also points to a similar myth.
ARABIAN MAGIC
The whole system of Arabian magic is founded on the age old beliefs of
ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia which were developed in details
and they encompassed magical sciences like astrology, numerology,
spiritualism, necromancy and the like. A conformation of this claim is
easy to be found reading various perscriptions from Arabic magic
books. In bewitching a husband to be bound, Sihr is left in the oven
over night. An oven for bread was dedicated to the goddess Ishtar who
ruled over love, fertility and motherhood. Also her metal was copper,
a frequent material for production of talismans. In another medicine
for love in the list of the names of the Jinn that are being called
upon, the name Shamash is mentioned, the ancient god of the sun, etc.
It would be interesting to mention the symbol of the pentagram or the
five sided star probably the most famous symbol of the Arabic occult
tradition, which represented the god Anubis in the ancient Egypt.
Besides this, the use of vefk's (magical square) began on the
territory of today's Syria. From all of the above it is easy to
conclude that magic has never been absent from mans conscience and
that the methods and techniques that were used 7000 years ago still
exist today, comprehended in a more assimilated, modern way.
Two ways to get knowledge about magic
From ancient times, magical knowledge was acquired in two ways-
through books and through an oral tradition. The first way can be
called elite, because obtaining knowledge that way was available only
to a handful of chosen people who were acquainted with the mystical
arts through teachings about using mysterious forces embodied in the
names Allah, magical alphabet and vekf's. Traditional transmission of
magical knowledge to family members was the most frequent way of
initiating into the supernatural. This way can be considered as
better, and more useful than the previous one because the knowledge
and experience that is gathered over generations is a measurable
source of wisdom and power unlike obscure texts and formulas from
ancient authors that are protected.
Another important factor that vindicates the above mentioned, is the
acquisition of the necessary permit for spiritual work from a
teacher-forerunner which is after all one of the key elements for
occult work.
How does Sihr work?
Today when occultism and clairvoyance are experiencing their
renaissance, various untrue stories and misinformations are being
spread about magic. The lowest form of magic- sorcery is being hit the
hardest. Even though serious spiritualists avoid this form because it
represents succumbing to low passions and impulses, it is the main
reason for the bad reputation of occultism. At the very beginning it
is important to say that we are talking about manipulation of the
uninformed masses who are fed lies through newspapers and shallow
books about something that might be called "house magic" where an
unhappy wife needs to give her husband three drops of menstrual blood
in his coffee or to touch him with spellbound honey and a miracle will
take place. Those are notorious absurdities that are of no use and
they should be considered as fairy tales and romantic prescription
that were made up by old ladies while they were knitting socks.
If we consider this logically, any person that has made a blood
transfusion would be incurably in love with the donor because as these
prescriptions claim, the person that drinks a couple of drops of blood
from your pinky will be madly in love with you. If magic (sorcery) was
that easy wouldn't it be logical then that everyone would use sihr's
on one another, and they wouldn't do anything else? Because it
wouldn't be necessary.
Real magic only works in the hands of an experienced individual who is
familiar with the first law of magic, namely: in the world of magic
nothing comes for free, everything has a price. In other words this
would mean that for every service that we expect we need to do a
counter service. To whom? To spiritual beings (Jinn) who are the
backbone of magic. Without their help no magic has an effect.
According to spiritual laws a magi or a magician can influence another
person through his Jinn if he manages to find out his name, namely,
every man has his copy in the spiritual world (Karin) that directly
influences him through his subconscious. If the magi succeeds to
dominate the human copy in the spiritual world then he has control
over that man. Of course, there are a lot of different ways to
influence another person through magic but they are all based on the
contact with the spiritual beings.
Besides this every initiate into the Arabian occultism knows that a
large number of magical operations are subject to astrology. Namely,
every successful magical operation has in its own basis a positive
astrological influence which is shown through some of the planets in
the astrological clock or the zodiac sign. In accordance with that,
for all magical influences a culprit can be found in the position of
certain planets. By this we mean Saturn, Pluto and Neptune whose
influence is the strongest when he is in the 8th house a symbol of the
magical and the occult. Of course the positions of other planets are
also important in determining magical influences. Red or love magic
can be easily traced by following the position of Venus, whose
influence can be seen through Fridays and its astrological clocks
because most love rituals are based on them.
There are many ways in which humans can return favors to ghosts,
namely; to pray to them, reading verses from the Quran, doing some
religious practices for the Jinn (if we are talking about Jinn
believers), doing dishonest things (if we are talking about Jinn that
are atheist), there were cases that a male Jinn or a female Jinn which
is in contact with the magi wishes the magi as his intimate partner
and (supernatural) intimate contacts take place, sometimes they go so
far to have a supernatural marriage and such.
How this communication between the Jinn and the Magi look like is best
illustrated by this Turkish description of the ceremony of magic. When
some girl is not returning affection to some boy who has been in love
with her for a long time, feelings of love obsession are developed in
him which prompt him to seek help from some powerful magician.
The whole process of sorcery is done in several parts and the first
one is of course the classical "looking into the stars" to discover
all the similarities between the male and the female on the basis of
personal data. The practical part of the ritual begins on Friday,
after the nightly prayers, when the magi goes to the house of the boy
and sits next to the fire place. Holding in his hand salt and speaking
some Jinn spells or azamet he throws it into the fire. As soon as the
salt starts cracking the magi pronounces the names of the boy and the
girl, than he speaks bismillah and spits into the fire.
Pronouncing spells with the salt is only the introduction into the
serious part of the ritual, namely, after reading a verse from the
Quran, he takes seven candles and places them in different spots
around the fire place and in the end he lights them. That way creating
ideal conditions for his occult work, he starts calling forth the Jinn
pronouncing the verse Jinn. In a very short time the Jinn start
arriving in the room, sitting around the lit candles waiting for the
magi's orders.
The magi knows that he cannot hurry with his orders, therefore he
draws seven triangles around the fire place and in everyone of them he
writes a magical word "Hu". He repeats seven times the azimet walking
around the house, blowing after every repetition. As soon as he stops
next to a candle the magi loudly calls out the girls name continuing
with the words "ya eyyuhelervah" blowing to his left and right side.
