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B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m
Teachings of the Qur'aan
Al-Jinn
Soorah 72:1-15
Ayub A. Hamid
The Soorah starts with a command to the Prophet to recite it
to the Makkans so they might re-think their attitude towards the Qur-aan in the
light of the Jinns' reaction to it. The opening of the story indicates that the
Prophet did not see the Jinns, nor did he know that the Jinns were listening or
that they had believed in the message, until he was informed by this
revelation. There was no direct contact or communication between the Prophet
sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and the Jinns. Expressly stating this fact was
necessary because some of the Makkans were already speculating that the Prophet
sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was getting his "revelations" from Jinns, just
as they presumed that what soothsayers presented as fortune-telling was on the
basis of the communications coming from Jinns.
1 Let people know: It has been revealed to me that after a
band of Jinns happened to listen attentively to the Qur-aan, they told their
folks that:
a.. "We have indeed heard an amazing Recital (the Qur-aan)
2 that guides to the right course; so we have believed in it and, henceforth,
we will never associate anyone with our Lord.
b.. 3 Exalted is the Majesty of our Lord; He has taken
neither a wife nor a son.
The first thing that struck them was the exquisite beauty of
the Qur-aan. It indicates that the Jinns had expert knowledge of the language
of the area where they resided. They were sensible, rational and open-minded.
They did not react emotionally or defensively. The message made sense so they
accepted it right away without hesitation. It appears that they used to believe
in some religion that had a notion of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala having a
family. Listening to the Qur-aan, they discovered its falsehood and clearly
understood that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala is infinite, far above and beyond
any need to have a family. They not only corrected their own views and beliefs
in the light of the teachings of the Qur-aan, they conveyed the correct beliefs
to their folks as well.
a.. 4 The foolish one among them has been saying
outrageously false things about Allaah.
b.. 5 We had thought that no human being or Jinn would
speak a lie against Allaah.
They had associated partners with Allaah in the past because
of what they were told and they had accepted it on the assumption that human
beings or Jinns would not dare to lie about Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala.
After listening to the Qur-aan, it dawned on them how stupid and dishonest some
of their fellow Jinns had been who had been misleading them by saying such
outrageous lies about Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala. Verse 4 talks about one
"foolish one". The way the phrase is constructed in Arabic, it can be used for
one single person or a group. If it is taken to mean a single person, it will
refer to Iblees; as a group, it will refer to the group of Jinns who promoted
wrong views about Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala.
This was the stupidity of Jinns; the next two verses talk
about the stupidity of human beings.
a.. 6 Some human men have been invoking the protection of
men from the jinn, so they increased them in their troubles.[1]
b.. 7 They had thought, as you thought, that Allaah would
not raise anyone.
Despite being vicegerents of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala on
earth, people seek refuge of the Jinns. This weakness on the part of human
beings encouraged Jinns to cause them more trouble. Arabs used to make
sacrifices and offerings on the suggestion of their soothsayers to avoid
trouble from and to seek approval of a mischievous Jinn. They also used to seek
the refuge of the chief Jinn of the area when they had to spend a night in a
deserted place. The more they fell into this trap of doing things to please the
Jinns, the more they were expected to do next time. Thus, their troubles kept
on increasing, instead of being alleviated.
The second human folly, which they shared with Jinns, was
their disbelief in Allaah's raising everyone on the Day of Judgment.[2]
a.. 8 We sought to reach the heaven but found it filled
with stern guards and shooting stars (meteors). 9 We used to sit in some of the
sitting-places thereof to steal a hearing, but whoever eavesdrops now finds a
shooting star lurking for him.
b.. 10 We do not know whether ill is intended for those on
earth, or whether their Lord intends for them a right course.
