Uzma Mazhar © 2002

Incest and rape are not new in this day and age; these problems have always existed and will continue to exist if not confronted face on. If you have ever worked with an incest, sexual abuse or rape survivor you will never be able to forget the devastating impact it has on all aspects of their life, nor will you be able to sit back and do nothing about this issue. These are serious crimes that corrode the fabric of family and society and cannot go un-addressed, since these problems do exist in Muslim families it is about time that we address it openly and take action to put an end to it.

To fully understand this issue we need to examine what Islâm teaches us about the value of human life.

Islâm views human life as a sacred gift from God. The Qur’ân repeatedly stresses the sanctity of life (hurmat al hayat). The life of every single individual regardless of gender, age, nationality or religion is worthy of respect. In verses referring to the sanctity of life, the term used is ‘nafs’ (soul, life); and there is no distinction made in that soul being young or old, male or female, Muslim or non-muslim.

Sûrah al An’am 6.151:
“Do not take any human being’s life, (the life) which God has declared to be sacred -- otherwise than in (the pursuit of) justice: this has He enjoined upon you so that you might use your reason.”
(Also check: Sûrah al Isra 17.33 & Sûrah al Ma’idah 5.32)

Qur’ânic teachings encompass every aspect of life; hence it does not limit the definition of life to the physical body only, but includes the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects as well. There are about 150 verses that define the term ‘nafs’ in various ways making it clear that the concept of ‘life’ is not limited to mere physical existence.

Historically, Islam has addressed serious issues openly and sought to correct actions that constitute harm or ‘zulm’ (ie: cruelty and abuse) to the dignity of humankind. Human life and respect for it has been stressed unstintingly, regardless of age or gender. As a general rule, Islâm forbids all ‘zulm’, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual:

Sûrah al An’am 6.120
”Abandon all harm (ithm), whether committed openly or in secret.”
(Check Sûrah al A`raf 7:33)

Sûrah al 49:11-12 points out categorically that emotionally abusive language and behavior is not acceptable.
“You who believe do not let one (set of) people make fun of another set. Do not defame one another. Do not insult by using nicknames. And do not backbite or speak ill of one another.”

In the last address to his community, the Prophet (saw) said: “Your lives and properties are forbidden to one another till you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection… Regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust… Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you… You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity.” The Prophet (saw) did not prohibit only the unlawful encroachment of one another’s life and property, but also honor and respect.

Considering that human life is to be valued and cruelty is forbidden, what is the Islamic perspective on incest and rape?

According to Islâm, a woman has to be respected and protected under all circumstances, whether she belongs to your own nation or to the nation of an enemy, whether she follows your religion or belongs to some other religion or has no religion at all. A Muslim cannot outrage her under any circumstances. All promiscuous relationships have been forbidden to him, irrespective of the status or position of the woman, whether the woman is a willing or an unwilling partner to the act. The words of the Holy Qur’ân in this respect are: “Do not approach (the bounds of) adultery” (17:32). Heavy punishment has been prescribed for this crime, and the order has not been qualified by any conditions. Since the violation of chastity of a woman is forbidden in Islam, a Muslim who perpetrates this crime cannot escape punishment. (Maudoodi)

The Quran has, in various ways and in different contexts; impressed on men that they must observe the limits set by God (Hudûd Allah) in respect to women and must not encroach upon their rights in either marriage or divorce. In all situations it is the men who are reminded, corrected and reprimanded, over and over again, to be generous to women and to be kind, compassionate, fair and just in their dealings with women. Even in divorce, when the chances of anger and vindictiveness are high, it is stressed that men are to separate with grace, equity and generosity.

Forbidding cruelty against children and women is apparent from rulings against female infanticide and rights of inheritance given even to an unborn child; and the kindness mandated even when divorcing your wife. There are numerous ahâdîth about the rights of children to respect and dignity. The same holds true for respect and the unprecedented rights given to women.