With this he indicates the last part of his ritual when the orders are
given to the Jinn and where he follows the events that he has set in
motion with his magical operations. Before that he puts out one candle
uttering the following words in Arabic: "You Jinn, bring me the soul
of this candle, the girl is asleep." And then he puts out the rest of
the candles.
The above mentioned ritual is repeated seven nights in a row. On the
last night the magi writes the name of the girl on the boy's chest
with a dark ink, giving a warning that no one can see that. By the
magi's instruction the boy has to encircle the girl's house three
times, three nights in a row while the magi tracks the condition of
the Jinn that is in charge of the task. Seven days after the above
described is done, the souls of the boy and the girl will be united
and she will start to love the boy, for whom she never had any
feelings.
Historians of occultism believe that the magical square (al-waqf or
vafk, vefk) was first introduced by the people of ancient Egypt and
India believing that it represents a strong symbol that protects from
all evil. For that reason they carried it like an amulet, and also
carved the symbol above the door and all other places that they wanted
to protect. Later, the squares were used by the Arabian astrologers
for the production of natal horoscopes and therefore taking another
important place.
The whole science about magical squares and seals (khatam) drains its
knowledge from "ilm ul-huruf" which means science of letters.
These are only some of the 27 rules for the production of magical
squares and triangles(waqf):
-One shouldn't eat too much, the stomach mustn't be laden with food
-One should avoid eating foods of animal origin
-One should avoid eating foods that have an unpleasant smell, like
onions, garlic, etc.
-The things on which a waqf will be produced must be well taken care of
-For each waqf there is a qasem (curse, wish) and it should be
pronounced during the creation of the talisman
-One should have clean clothes, clean body and a clean place where the
waqf will be created. Also care must be taken that the material
necessary for writing is in order (pen, ink, place where the
inscription is made, etc.)
-One must face the holly city of Mecca.
Magic squares of these varieties are used as love charms, to create
enmity, to cause men to be silent regarding another, to prevent
dreaming, and to cast out devils. In northern India they are used to
cure various diseases, to cause butter to increase in the churn, or
milk in a woman or in a cow, to remove cattle disease, to make
fruit-trees give their fruit, to make a husband obey his wife.
In southern India, when used as love charms they are written about the
time of the new moon, the best days being Fridays, Mondays, Wednesdays
and Thursdays, and the best hours during which Jupiter, Mercury, and
Venus are dominant. For all purposes magic squares are written on a
porcelain plate or on paper, the inscription being washed off and
drunk.
Among the Memans of Gujaret, in a case of spirit possession, the Sayid
asks the patient to send him daily a white china plate, on which he
writes with saffron magic squares, figures, or chapter 113 of the
Koran (Kur'an), the writing being dissolved in water and drunk.
The English word ' talisman ' and its equivalents of some other
European languages also come from an Arabic word tilisam or tilsam.
One need not conclude from these words, that the belief in amulets or
talisman went to the West from the East to Europe from Arabia after
the Arab conquest of Spain and a great part of Europe.
Talisman, Tilsum or Tilisum, basically means precious, sanctified
item. If you would read the word Tilisim backwards in the Arabic
language, it would read Musal-lat, which means obsession which may
lead one to think that a Talisum is used for defense against ghosts
but also for controlling them. Similar to that, the Bosnian word
hamajlija or amulet is derived from the Arabic word Hamail "the thing
that is carried around one's neck" which is very similar to the
Persian word Shamail (Schamail) which means "sacred picture".
According to Ibn Haldun the Tilsum signifies a magical system based on
the knowledge of sacred scripts (letters), sigils, names of the Angels
and Jinn that one can pronounce and in that way accomplish one's
goals. Therefore the Tilsum has a role of an intermediary between the
magi on the one side and the occult on the other.
We are usually talking about short but powerful talismans, done with
the help of numbers which are usually underlined. Those are usually
coded contexts combined with numbers and letters which can be clearly
and accurately deciphered by only a few. Talismans or Tilsums,
according to our knowledge, contain in them magical words, dates,
hours, minutes, the name of the creator of the Tilsum and the name of
the one for whom the Tilsum is made. In short, the whole point of the
talisman is contained in that code.
In creation of the Tilsum a central role is taken by writing or using
the names of certain spiritual beings whose strength and obedience
should be the guaranty for the efficiency of each one. For example, in
the Tilsum whose purpose is to cure a man or to free a man from the
possession, the name of the Jinn doctor Fqtsh must be included.
Besides him other names are frequently written, like al-Qarineh and
Umm es-Subjan. In very powerful Tilsums the names of "four heads" or
four helpers is mentioned: Mazar, Kamtam, Qasurah and Taykal which
serve the four Jinn rulers: Al-Ahmar, Mudhib, Schamhurish and Murrah.
Sometimes a Tilsum can be used to drive away or distance the Jinn's
from a certain place. For example, when one wants to protect the home
form the attacks of the evil Jinn, one writes the names of the seven
sleepers on a piece of paper: Ashabul Kahf and their dog Kitmir and
then one hangs the paper on a wall in the house.
The talismans can be used for positive or negative purposes, depending
on the wanted outcome. In accordance with that the use of talismans is
widespread and therefore they can be carried in a pocket, around the
neck, placed on a wall of a house, burned in a fire, buried in the
ground or a grave, etc.
To cancel out the power of a malicious Tilsum which is found in one's
vicinity, above it one needs to pronounce the following verse 70 times
during the night, and after that the Tilsum is thrown into a fire. The
prayer for canceling out the Tilsum is as follows: "Subhaneke la ilahe
illa ente jarabbi kulli shey'in ve varisuhi la ilahe illa rafiu jelle
jelaluhi ya giyasi inde kullu shiddetin ve mujibu inde kullu davetin
ebhii sirri ve bi sirri ya Allah".
