or hid or protected.21 The word jinn has been used in the Holy Qur’ān distinctly in two senses. It is applied in the first place to the spirits of evil or the beings that invite man to evil, as opposed to the angels who invite him to good, both being imperceptible to the senses.22 The origin of these beings is said to be fire, and their function is described as that of exciting evil passions or low desires. The Holy Qur’ān is explicit on both these points. As regards the creation of jinn, it says: “And the jinn We created before of intensely hot fire” (15:27); and again: “And He created the jinn of a flame of fire” (55:15). And to show that the jinn and the devils are one, the devil is spoken of as saying: “I am better than he (i.e., man); Thou hast created me of fire while him Thou didst create of dust” (7:12). As regards the function of jinn, the Holy Qur’ān is equally clear: “The slinking devil who whispers into the hearts of men, from among the jinn and the men” (114:4-6). Ḥadīth have already been quoted showing that every man has with him an associate from among the angels who inspires him with good and noble ideas and an associate from among the jinn who excites his baser passions.
The question is often asked why has God created beings which lead man astray? There is a misunderstanding in this question. God has created man with two kinds of passions, the higher which awaken in him a higher or spiritual life, and the lower which relate to his physical existence; and corresponding to these two passions there are two kinds of beings, the angels and the devils. The lower passions are necessary for man’s physical life, but they become a hindrance to him in his advancement to a higher life when they run riot and are out of control. Man is required to keep these passions in control. If he can do so, they become a help to him in his advancement instead of a hindrance. This is the meaning underlying the Holy Prophet’s reply in the ḥadīth already quoted, when he was asked if he too had an associate jinn. “Yes,” he said, “but Allāh has helped me to overcome him, so he has submitted and does not command me aught but good.” His devil is said to have submitted to him (aslama), and instead of making evil suggestions commanded him naught but good, that is to say, became a help to him in the development of his higher life.
21 All Arabic lexicologists are agreed on its Arabic origin and, moreover, there are numerous words in use in Arabic which are derived from the same root, such as the verb janna meaning it covered or overshadowed (6:76), or the noun janna meaning garden because its trees cover the ground, or janān meaning the heart because it is concealed from the senses, and majann or junna meaning shield because it protects a man, and janīn or the foetus, so long as it is in the mother’s womb. In spite of this the writer in the Encyclopaedia of Islām calls it a loan-word.
22 In the second place, this word is applied in the Holy Qur’ān to great potentates or powerful leaders who, through their importance and detachment from the masses, do not mix freely with them, and remain distant or ‘hidden from their eyes.” This use of the word is discussed later.