Relevant verses from the Quran:
Sûrah an Nâs 4.119
‘O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will…’

Sûrah an Nûr 24.33
‘… And do not, in order to gain some of the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life, coerce your slave women into whoredom if they are desirous of marriage, and if anyone should coerce them, then, verily, after they have been compelled (to submit in their helplessness), God will be much forgiving, a dispenser of grace (to them).

During the time of the Prophet (saw) punishment was inflicted on the rapist on the solitary evidence of the woman who was raped by him. Wa’il ibn Hujr reports of an incident when a woman was raped. Later, when some people came by, she identified and accused the man of raping her. They seized him and brought him to Allah’s messenger, who said to the woman, “Go away, for Allâh has forgiven you,” but of the man who had raped her, he said, “Stone him to death.” (Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)

During the time when Umar (raa) was the Khalifah, a woman accused his son Abu Shahmah of raping her; she brought the infant borne of this incident with her to the mosque and publicly spoke about what had happened. Umar (raa) asked his son who acknowledged committing the crime and was duly punished right there and then. There was no punishment given to the woman. (Rauf)

Islamic legal scholars interpret rape as a crime in the category of Hiraba. In ‘Fiqh-us-Sunnah’, hiraba is described as: ‘a single person or group of people causing public disruption, killing, forcibly taking property or money, attacking or raping women (hatk al ‘arad), killing cattle, or disrupting agriculture.’

The famous jurist, Ibn Hazm, had the widest definition of hiraba, defining a hiraba offender as: ‘One who puts people in fear on the road, whether or not with a weapon, at night or day, in urban areas or in open spaces, in the palace of a caliph or a mosque, with or without accomplices, in the desert or in the village, in a large or small city, with one or more people… making people fear that they’ll be killed, or have money taken, or be raped (hatk al ‘arad)… whether the attackers are one or many.”

Al-Dasuqi held that if a person forced a woman to have sex, his actions would be deemed as committing hiraba. In addition, the Maliki judge Ibn ‘Arabi, relates a story in which a group was attacked and a woman in their party was raped. Responding to the argument that the crime did not constitute hiraba because no money was taken and no weapons used, Ibn ‘Arabi replied indignantly that “hiraba with the private parts” is much worse than hiraba involving the taking of money, and that anyone would rather be subjected to the latter than the former.

The crime of rape is classified not as a subcategory of ‘zina’ (consensual adultery), but rather as a separate crime of violence under hiraba. This classification is logical, as the “taking” is of the victim’s property (the rape victim’s sexual autonomy) by force. In Islam, sexual autonomy and pleasure is a fundamental right for both women and men (Ghazâlî); taking by force someone’s right to control the sexual activity of one’s body is thus a form of hiraba.

Rape as hiraba is a violent crime that uses sexual intercourse as a weapon. The focus in a hiraba prosecution is the accused rapist and his intent and physical actions, and not second-guessing the consent of the rape victim. Hiraba does not require four witnesses to prove the offense, circumstantial evidence, medical data and expert testimony form the evidence used to prosecute such crimes.

Islamic legal responses to rape are not limited to a criminal prosecution for hiraba. Islamic jurisprudence also provides an avenue for civil redress for a rape survivor in its law of “jirah” (wounds). Islamic law designates ownership rights to each part of one’s body, and a right to corresponding compensation for any harm done unlawfully to any of those parts. Islamic law calls this the ‘law of jirah’ (wounds). Harm to a sexual organ, therefore, entitles the person harmed to appropriate financial compensation under classical Islamic jirah jurisprudence. Each school of Islamic law has held that where a woman is harmed through sexual intercourse (some include marital intercourse), she is entitled to financial compensation for the harm. Further, where this intercourse was without the consent of the woman, the perpetrator must pay the woman both the basic compensation for the harm, as well as an additional amount based on the ‘diyya’ (financial compensation for murder, akin to a wrongful death payment).