Arabic talisman
In almost all of the books on Arabic magic, dozens and sometimes even
whole chapters of love spells and talismans were present. What is
especially characteristic for such texts is the constant warnings of
the author to the reader to fear Allah and not to use the revealed
secrets for achieving one's evil goals. Some authors suggest to the
readers which spell is the strongest, and so Ibnil Hajj Tilmisanil in
his book Sumusul envar reveals the most powerful spell for gaining
someones love. For that purpose, during midnight when the zodiac sign
of cancer is the most dominant, write out the talisman using blood of
a pigeon and then to fumigate it with the blood of the dead bird.
Before that one must catch the bird Partridge and hold it captive
until Tuesday and the hour of Mars. Then you must tie the talisman to
the birds right wing and set her free. According to Ibnil Hajji
Tilmisanil this spell is so powerful that the targeted person can
become very ill because of it.
Talisman's along with knot making are the most powerful love magic in
the Arabic culture. Most of the mentioned rituals are practiced
according to ancient rules of the Middle Eastern occultism-always at
the beginning of some Arabic month. In a dimmed room filled with thick
smoke of incense and other fragrances, in complete solitude, a
magician dressed in all white writes using an ink, made out of saffron
or blood, on a piece of paper the mystic letters and formulas
constantly repeating the names of the targets of his spells calling
invisible creatures to his aid. If his spell is based on subjugating
the Jinn in order to fulfill a wish then that sort of magic is always
finished with powerful statements such as: Hurry! Quickly! At once!
If, however the magician is calling forth Allah and his angels then at
the end he utters with deep respect the following words at the end of
the talisman: "this talisman is for N the son of N"- the name of the
mother is uttered- Allah please direct your angels to fulfill my wish.
God you are certainly above everything, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah.
There is no power or strength...In this case the talisman is not
written in blood but in "Arabic ink" (Saffron) or a special ink is
made out of saffron, incense and rose water.
The belief that knot binding can produce a magical effect originates
from the old Babylonians who cured certain diseases that way and they
connected lovers, caused impotence in men, etc. Because all Middle
Eastern magical beliefs are imbued with ancient Mesopotamian elements
it is no wonder why such a practice is still popular today. When one
wishes to cause love in one person, one takes seven threads of silk of
different color. All threads are connected together and then seven
knots are tied on the threads. During the tying of each knot the
"names of the moon" are uttered seven times and Ruusu erbayi. As with
every other ritual one must take care of the time when the ritual is
performed, when the moon is in the position of one of the fixed signs.
The thread is then bound in a piece of wolf skin and is given to the
targeted person. In a very short time the bearer of that talisman will
fall in love with the one for whom the talisman was created and an
emotional relationship will form.
The most popular magic is of course the one that is called red magic
or love magic. It is used today by millions of people to improve their
love life, to win back their partner, to evoke feelings in somebody or
to just become more attractive. But love magic is not just a target of
interest of anonymous people, it has been used by many past
celebrities like Jacqueline Bouvier the widow of Kennedy and Onassis
who had three witches that helped her, one was in New York, the other
in Athens and the third one in Paris. Other celebrities were also
seeking the help of those who knew how to create love magic, namely
Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Robert Redford, Sean Connery,
Catherine Deneuve, Rita Hayworth, Petula Clark, Brigit Bardot, Merlin
Monroe etc. Naturally, today the need for the occult is even more
pronounced in celebrities, a desire to be famous, rich, protected,
loved or to know ones future transformed magic into a large industry
that has a yearly turnover of one million Euros.
In the world today the three most famous magic's are: Arabian, Gipsy
and Voodoo which have a lot of similarities but also a lot of
differences. They all have in common the immense ritualistic strength
as well as the ability to annul themselves with humans. In the
following passages we will show the easiest way to master love magic
from the Arabian occult tradition and how to use it to keep your
partner, better the relations in marriage, seduce a person that you
fancy, disable cheating in marriage, etc.
The whole system of love magic that comes from the Arabian lands is
based on the practice of building talismans, amulets, binding knots
and summoning Jinn's. The source of this magical practice derives from
ancient Egypt which is still considered as the cradle of magic. The
Egyptian magic is regarded as the most powerful magic, this is
understood from the numerous writings and records about miraculous
events in the courts of the pharaoh as well as the fascinating rituals
that were done by the priests of this land. An important contribution
to magic and its perusal we owe to ancient Persia (Iran) and their
priests known as Magi from which the word magic and magician is
derived, one who practices magic.
Arabian love magic is done by tracking the lunar system or the Arabian
months that is the time when the new moon is visible. All love magic
is done during particular days in a week and at that time when it is
most suitable. If this rule is not observed there will be no results.
The old Arabian occultists claim that the most successful magic is
done during the first days of Arabian months, before sunrise, on some
high point or some hill. Also it is necessary to know that the hours
of Jupiter, Sun and Venus are assigned for every kind of love magic.
All other planets and their hours should be avoided if one wishes to
see results.
It is also very important to know some astrological rules by which
zodiac signs and their planets are matched. Namely, as love magic and
all magic in general is subject to the influence of the planets all
those who wish to see results must obey the given instructions. If the
planets and the astrological signs are in friendly relations then the
talisman or the spell must be done in an exact day and an exact hour
of the given planet. However, if the planets and the signs are in a
malignant position towards one another, then one should drop his wish.
This means that magic cannot be made for everyone and therefore it
cannot work on everyone.
Something similar exists in Bosnian magic. When a witch wants to
create love magic that is to bring together two persons, she first
needs to find out if this is possible by divination. After she has
taken a large branch of hawthorn (Crataegus Oxyacantha) she then
splits it into three parts of equal length. Then she waits for the
fire in the fire place to tone down and then she places one branch
upright into the ember which she names as the person she wishes to put
her spell upon. The next branch she places right next to the first
one, on its left side, in the hot ember 5 inches apart and names it as
the person for whom she is creating the spell, and the third branch
she places on the right side of the first one with the same distance
apart but she doesn't name it. Then she watches to see what will
happen. If the branch, the one she named as the person for whom she is
creating the magic, falls as it is burning in the middle (named as the
person she wishes to put her spell upon) then she is certain that her
magic will succeed. However, if it happens that the un-named branch
falls in the middle then it is clear that the magic will have no
effect.
