An innocent mind might find it difficult to accept the fact that a Muslim who believes the Quran is the word of Allah can at the same time deny a thing which the Quran affirms more than ten times!
Such is the case of the modernists, those who believe the foundations of Islam should be restructured to fit modern ideology, such movements include the Ahmadiya (Qodiani), the submitters international (the group of Rashad khalifa) and more recent Da’i like Shabbir Ally.
The claims of those who reject the existence of the jinn
The Ahmadiyas reject that classical belief of Islam about the jinn and claim that the jinns refer to:
- Anything that is hidden, including snakes hiding under a rock and a woman in seclusion
- The delegates of the Jews of Nasibin
- Bacterias and viruses that eat rotten flesh and bones
Jinn refer to hidden creature of any specie
According to the Ahmadis, the evidence that jinn refers to any hidden creature is the fact that the Arabic lexicon defined jinn as anything that has the connotation of concealment and invisibility (Ahmad, 1998). They argue from the linguistic connotation of the word. Indeed that is the linguistic meaning of the word: veiled, concealed, hid, covered, or protected, him; (Lane, 1985).
It is interesting to note however, that no Arabic lexicon was compiled until the 8th century (200 years after The Prophet ﷺ),The first dictionary named Kitabu Al Ayn was compiled by Al Farahidi (Verstegh, 1997). It becomes obvious that the Prophet ﷺ, the companions and their followers didn’t translate the Quran by referring to the lexicons.
How then did they understand the Quran?
Allah says
“And We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Quran] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought” (Quran 16:44)
They understood the Quran by the explanation of the Prophet ﷺ, they asked the Prophet ﷺ for meaning of words and verses, they followed the understanding of The Prophet ﷺ who followed the explanation of Allah
“And when We have recited it to you [O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم through Jibrîl (Gabriel)], then follow its (the Qur’an’s) recital.Then it is for Us (Allâh) to make it clear (to you). (Quran 75:19)
So, did the Prophet ﷺ understand the word jinn in the Quran to mean any hidden creature? examples of snakes and women? Of course not.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Last night a big Ifreet from the Jinns came to me and wanted to interrupt my prayers (or said something similar) but Allah enabled me to overpower him. I wanted to fasten him to one of the pillars of the mosque so that all of you could See him in the morning but I remembered the statement of my brother Solomon (as stated in Quran): My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me a kingdom such as shall not belong to anybody after me (38:35).” The sub narrator Rauh said, “He (the demon) was dismissed humiliated” (Bukhari 461).
From the Hadith, it is clear that only Prophet Sulyman could tie up the Jinn and control them, but everyone can tie up a snake and a woman. Allah says
And we have sought [to reach] the heaven but found it filled with powerful guards and burning flames.And we used to sit therein (in the skies) in positions for hearing, but whoever listens now will find a burning flame lying in wait for him. (Quran 72: 8-9)
Is it not clear that snakes and women can’t fly up to the skies to listen to the information being passed by the Angels?
Jinn refers to the delegate of the jews of Nasibin
Ahmadis also believe that jinns refer to humans, and that the jinns mentioned in Surah Al Jinn refers to a group of men from the Jews of Nasibin (Valentine, 2008).
Allah says
“And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud. And the jinn We created before from scorching fire.” (Quran 15:27-28)”
The Prophet ﷺ said
“They (bones and animal dung) are of the food of Jinns. The delegate of Jinns of (the city of) Nasibin came to me–and how nice those Jinns were–and asked me for the remains of the human food. I invoked Allah for them that they would never pass by a bone or animal dung but find food on them.” (Bukhari 3860).
According to the verse, The jinn were created before men from another substance (fire), which necessitates the fact that they are not men! Or does anyone believe all men were created from clay except the Jews of Nasibin? And they were created from fire? Of course not.
Interestingly, The Prophet ﷺ said In the Hadith that the food for that group from Nasibin will be animal dung and bones, no Jewish tribe in history are known to have fed on animal dung and bones!.
Jinns are bacterial and viruses (microorganisms)
The Prophet ﷺ said bones and dungs are food for the jinn, and we now know microorganisms consume these things, Ahmadis believe He ﷺ must be referring to microorganisms, since there was no better word suitable for that in the language at that time (Ahmad, 1998)
However, Allah said
“O assembly of jinn and mankind! Did there not come to you messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses? [al-An’am 6:130]
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, There is not one of you who does not have a jinni appointed to be his constant companion. They said, And you too, O Messenger of Allah? He said, Me too, but Allah has helped me and he has submitted, so that he only helps me to do good. (Reported by Muslim, 2814)
Translating the Jinn in these Ayah and Hadith to mean Microorganisms would be nonsensical.
Conclusion
The jinns are a creation that men can’t see
“he sees you, he (shaytan) and his tribe (the Jinn), from where you do not see them. (Quran 7:27) but must believe in, because Allah informed us of them, interpreting them to mean Microorganisms or anything other than what the Prophet ﷺ understood it to mean, in order to suit modern scientific observations is a clear deviation from the straight path. And the Muslims are those who believe in Allah regarding the seen and the unseen.
Those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them (Quran 2:3).
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