Islamic law, with its radical introduction of a woman’s right to own property as a fundamental right, employs a gender-egalitarian attitude in this area of jurisprudence. In fact, there is a hadith specifically directed to transforming the early Muslim population out of this patriarchal attitude of male financial compensation for female sexual activity. During the time of Prophet Muhammad, a young man committed zina with his employer’s wife. The father of the young man gave one hundred goats and a maid as compensation to the employer, who accepted it. When the case was reported to the Prophet, he ordered the return of the goats and the maid to the young man’s father and prosecuted the adulterer for zina (Abu Daud 1990, 3: Bk. 33, No. 4430; Bukhâri 1985, 8:Bk. 81, Nos. 815, 821, 826).

Early Islam thus established that there should be no tolerance of the attitude that a woman’s sexual activity is something to be bartered, pawned, gossiped about, or owned by the men in her life. Personal responsibility of every human being for their own actions is a fundamental principle in Islamic thought.

Marital Rape
The Quran is very clear that the basis of a marital relationship is love and affection between the spouses, not power or control. Rape is unacceptable in such a relationship.

Sûrah al Baqarah 2.223
‘Your wives are your tilth; go then unto your tilth as you may desire, but first provide something for your souls*, and remain conscious of God, and know that your are destined to meet Him…’
* Note in Muhammad Asad’s translation: ‘a spiritual relationship between man and woman is postulated as the indispensable basis of sexual relations.’

Sûrah ar Rum 30.21
“And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind, so that your might incline towards then, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think!

Sûrah al Baqarah 2.187
“… They are as a garment for you, and you are as a garment for them.”

Sûrah al Nisa 4.19
“… And consort with your wives in a goodly manner, for if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something which God might yet make a source of abundant good.”

“Is there recognition of marital rape in Islam?
In the context of jirah, it would appear so: where there is any physical harm or disease caused to a spouse, there may be a claim for jirah compensation. The law of jirah provides for compensation for physical harm between spouses, and supports Islamic legislation against domestic abuse. Even in these discussions of appropriate jirah compensation, the question of the injured party’s consent plays a central role. Some Islamic jurists considered consent to be presumed by virtue of the marital relationship, while others maintain that where harm occurs, it is an assault, regardless of the consent, and therefore compensation is due. In our modern era, one might take these precedents and their premium focus on consent and apply the Islamic principle of sexual autonomy to conclude that any sex without consent is harmful, as a dishonoring of the unwilling party’s sexual autonomy. Thus, modern Islamic jurists and legislators, taking a gender-egalitarian perspective, might conclude that Islamic law does recognize marital rape, and assign the appropriate injunctions and compensation for this personally devastating harm.” (Qureshi)

An often misquoted and abused hadith that is used to tyrannize women is that women cannot and should not say no to their husband when he approaches them Women are advised not to turn away from their husbands except if they have their period or any other reasonable excuse. So much so that she is to break her voluntary fast if her husband approaches her. And if they do angels will curse them. However, this hadith is not quoted with the complementary one that advises men of the same consideration.

In the same manner men are advised that meeting the needs of their wives takes precedence over voluntary worship. Narrated Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As: “Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “O Abdullah! I have been informed that you fast all the day and stand in prayer all night?” I said, ‘Yes, O Allah’s Apostle!’ He said, “Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them at other times, stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you and your wife has a right over you.” (Bukhâri)

To a certain degree these ahâdîth are used to confuse and distract from the issue, since rape does not have anything to do with permission or lack of permission. In a marriage abusive or forced sexual activity cannot be justified by abusing this hadith. Rape is defined as unwanted, violent and forced sex, whether this occurs in a marital context or outside it. The definition of rape does not change because of the relationship.

It is important to not confuse the issue of mutual rights that a couple has on each other with the misguided, distorted and misogynist assumption that women become a husband’s property. Islam does not allow for or tolerate ownership of human beings. Human dignity does not allow that any one person has the right to own, mind/body/soul, another human being… and Islam demands that all human beings respect the humanity of everyone.