Friends are: Saturn and Mars, Jupiter and Moon, Mars and Venus, Sun
and Mercury, Venus and Moon, Mercury and Venus, Moon and Jupiter.
Enemies are: Saturn and Sun, Jupiter and Venus, Mars and Mercury, Sun
and Moon, Venus and Venus, Mercury and Jupiter, Moon and Mars
Friends are: Aries and Gemini, Taurus and Cancer, Gemini and Leo,
Cancer and Taurus, Leo and Gemini, Virgo and Scorpio, Libra and
Sagittarius, Scorpio and Virgo, Sagittarius and Aquarius, Capricorn
and Fish, Aquarius and Aries, Fish and Taurus.
Enemies are: Aries and Cancer, Taurus and Leo, Gemini and Fish, Cancer
and Aries, Leo and Taurus, Virgo and Sagittarius, Libra and Capricorn,
Scorpio and Aquarius, Sagittarius and Fish, Capricorn and Aries,
Aquarius and Scorpio, Fish and Gemini.
All sorts of things are used as amulets in Arabian world, and their
use is justified by the saying of Mohammed himself (Misbkat, 21:1): „
There in no wrong in using charms and spells so long as you do not
associate anything with God“.
Because of the lack of translations of the Arabic occult literature,
the western culture knows very little about the facts and origin of
many magical symbols which can be found in most of the rituals that
are performed today. Most of the symbols that we come across in
rituals of various magical schools are of an Egyptian origin and no
one should wonder that Egypt has been the cradle of magic and the
occult from its early days.
The hexagram or the six-pointed star is an Arabic symbol which was
used in the 18th century by the Jewish family Rothschild with the
intent of making it a symbol of Judaism calling it the "Star of
David". But the origin of the hexagram needs to be found in the
ancient Egypt cult of magic and wizardry. That is the reason why we
see this symbol in a lot of the Arabic talismans and amulets.
Similar mistakes are found in the name "Seven Signs of Solomon" which
have nothing to do with this magician king. The origin of these signs
was best described by the grand Arabic occultist, Ahmad ibn Ali
al-Buni:
The first of the seven signs is the five-pointed star, the old Arabic
symbol of protection, one of the favorite and most widespread which is
seen in the fact that Islam still holds on to it, whose symbol is
crescent moon and a star.
The second sign contains two vertical lines and one wavy line. Its
meaning is not completely known.
The third sign is actually the letter Mim, the first letter of the
name Muhammad.
The fourth sign represents the ladder, which according to al-Buni
represent closeness to God.
The sixth and the seventh sign are the letters Ha and Waw which, when
combined form the word Huwa or He, one of the symbols of God in the
Qur'an.
Al-Buni believes that these seven signs represent the supreme name of
Allah and according to that each talisman and amulet that are written
or etched with these symbols ensure God's protection and power.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina there is a long tradition of wearing
amulets, which are called “hamajlija” (amulet). They are shorter or
longer texts from the Quran written on a piece of paper where a
picture of a magic square is present (wakf, vefk) and at the end of
the text the name of the owner is written. Talismans were worn for
various reasons such as the protection from sickness and as a cure but
mostly because they provide immunity to the wearer.
When someone wants to get an amulet they go to a Hodja (Mullah) who
uses the system of Arabic astrology and numerology, also known as
“Ebdjed Hisab”, and turns the name of that person along with the name
of his mother into their numerical equivalents and divides it by the
number 12. When he receives the final number he then writes the
corresponding text. Every amulet begins with the words: “Bismilahir
rahmanir rahim” and continues with some prayer, usually it is the
first verse of the Quran, El-Fatiha. The constituent part of any good
amulet is the magical square or Wakf whose content is made up of a
sequence of numbers, Allah’s names or short quotations from the Quran.
In Velika Kladuša an amulet is written for nine days before the
appearance of the new moon. When the whole text is completed the paper
is folded into a shape of a triangle and sown in a red fabric.
Beforehand a leaf of rue (Ruta graveoles) or a piece of yew or
tisovina (Taxus baccata) or three beans of coffee are placed inside
the amulet. In the past the amulet was encased in metal and sown
inside of a rabbits skin.
It is interesting to mention that the amulet has a fascinating effect
on the wearer. If the wearer is under the influence of black magic,
soon after he has started wearing the amulet around his neck a harmful
sensation will befall him, for example chest pain, nightmare, etc.
That is a positive sign that evil has been neutralized. Also this is
the crucial moment when the amulet and the wearer have bonded.
Amulets were mostly worn by children, according to the ethnological
data collected during the end of the 19th and the beginning of the
20th century, the majority of Bosnian children wore an amulet sown on
the top of their fez, shaped like a triangle and sown inside a red
fabric, so that it can protect them from spellbound eyes o which
children are most susceptible to. In such an amulet a standard prayer
that was written in it was a prayer from the Quran called Ali’Imran,
using an ink made out of rose water mixed with musk and saffron.
Amulets were also worn by pregnant women so that they can be protected
from spellbound eyes and to prevent a possible loss of the offspring.
Besides this a red sting was tied around children’s arms or a small
shell was sown on their hats to annul every influence of spellbound
eyes.
A classical amulet was often worn in a triangular metal box which is
called “Mahfaza” whose shape also had a symbolical meaning. Namely,
each side of the triangle symbolized a verse from the Quran: “I am
God!", "There is no God but me”, “No one truly knows what I am.” In
Bosnia and Herzegovina since the old ages amulets connected to war are
also known, they are called “En’am”, named after the same prayer in
the Quran, these amulets were worn by soldiers going to war.
Besides written amulets in Bosnia we find various objects- amulets; a
wolf’s tooth was worn by feeble and scared children, a figurine of a
frog made out of silver were worn by women who wanted to be protected
against gynecological issues or they wore a silver plate on which it
was written “Mashalla”. Out of herbal amulets, garlic, leaf of rue or
a piece of yew were used, and from the animal amulets, thorns from a
hedgehog, a rabbits foot, a wing from a bat, etc. Besides the need to
protect himself from evil, man also wanted to protect his animals. For
protection purposes a red fabric was tied to a tail of a cow, a wooden
spoon was used for horses, or a small amulet was written and placed on
the horns of the animal.