They referred to what all Jinns had noticed in terms of the
increase in surveillance of the heavens and the increase in meteor activity
that barred them from flying high into the sky or sit at certain venues to hear
and observe in order to guess what was going on. Because of the increased
security, they could not even go to the places they were able to go in the
past. They knew that an increase in security used to happen only for two
reasons: Either some nation was going to be destroyed or new guidance was to be
sent to some nation. However, they did not know which the case was. When they
listened to the Qur-aan, they then understood the reason for the tightened
security. For Arabs, there was a lesson to understand that Jinn did not have
any direct knowledge at all of any future affairs, and therefore, could clearly
not be helpful to the soothsayers in their soothsaying.
a.. 11 Some of us are righteous while others of us are
quite the opposite of that; we follow divergent paths.
b.. 12 We have realized that we cannot outrun Allaah in the
earth, nor can we escape Him by fleeing in the heaven.
c.. 13 When we listened to the Guidance, we believed in it;
so whoever believes in his Lord needs not fear about being short-changed or
being wronged.
They acknowledged how there were all kinds of good, bad,
believing and disbelieving persons among them. Naturally, all of them could not
have the same end after death. As for them, they realized the power and
authority of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala. Fearing Allaah, they could not
insist on their misguided notions after finding the Truth. Hence they believed
in it. Believing in Islam is a winning proposition. A believer will be
rewarded justly and kindly.
This was their invitation to their fellow Jinns so that they,
like them, also embrace the guidance. After this invitation and encouragement,
they conclude their discourse by reminding their folks:
a.. 14 Some of us are Muslims (submitting to Allaah
obediently) while others are deviant; so whoever has submitted, they have
sought out the right course.
b.. 15 And as for the deviant, they will be the fuel for
Hell."
A question may be raised concerning how the Fire of Hell can
be a punishment for Jinns who themselves are created from it. The reality is
that it is not the elements making up a living entity that feel pain; it is the
living being that suffers pain. Human beings are made of earthly elements, but
we feel pain as living beings, not as amino acids, fatty acids, calcium, iron,
water, etc that came from the earth.
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[1] Translation based on the Tafseer of Amin Ahsan Islahi,
who thinks that "Rahaqaa" means problems and troubles, and cannot mean
arrogance or that type of attitude. According to him "they" is for Jinns and
"them" is for human beings, indicating that the naughty or evil Jinns increase
the trouble they cause to those human beings who ignorantly seek refuge of them.
[2] This implies that there were both human beings and Jinns
who disbelieved in the Hereafter. This is quite understandable that there will
be disbelievers in the Hereafter from both of the creatures. This is also
relevant because at the time of the revelation of this Soorah, belief in the
Hereafter was the focus of the revelations. Some people interpret this verse to
mean that "Allaah will not send a messenger" implying that none of them ever
believed that a messenger of Allaah will be sent to them. This meaning is
inappropriate because there was no need or relevance for Jinns to have an
opinion about the advent of the Prophet. The Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam's advent was relevant only to human beings. As for human beings, the
Arabs have been quoted in Al-An'aam saying that if a prophet was sent to them
they would be better in following the guidance offered by him. This indicates
that they had some expectation or want to have a prophet in their midst,
although the idea may not have been that crystallized.
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Copyright © 2009 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice
included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and
groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications
subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced
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title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be
attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all
other rights, which are reserved.
Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur'aan,
not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives
interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details.
Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur'aan is in fact only an
expression of the translator's understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur'aan itself. Only the
original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur'aan.
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Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic
thinker residing in Canada for the last 34 years. His recently published books
are:
1. Islam - Does It Make Sense?
2. Unveiling the Commands-The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar
and Jilbaab.
3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth.
4. A Book Unlike Any Other.
5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms.
6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs.
http://soundvisioncanada.com/shop/pbrowse.asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004
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The following soowar 'Teachings of the Qur'aan' series by
Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:-
Al Faatihah
Al Baqarah
Aali 'Imraan
A Nisaa'
Al Maaidah
Al An'aam
Al A'raaf
Al Anfaal
At Teen
Al`Alaq
Al Qadr
Al Bayyinah
Al Zilzaal
Al Aadiyatt
Al Qaari`ah
At Takaathur
Al`Asr
Al Humazah
Al Feel
Al Quraish
Al Maa`oon
Al-Kowthar
Al Kaafiroon
Al Nasr
Al Lahab
Al Ikhlaas
Al Falaq
An Naas
Al Mulk
Al Qalam
Al Haaqqah
Al Ma`aarij
Nooh
K a r i m a
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