Incest & Child Abuse
The Quran clearly outlines those with whom marriage is not permitted, we can extrapolate from it that any sexual relation with these would be unacceptable.

Sûrah an Nisa 4:23:
Prohibited for you (in marriage) are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, the sisters of your fathers, the sisters of your mothers, the daughters of your brother, the daughters of your sister, your nursing mothers, the girls who nursed from the same woman as you, the mothers of your wives, the daughters of your wives with whom you have consummated the marriage -- if the marriage has not been consummated, you may marry the daughter. Also prohibited for you are the women who were married to your genetic sons. Also, you shall not be married to two sisters at the same time -- but do not break up existing marriages. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

This includes your foster parents, siblings and children.

Al Hasan reports: ‘If somebody commits illegal intercourse with his sister, his punishment is the same as for any other person who commits such a crime’. (Bukhâri Vol. 8 pp 526)

Thus, these same laws mentioned above in cases of rape would be equally applicable, and incest can be prosecuted as a crime within the bounds of Islamic law.

According to Islam, all aspects of life, ie: the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, are sacred and must be respected. No gender or relationship has been given the power or right to hurt or harm the other. Domestic violence, rape and incest are all violent and criminal abuses that are outside the bounds of what is permitted in Islam and there is absolutely no justification for it whatsoever.

References:
-Ghazâlî; “Ihya Ulum ud Din”
-Hasan, Riffat; “Religious Human Rights in Global Perspective: Religious Perspectives” John Witte, Jr. and Johan D. van der Vyver Eds. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1996
-Maudoodi, Abu al Ala; “Human Rights in Islam” The Islamic Foundation UK 1976, 1993
-Qureshi, Asifa LLM; “Her Honor: An Islamic Critique of the Rape Laws of Pakistan from a Woman-Sensitive Perspective”
-Rahman, Afzal ur; “Role of Muslim Women in Society” Seerah Foundation, London, 1986
-Rauf, Muhammad Abdul; “Umar al Faruq” Al Saadawi Publications, 1998

Abridged version of article published in the September issue of ‘Islâmic Reflections 2002′

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Sisters in Islam shares the concern expressed by the Deputy Prime Minister that the absence of a definition on rape in syariah law has led to victims of rape being charged for zina (illicit sex).

Throughout the history of Islam, differing human interpretations and understanding of the word of God had always existed. We as a society must debate and discuss in a rational and informed manner which interpretation will serve the best interest of our multi-ethnic, multi-religious, industrialising and modernising society.

In Pakistan, it is reported that three out of four women in prison under its Hudud laws, are rape victims. Because rape is equated with zina under Hudud law, rape victims are required to produce four pious male witnesses. It is of course nearly impossible for the rape victims to produce the four male witnesses required to prove their allegation. Therefore their police report of rape was taken as a confession of illicit sex on their part and they were duly found guilty.

In the real world, rape is unlikely to occur in the open, such that four pious males can observe the act of penetration. If they actually did witness such an act, and have not sought to prevent it, then technically they are abettors to the crime. In reality, unless the rapist confesses to the crime, women can never prove rape at all if rape is placed under syariah jurisdiction.

It is because of such gross injustice and abuse of the law that Sisters in Islam objected to several provisions which discriminated against women in the Hudud Enactment of Kelantan in 1993. The enforcement of such laws leaves rape victims who are unable to provide four male eye witnesses liable to prosecution for illicit sex.

In Malaysia, rape is a crime under the Penal Code. There is therefore no necessity for a new crime of rape under the Syariah criminal offences legislation as this would lead to a further conflict of jurisdiction between civil and syariah law. All citizens, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, who commit the crime of rape, which includes incest, should be prosecuted under the Penal Code. According to the Federal Constitution crime is a federal matter and effort must be made to minimise areas of overlapping of jurisdiction between civil and syariah law which have already led to numerous cases of conflict that must be addressed by the authorities in consultation with NGOs.