Besides people and animals, material goods were also protected from
evil. In the past in Bosnia and Herzegovina a lot of attention was
given to the protection of the house from black magic and spellbound
eyes, to keep peace and happiness inside the house. Along time ago the
practice was to write Allah’s name “Ya Hafiz”, which means “God
Protector”, on the house doors, especially in Sarajevo. The name was
written in Arabic in golden letters on a dark background. The amulet
doesn’t only have the power to protect a human or a house from black
magic, its scope of action is much larger and it can, among other
things, protect its owner from negative propaganda and crooks. For
that reason an owner would write the following on his house: “I said,
and swore to Allah that I will do X.” After that he would take four
pieces of paper and write on each one of them, one name of the four
great Angels: Azrail, Jibrail, Israfil and Mikail and he would place
these papers in four corners of the house.
In Bosnia we encounter various beliefs about amulets, and these are
the most popular ones; it is believed that an amulet can lose its
protective power if it is punctured by a sowing needle. In the same
manner the amulet has no power of protection if its owner drinks or
eats a spell in his drink or food, it protects man only from external
influences, whether they be material or astral origin.
AN AMULET FOR ACQUIRING HONOR
Write the following: „In the name of Allah, Most Merciful and
Gracious. „Surely We have given to you a clear victory, that Allah may
forgive you your past faults and those to follow and complete His
favor to you and keep you on a right way; and that Allah might help
you with a mighty help. He it is Who sent down tranquility into the
hearts of the believers that they might have more of faith added to
their faith. And Allah's are the hosts of the heavens and the earth,
and Allah is knowing, wise“.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Edward William Lane (British Orientalist, translator and lexicographer):His notes regarding jinni
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.
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.
Friday, February 6, 2015
The Story of Jinn, Azazil & Iblis
From Wahab: The Lord of the worlds created the fire of Sammun. From this
Fire of Sammun He created the Jinn. �And the Jinn created We before of
fire flaming� (Al-Hijr.27). The first of the Jinn was named Marij and
the Lord created second one to be his wife, and she was named Marija.
They had a son and they called him Jinn. From them derived all the clans
of the Jinn, including Iblis. And the Lord gave them the earth to dwell
therein. And they lived and worshipped there for a long time. So much
did they worship that the angels grew amazed, and said to the Lord of
the Heavens and Earth; � Oh our Lord, raise them up to heaven, so that
we might learn from them and follow their good example.�So the Lord
brought Iblis, then Azazil, up to be among the angels and he lived with
them in the first heaven. Others remained living on earth and, remained
righteous, while a number of them became sinners and transgressed the
law, as didi the children of Adam (A.S) after them.
And the earth began to complain of them to the Lord. � Oh my Lord, have you created me that I should be peopled by disobedient-folk?�. The Lord answered � Oh earth, be patient, I shall send prophets among them to lead them back to the straight path�. Until that time no prophets had appeared among the Jinn. The Lord sent to them 800 prophets and they killed each one. At last the Lord spoke to Azazil in the first heaven. And He said to him � Go. Azazil. Go and fight the unbelievers of your people living on earth.� Azazil obeyed and descended onto earth and fought the unbelievers, vanquishing them then the Lord sent down a fire from the skies and it consumed them, so not a trace remained. The only Jinn left alive were the believing and worshipping Jinn.
Again Azazil prayed so eagerly that he was raised up into the first heaven, or according to one narration, he worshipped so much in the first heaven that he was raised up through all the seven heavens and above them. He worshipped on the earth. He worshipped on the heavens, until Adam (A.S) was brought into existence. Then the Lord ordered all the angels to bow down before Adam (A.S).and all the angels obeyed except Iblis.
From Hassan Al Basri (R.A): Iblis worshipped above the seven heavens for more than 70 000 years, until he was raised to the station of Ridwan which is very high station, Ridwan being the guardian of Paradise. Iblis was the guardian of Paradise for 1000 years. Once he read an inscription on the gates of paradise, and it read: � There is a servant among the most highly favoured servants of the Almighty Lord, and for a long time he will be obedient and serve his Lord well; there will come a day , however, on which he will oppose his Lord and disobey, and he will be driven from His gates and be cursed.� Iblis, who was then still called Azazil, read and wondered at this prediction. � How can that be.� He asked. � that one of the closest servants to the Lord should grow disobedient to the Lord of the Worlds and be driven from His Holy Nearness? Oh Lord�, he pleaded. �Give me permission to curse that rebellious one, whoever he may be.� The Lord gave him permission, and Iblis showered curses upon that future sinner for one thousand years, knowing not that it was to be himself.
There is a conflict of opinion between people as to wether Iblis was of the Angels or of the Jinn. But it is written in the Holy Quran, �he was one of the Jinn and committed ungodliness against his Lord�s command�.
Because of his extreme virtue and the intensity of his prayers, The Lord raised him up into the heavens to live among the angels. When the Lord ordered them all to bow down and prostrate before Adam (A.S), he refused and his hidden disobedient was exposed.
From: LORE of Light: Stories from the lives of the Prophets
And the earth began to complain of them to the Lord. � Oh my Lord, have you created me that I should be peopled by disobedient-folk?�. The Lord answered � Oh earth, be patient, I shall send prophets among them to lead them back to the straight path�. Until that time no prophets had appeared among the Jinn. The Lord sent to them 800 prophets and they killed each one. At last the Lord spoke to Azazil in the first heaven. And He said to him � Go. Azazil. Go and fight the unbelievers of your people living on earth.� Azazil obeyed and descended onto earth and fought the unbelievers, vanquishing them then the Lord sent down a fire from the skies and it consumed them, so not a trace remained. The only Jinn left alive were the believing and worshipping Jinn.
Again Azazil prayed so eagerly that he was raised up into the first heaven, or according to one narration, he worshipped so much in the first heaven that he was raised up through all the seven heavens and above them. He worshipped on the earth. He worshipped on the heavens, until Adam (A.S) was brought into existence. Then the Lord ordered all the angels to bow down before Adam (A.S).and all the angels obeyed except Iblis.
