Some people say that they have seen the jinn and that they have some relations and communication with them. I have been thinking about it, and it is bothering me. Is it possible to see the jinn and establish a relationship and communication in the way they describe?
We need to divide people into two groups on this issue. The first is everyday individuals who say that they see jinn who do something to them and their belongings, and the second group are the people who say that they interact with jinn and are called psychics.
I mean both here. I am concerned about being involved in the first scenario, while I am intrigued by the second.
Both situations appear to be rooted in personal experience. It is impossible for us to fully understand what these individuals observed or the nature of their relationships and communication. Reaching a definitive conclusion regarding the veracity of their accounts is challenging. In fact, these experiences are inherently personal, much like dreams. Just as it is impossible to directly perceive someone else’s dream and assess its reality, so too is it difficult to ascertain the truth of what these individuals report.
So, isn’t it possible to say anything about it?
Of course it is. We cannot perceive this through our five senses and typical understanding, so we are dealing with what we call ‘ghaib’(unseen). Therefore, we cannot base any conclusions on personal experience. Accurate knowledge of such matters, which are beyond human comprehension, is limited to only what Allah has revealed to us and what the Prophet has informed us. We call this “knowledge of the Book and the sunnah”. We can only speak on this matter in this context. Anything we say beyond these is nothing but speculation. First and foremost, we must accept the existence of the jinn— this is indisputable. We have been informed about their existence by Allah the Almighty in the Qur’an and the compassionate Prophet in his Sunnah. However, we have also been informed that they will not be visible under normal conditions and to ordinary people... People just baffle me. Allah (swt) states that they are invisible, but such people insist on seeing them.
But Prophet Solomon saw the jinns and even employed them for certain tasks, which is mentioned in the Qur’an.
The moon split into two with a sign of the Prophet of Mercy. It wasn’t something he did. This was how Allah the Almighty created such a miracle to confirm and support His Blessed Prophet. Now, can a person come out and say, “I’ll split the moon in two with a sign”?
This is a miracle specific to the Prophet, who can say such a thing?
Well, if this does not happen, how will others see the jinns, which is the miracle of Prophet Solomon, and make them work for them as he did? Moreover, the issue of whether the Prophet Muhammad (saw), saw the jinn has been disputed since the companions. As a matter of fact, Abdullah b. Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle’s son and a scholar companion, said, “The Prophet neither saw the jinn nor met them face to face.” However, Abdullah b. Mas’ud narrates that the Messenger of Allah left him in a place by drawing a circle around him and gave strict orders not to go out of this circle, and then he met the jinn, but he himself did not see them (Ezraqi, II, 201). Even if we take this second information as a basis, we see that the Prophet did not allow anyone from the companions to see the jinn except himself. It is not possible that he did this by himself. It had to be Allah’s command to do so. This is because he is a prophet. Seeing the jinn is a miracle like the miracle of Prophet Solomon. Are those who claim to have seen jinn today higher than the companions? Additionally, Allah stated in the Qur’an that, “Surely he and his soldiers watch you from where you cannot see them.” (A’raf, 7:27) Imam Maturidi interpreted this verse as “We cannot see them, but they see us.”
Well, there is Surah al-Jinn. How do we explain it?
Well, my dear, as it is mentioned in the chapters of Ahqaf and Jinn, our Prophet rested in a place called Batn al Nakhla or Hajun on his return from Taif, where he performed the fajr prayer. At that time, a group of jinn directed by Allah the Almighty came and listened to the Qur’an he was reciting. They communicated the knowledge they received to their tribes. The Prophet neither saw the jinn nor met with them during this time, according to what we know. Indeed, the verses were revealed after this event. The Holy Prophet became aware of this event with the revelation of the verses.
Why can’t we see an already existing entity?
Is it just the jinn we can’t see?
No, there are many beings that we cannot see. First of all, we cannot see Allah the Almighty.
While Allah willed us to see some beings, He did not will us to see others. He did not hold us responsible for seeing them. Is there a verse or hadith that suggests you need to see jinn?
Then why were the jinn created?
Allah (swt) states in the Qur’an: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Dhariyat, 51:56) This is the wisdom stated to us. Apart from that, it certainly has many other benefits because our Lord does not create anything without wisdom. But this is all we know. Allah the Almighty also states: “And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge.” (Isra, 17:36) So, we will not gain anything by chasing things like this that we cannot grasp with our senses and minds. Even if we do, we cannot learn anything.
Well, there is a reality called “karamat”. Can’t they be seen through karamat?
Our predecessors said that karamat is true. We believe that. However, we are not in a position to fully grasp what a karamat is and what it is not. This is because karamats are also personal experiences. That’s why our predecessors said that one cannot act according to inspirations, dreams, and miracles, and no judgment is built on them.
When people say they see a jinn, they describe them with their feet upside down, their eyebrows under their eyes, their nose up, their ears pointing backwards, one eye on their forehead, the other on the back of their head, and hair all over them… Actually, people are describing something similar to themselves. Only the places and positions of the organs are changed. Did the jinn that Prophet Solomon employed match these descriptions?
It is rather difficult to say anything about it. We have no knowledge of the shapes of the jinn under the order of Prophet Solomon. The reliable sources suggest that there is no information about the shapes of jinn. It is necessary to pay attention to the warning of Imam Maturidi: “One should be very careful when reading the stories in the Qur’an. It should be accepted as it is mentioned in the Qur’an. Making some additions or deletions to what is stated may lead a person to say something that is not true.” As a result, the jinn exist. Allah knows the rest...