We feel there are adequate provisions in the Penal Code to deal with the Deputy Prime Minister’s concern of sexual abuse at home. Even though the crime of incest is not defined in the Penal Code, the perpetrator could be charged for rape and the judge should take into consideration the aggravating circumstances of a family relationship and impose a higher sentence on the rapist.

Incest, however, is a specific crime under the Syariah Criminal Code. In an unprecedented case in Kelantan recently, a 17-year-old daughter was charged for incest with her father under the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code. Sisters in Islam views this development with deep concern.

That the Syariah prosecutors regarded the girl as a willing partner in the commission of the crime and therefore an offender, rather than a victim, is totally against the grain of justice. The girl is a juvenile under the authority and control of her father. The failure of the Syariah judicial officers to understand the dynamics of power relationship led to the prosecution of a daughter, a victim of sexual abuse by the father, as if she was an equal perpetrator and willing partner in the crime.

In this case, the cause of justice would have better been served if the father was charged with rape under the Penal Code where he is liable to imprisonment for not less than five years and not more than 20 years. This sentencing properly reflects the gravity of the crime committed and society’s abhorrence of such a crime. However, under the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code, the person who commits incest is liable only to a fine not exceeding $3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.

In the Kelantan case, society would regard the daughter as the victim, not the offender. She is regarded as a minor under civil law and should have been given the professional care and support she so necessarily needed to help her overcome the trauma of an incestuous relationship. She should not have been treated as a criminal.

Sisters in Islam urges the Government to form a committee which includes women’s groups and other NGOs to review the Syariah Criminal Law and its many provisions which conflict or overlap with civil law, which conflict with constitutional provisions on fundamental liberties and which discriminate against women and marginalised communities.

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The angels have duties. Each of them has a duty that he is entrusted with, and he does not delay in carrying it out. Rather, he executes it acting on Allaah’s order and He doesn’t disobey Him. Allaah says: “(Hell) Over which are angels stern and severe who do not disobey the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which they are commanded.”
[Surah At-Tahreem: 6]

Some of their Duties:
First: Those who take charge of the Hellfire. They are known as the Guardians of Hell, meaning, those entrusted with the Hellfire and with tormenting its inhabitants.

Second: Among them are angels that are entrusted with carrying the Throne of Allaah, as He says: “Those who carry the Throne (of Allaah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord and believe in Him. And they ask forgiveness for those who believe, (saying):
`Our Lord! You encompass all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent.’” [Surah Ghaafir: 7]

And Allaah says: “And bearing the Throne of your Lord on that Day will be eight (angels).”
[Surah Al-Haaqah: 17]

The Number of Angels who will Bear the Throne:
The angels that will carry the Throne are four. Then on the Day of Judgement their number will increase to eight. The Throne of Allaah is the greatest of His creations, which will be carried on the Day of Judgement by eight angels. This shows that they are indeed mighty, since they will carry this magnificent Throne, which is the greatest and mightiest of Allaah’s creations. This indicates their power and their tremendous composures.

Third: Among them are those angels entrusted with revelation. Allaah says: “He sends down the angels with the Rooh (spirit/revelation) from His Command to whomever He wills from His servants, (saying): `Warn mankind that there is no deity that has the right to be worshipped except Me, so be dutiful to Me.’” [Surah An-Nahl: 2]

The word Rooh (spirit) here means revelation. It is called Rooh because it is the revelation that brings life to the hearts, just as the rain brings life to the earth. In the same sense, it is the created Rooh (spirit) that brings life to the bodies of animals.

Rooh can also stand for the Qur’aan, as Allaah says: “And thus We have revealed to you (O
Muhammad) a Rooh (i.e. Qur’aan) from Our Command.” [Surah Ash-Shooraa: 52]

Rooh here stands for the Qur’aan, since it is that which brings life to the hearts of the believers, just as the earth is brought to life by rain. Such is the case with the hearts of the believers – they are brought to life by way of the Qur’aan.