From Hassan Al Basri (R.A): Iblis worshipped above the seven heavens for more than 70 000 years, until he was raised to the station of Ridwan which is very high station, Ridwan being the guardian of Paradise. Iblis was the guardian of Paradise for 1000 years. Once he read an inscription on the gates of paradise, and it read: � There is a servant among the most highly favoured servants of the Almighty Lord, and for a long time he will be obedient and serve his Lord well; there will come a day , however, on which he will oppose his Lord and disobey, and he will be driven from His gates and be cursed.� Iblis, who was then still called Azazil, read and wondered at this prediction. � How can that be.� He asked. � that one of the closest servants to the Lord should grow disobedient to the Lord of the Worlds and be driven from His Holy Nearness? Oh Lord�, he pleaded. �Give me permission to curse that rebellious one, whoever he may be.� The Lord gave him permission, and Iblis showered curses upon that future sinner for one thousand years, knowing not that it was to be himself.
There is a conflict of opinion between people as to wether Iblis was of the Angels or of the Jinn. But it is written in the Holy Quran, �he was one of the Jinn and committed ungodliness against his Lord�s command�.
Because of his extreme virtue and the intensity of his prayers, The Lord raised him up into the heavens to live among the angels. When the Lord ordered them all to bow down and prostrate before Adam (A.S), he refused and his hidden disobedient was exposed.
From: LORE of Light: Stories from the lives of the Prophets
Thursday, February 5, 2015
What are Jinn or Spirits
By Shaykh Ibn Arabi
The Existence of Spirits Created from Smokeless Fire (jinn)
He mixed fire
and plants, so the form of the jinn was set up
as an interspace between two things
It is between
a bodily spirit with a place in depth
and
a spirit without "where".
That which
accepts embodiment seeks for food for
nourishment without falsehood,
And that which
accepts the angels, accepts the heart in
taking
shape in the source.
For this reason,
it obeys one moment and rebels the next.
He
will repay those of them who disobey with two fires.
(Creation of the Jinn, angels and man)
Allah says, "He created jinn from a fusion of smokeless fire." (55:14) It is reported in sound hadith [saying of the Prophet], "Allah created the angels from light and Allah created the jinn from fire and He created man from what you were told." As for what the Prophet said about the creation of man "from what you were told", he was concise and did not specify it as he did in the case of the creation of the angels and the jinn. The Prophet "was given all the words". This is part of them. The basic creation of angels and jinn did not vary.
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The creation of man is varied as there are four categories of man's creation.
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The creation of Adam does not resemble the creation of Eve.
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The creation of Eve does not resemble the creation of the rest of the children of Adam.
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The creation of Jesus does not resemble the creation of the others.
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Here the Messenger of Allah was concise. He has transmitted to us the details of the creation of man.
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1-Adam was created from clay, 2-Eve from a rib, 3-'Isa is from the blowing of a spirit, and the 4-children of Adam from "a contemptible water". (77:20)
(The conceptual cohesion of heaven and earth)
When Allah set up the four basic elements and smoke rose to the bottom of the Sphere of Fixed Stars, the seven heavens unwound themselves in that smoke, each separate from each other. He "revealed, in every heaven, its ordinance" after "He established in it its nourishment" and all that was "in four days". Then he said "to the heavens and the earth: Come willingly or unwillingly." (41:9-11) i.e. they answer when they are called to produce what He wants them to produce. They said, "we come willingly."
Then Allah established a conceptual cohesion between heaven and earth and a direction by which He desires to bring into existence products in this earth in the form of minerals, plants and animals. He made the earth like the wife and the heaven like the husband.
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The heaven casts to earth the command of Allah in it as a man casts water into a woman in intercourse.
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In that casting, the earth brings forth the types of formations which Allah has hidden in its.
(The four elements and the formation of man and jinn)
When air is ignited and heated, it burns like the lamp.
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The burning of that fire is the flame which is the burning of the air and this is smokeless (marj, jumbled) because it is mixed with the air and is the burning air. Marj is mixture and from this the smokeless is marj since the plants are mixed in it.
The jinn are composed of the two elements of fire and air,
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as man is composed of the two elements of water and earth kneaded together which produced the name mud.
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Similarly the mixture of air and fire has the name 'smokeless fire'. Allah created the form of jinn in that smokeless fire.
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Because of the air which is in the jinn, they can assume whatever form they wish. Because of the fire which is in them, they are insubstanital and very subtle, and they seek dominance, pride and might since fire has the highest position of the elements and it has great power to change things as nature demands.
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That is reason why he [the jinn Iblis] was too proud to prostrate to Adam when Allah commanded him to do so, because of his own estimation of himself. He said, "I am better than Him" (7:12), i.e. meaning according to the basis by which Allah preferred fire among the four elements.
The jinn did not know that the power of water from which Adam was created was stronger than fire for it extinguishes it and earth is firmer than fire by cold and dryness.
Adam has strength and constancy by the dominance of the two elements from which Allah derived him. Even though he also possesses the rest of the elements - air and fire, they do not have the authority in him. The jinn also have the rest of the elements...
Adam was given humility on account of the clayness of his nature.
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When he is proud, that is incidental (and not intrinsic to his nature).
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He accepts that because of the element of fire in him as his imagination and states accept different forms because of the element of air in him.
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The jinn are given pride by the nature of fire in them. If they are humble, that is something incidental which they accept because of the element of earth in them. They also accept fixation in enticement if they are devils and fixation in acts of obedience if they are not devils.
(The jinn when Surat ar-Rahman (Chapter 55 of the Qur'an) was recited
When the Prophet recited Surat ar-Rahman to his Companions, he said, "I was reciting it for the jinn. They listened to it better than you. When I said, 'So which of your Lord's blessings will you deny?' they stated, 'We do not deny any of the blessings of our Lord'. They affirmed them and did not quake when they were told, "So which of your Lord's blessings will you deny?" in his recitation. That is by is in the nature of the jinn of earth and of water which remove the fieriness of fire. Some of them are obedient to Allah and some are rebellious, like us; but they can take on forms as can the angels.
(Their basic form is spiritual)
Allah has made them invisible to us so we do not see them except when Allah wishes to lift the veil for certain individuals who then see them.
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Since the jinn are insubstantial and subtle, they can take form in whatever sensory form they wish.
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Their basic form is the spiritual one which was the first form the first jinn accepted when Allah brought him into existence.
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Then he took on various forms according to what Allah willed. If Allah had opened our eyes so that we could see what the forms conceived by the conceptual faculty through the imagination (khayal), then at different times you would have seen man in various forms which are unlike one another.
(Procreation in jinn and men)
Then Allah breathed the spirit into the flame which was full of turbulence because of its insubstantiality. The blowing increased the turbulence and air dominated it and it did not remain in the same condition.
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The world of the jinn appeared in that form.
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As intercourse occurred in mankind by the casting of water in the womb and progeny and birth occurs in this mortal Adamic species,
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So procreation occurs in the jinn by casting air into the womb of their female, and progeny and birth occurs in the jinn.
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They exist by Sagittarius and it is fiery. That was mentioned by the one who arived - may Allah preserve him!
(The years between the creation of jinn and men)
There were 60,000 years between the creation of Jann (the first jinn) and the creation of Adam. This is necessary according to the claim of some people that birth will cease among the jinn after 4000 years and that birth will end with man after 7000 years.
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However, things do not occur on that basis. Things will occur occuring to what Allah wills. The jinn still procreate and we still procreate. So when did man begin, how many years of progeny does he have left and how much time remains until the end of this world and the annihilation of mankind on the face of the earth and their transfer to the Next World? This is not the stance taken by those who are firmly rooted in knowledge. It is stated by a small group of people and will not be repeated.
(The Jinn are an interspace between angels and men)
The angels are spirits breathed into lights.
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The jinn are spirits breathed into winds.
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Men are spirits breathed into shapes.
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It is said that a female was not separated from the first existing jinn as Eve was separated from Adam.
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One of them said Allah created a vulva in the first existent jinn, so part of him mated with the other part and offspring like those of Adam were born to him: a male and female who married each other.
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So the jinn's nature was hermaphrodite. For that reason the jinn are part of the world of the interspace: they resemble men and resemble angels as the hermaphrodite resembles both the male and femaleÉ
(The food and marriage of the jinn)
The elements of air and fire dominate the jinn.
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For that reason, their food is what the air carried by of fat in bones.
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Allah made their provision in them.
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So we see that the bone and its flesh is not decreased at all and we know that Allah gave them their sustenance in the bones.
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This is why the Prophet said about bones, "They are sustenance for your brothers among the jinn." In a hadith, "Allah appoints their sustenance in them." Someone to whom this was unveiled reported to us that he saw the jinn come to some bones and sniff them like beasts of pray sniff. Then they went back having taken their sustenance. Their food was taken in that sniffing. Glory be to the Subtle, the All-Aware!
As their union with each other in marriage, it is in the form of twisting - like what you see of smoke issuing from a kiln or a pottery oven. The smoke intermingles and each of the two individuals enjoys that mutual entry. Their ejaculation resembles like the seed of the palm and is in the form of pure scent, just as is the case with their food.
(The tribes and clans of the jinn)
They have tribes and clans. It is said that they are contained in twelve tribes and then they branch into subtribes.
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There are great wars between them, and some whirlwinds are, in fact, the centre of their battles.
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The whirlwind is the mutual opposition of two opposing winds, each preventing its companion from passing through.
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So that barrier leads to the circle witnessed visually in the physical dust which is the effect of the mutual opposition of the two winds.
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Their battles are like that, but not every whirlwind is on of their battles.
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The story of 'Amr the jinn is famous. He was killed in a whirlwind which was seen. It dispersed from him while he was dying. It did not take long for him to die. He was a pious jinn. If the basis of this book had been to present traditions and tales, we would have mentioned some of them, but this is a book about the science of meanings. You can look for their stories elswhere in book of history and poems.
(The manner in which the spiritual world appears in forms)
When this spiritual world takes on shape and appears in a sensory form, the eyes confine it since it cannot abandon that form as long as the eye continues to look at it although that it is the human being which is looking.
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When human eye defines it and continues to look at it, the spiritual (ruhani) being does not have a place into which it can disappear, so this spiritual being manifests a form which it puts on itself like a veil.
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Then the spiritual being makes the person imagine that that form has left him in a particular direction, so his eye follows it.
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When his eye follows it, the spiritual being leaves its confinement and vanishes.
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When it disappears, that form vanishes from the sight of the one who is looking at it and following it with his eye.
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In relation to the spiritual being, that form is like light is in the case of a lamp whose light is diffused in the corners.
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When the body of the lamp is absent, the light is lost. It is thus with this form. If someone knows this and wants to confine that spiritual being, he should not follow the form with his eye.
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This is one of the divine secrets which are only known by the instruction of Allah. The form is not other than spirtual being. Indeed it is the same, even if it is in a thousand places, or in every place, with different shapes.
If it happens that one of those forms is slain and apparently dies, that spiritual being moves from the life of this world to the interspace just as we move when we die.
No information about it remains in this world, just as is the case with us.
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Those sensory forms in which the spiritual beings appear are called 'bodies'.
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It is the words of Allah, "We cast a mere body on his throne" (38:34) and "We did not give them bodies which did not eat food." (21:8)
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The difference between jinn and angels, even though they share in spirituality, is that the food of the jinn consists of foods found in natural bodies.
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The angels are not like that. That is why Allah mentioned in the story of the guests of Abraham, "When he saw that their hands were not reaching for it, he was suspicious of them" (11:70) i.e. the angels did not reach for the roasted calf and they did not eat it which made him afraid.
(The formation of the world of the jinn)
When the time for the formation of the world of the jinn came, He directed three of the trusty angels in the first sphere who took their deputies which they needed for this formation from the second heaven.
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Then they descended to the heavens and took two deputies from the second and the sixth there.
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They descended to the elements and prepared the place. Three other guardians followed them, and they took whatever deputies they needed from the second heaven, and then descended to the third heaven, and to the fifth from there.
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They took two angels. They passed by the sixth heaven and took another deputy from the angels. Then they descended to the elements in order to complete the formation. The remaining six descended and took the remaining deputies in the second heaven and the heavens. All were gathered for the ordering of this formation by the permission of the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
When the formation of the world of the jinn was complete, Allah directed the spirit from the World of Command and breathed a spirit into that form by which life flowed into it.
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It stood uttering the praise and glorification of the One Who brought it into existence: this is the natural disposition on which He fashioned it.
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Within it there was might and immensity whose cause is not recognised nor discovered since at that time there was no another creature in existence in the world of nature other than it. It remained worshipping its Lord, proclaiming His power, humble to the lordship of the One who brought it into existence by what was in its being until Adam was created.
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When the jinn saw his form, one of them, whose name was Harith, was overcome with hatred for that organism and he glowered at the sight of the form of Adam.
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The rest of his species saw that and they censured him for that since they saw that he had grief and sorrow because of it.
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When Adam's business was complete, al-Harith displayed what he felt in himself and refused to obey the command of his Creator to prostrate to Adam and became arrogant towards Adam because of his own constitution and he boasted of his origin [from fire which he said was better than earth].
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He failed to see the secret of the power of that water from which Allah created every living thing, and from which comes the life of the jinn although they are not aware of it.
( The creation of Adam and the formation of man)
If you are among the people of unveiling, reflect on the words of Allah, "and His throne was upon the waters." (11:7)
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So the throne and the creatures around it were brought to life by water. "There is nothing which does not glorify His praise." (17:44)
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He used the negative. Only the living glorifies. In an excellent hadith from the Messenger of Allah said, "The angels said, 'O Lord (in a long hadith)! have You created anything stronger than fire?' He replied, 'Yes, water.'"
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So He made water stronger than fire. If the element of air in the structure of the jinn had not been ignited by fire, the jinn would have been stronger than the children of Adam, for air is stronger than water. In this hadith, the angels asked, "O Lord, have You created anything stronger than air?" He replied, "Yes, the children of Adam." Allah made the human organism stronger than air.
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Water is stronger than fire, and it is the main element in man as fire is the main element in the jinn. This why Allah said about Shaytan (Satan), "Surely the guile of Shaytan is ever feeble." (4:76) He did not ascribe any strength to him at all. He did not deny it to the Governor (of Egypt) when he said, "surely your guile is great" (12:27) ...
The reason for that is that the human organism accords deliberateness in matters, perseverance, meditation and reflection due to the predominance of the elements of earth and water in the human temperament. Thus the human being has ample intellect because earth holds him back and restrains him while water makes him supple and easy. The jinn are not like that. The jinn's intellect does not possess that which will enable him to hold to something as the human being does. This is why we say, "So-and-so is 'light' of intellect and dim-witted" when he is frivolous and foolish! This is the attribute of the jinn, and by it the jinn strays from the path of guidance due to the frivolous nature of his intellect and his lack of firmness in his thought. So he said, "I am better than him," (7:12) and combined ignorance and bad manners because of his frivolous nature.
(The first shaytan of the jinn)
So any jinn who rebels is shaytan,
-
i.e. one who is far from the mercy of Allah. Al-Harith was the first jinn to be called shaytan.
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Allah drove him to despair, i.e. drove him out of His mercy and repelled mercy from him. From him all the shaytans branch out.
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Any jinn who believe, like Hama ibn Alham ibn Laqis ibn Iblis, join the believing jinn. Any who remains an unbeliever is a shaytan.
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It is a matter of some dispute among the scholars of the Shari'a). Some of them say that the shaytan never submits, deriving this from what the Prophet said about his shaytan who was the companion entrusted to him, "Allah gave me power over him and he submitted (aslama)." The one who interprets what he said as "aslamu" takes it to mean: "I am safe from him" and he has no way against me. Thus the interpretation varies. If it is interpreted as "aslama" is it submission. It means that he submitted although he was an enemy and so he only commands me to good, compelled to do so by Allah and as a protection for the Messenger of Allah. The opponent says that "aslama" means that he believed in Allah as the unbeliever becomes Muslim and thus becomes a believer. This is more appropriate and acceptable.
(Iblis was the first of the wretched jinn)
Most people claim that al-Harith was the first of the jinn, and that he was in the same position to the rest of the jinn as Adam is to mankind.
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We do not think that that is the case. Al-Harith was one of the jinn, but the first among them who is in the same position as Adam is to mankind was someone else. That is why Allah says, "Iblis was one of the jinn" (18:50) i.e. he was from this category of creation.
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Similarly Qabil (Cain) was one of mankind, but Allah wrote him down among the wretched. He was the first of the wretched among mankind, and Iblis was the first of the wretched among the jinn. The majority of the punishment of the shaytans of the jinn in Hellfire is by severe cold, not by heat, although they may be punished with fire. Most of the punishment of the descendants of Adam is through fire.
One day I came upon one of the saints whose intellect was deranged. He was weeping and saying to the people, "Do not stop with His words, 'I shall assuredly fill Hellfire with you' (38:85) and apply them to Iblis alone. Look how He alluded to you when He said, '...Hellfire with you'. Iblis was created from fire, so he returns to his source - may Allah curse him! If Iblis is punished with it, the punishment of pottery by fire is greater, so take heed!"
When Hellfire (Jahannam) was mentioned, this saint only thought of fire in particular, and was heedless of the fact that Jahannam is a name for both its intense heat and its intense cold. It is called Jahannam by its frowning (jahama. Jahuma means "to have an ugly face") because its appearance is hateful.
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Jaham is the word for clouds which have already poured out their water.
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Abundant rain is the mercy of Allah. When Allah has removed the rain from the clouds, then the name jaham is applied to them. since the mercy, which was abundant rain, has vanished. Similarly, Allah has removed mercy from Jahannam which is hateful in appearance and report. It is also called Jahannam because of its great depth. One says, "the depths of Jahannam" when something is very deep. We ask Allah Almighty, to give us and the believers security from it!
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