The word Rooh is also used to refer to Jibreel, who is the greatest, most honorable and virtuous of all the angels. He is the one who brought the Qur’aan down from Allaah to Muhammad, as Allaah says: “The trustworthy spirit (Jibreel) brought it (i.e. the Qur’aan) down – to your heart (O Muhammad) in order that you may be from the warners – in a plain Arabic language.” [Surah Ash-Shu'araa: 193-195]

So Jibreel brought the Qur’aan down to the heart of the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), and he in turn conveyed it to his ummah. In another ayah, Allaah says: “Say: The holy spirit (Jibreel) brought it down from your Lord.” [Surah An-Nahl: 102]

This is referring to the angel Jibreel – he is the holy spirit.

The Attributes of Jibreel:
Allaah has described Jibreel with great characteristics, as He says: “So verily, I swear by the planets that recede (disappear during the day and appear at night). And by the planets that move swiftly and hide themselves. And by the night as it departs. And by the dawn as it brightens. Verily, this is the Word (brought by) an honorable messenger (i.e. angel) – Possessing power and a high rank with the Lord of the Throne. Obeyed (by the angels), trustworthy there (in the heavens).” [Surah At-Takweer: 15-21]

The First Attribute: Power: Allaah says: “Possessing power and a high rank with the Lord of the Throne.” [Surah At-Takweer: 20] The “Lord of the Throne” here refers to Allaah.

The Second Attribute: Position: Allaah says: “Possessing power and a high rank with the Lord of the Throne.” [Surah At-Takweer: 20] This means that he possesses a high position in the sight of Allaah, which no one else has reached.

The Third Attribute: Obedience: All of the angels obey Jibreel by the Permission of Allaah.

The Fourth Attribute: Trustworthiness: This refers to the revelation, such that he doesn’t make additions or subtractions to it, but rather, He conveys it just the way that Allaah has revealed it to him.

The Prophet Muhammad’s Seeing Jibreel:
Allaah says: “And your companion is not insane.” [Surah At-Takweer: 22] This is what the disbelievers claimed about him (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). “And indeed he
(Muhammad) saw him (Jibreel) in the clear horizon).” [Surah At-Takweer: 23] Muhammad (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saw Jibreel on the horizon twice.

The First Time: This was in the valley of Makkah. The Prophet Muhammad (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) lifted his head and saw him in the sky and he had 600 wings. Each one of his wings blocked the horizon.

The Second Time: Allaah says: “And indeed he (Muhammad) saw him (Jibreel) at a second descent – near the lote-tree of the utmost boundary.” [Surah An-Najm: 13-14] This occurred during the night in which the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ascended to the heaven and saw him in his natural state.

These are the attributes of Jibreel. Allaah says: “Verily, this is the Word (brought by) an honorable messenger (i.e. angel).” [Surah At-Takweer: 19]

This means: Even though the Qur’aan is the Speech of Allaah, it is ascribed to Jibreel here, since he is the one who conveyed it to Muhammad. So he is conveying from Allaah, for he dictated it to our messenger, Muhammad, conveying it from Allaah. However, it is the Speech of Allaah. Speech is only attributed to the one who states it originally, not to the one who says it conveying it from someone else. However, the Speech of Allaah has been attributed to Jibreel here from the perspective of his conveying it.

Fourth: There are angels entrusted with other duties: 1. Mikaa’eel: He is responsible for the raindrops that fall down from the sky. He moves them around and causes the rain to descend wherever Allaah commands.

2. Israafeel is responsible for blowing on the Trumpet. This will be at the time when Allaah wants to resurrect the creatures from their graves. The bodies will be brought forth from the graves and reassembled. Then the only thing remaining (to be integrated) will be the soul. It is at this point that Israafeel will blow on this horn, due to Allaah’s Command, and the souls will float to their respective bodies, which had come out and risen from their graves. Then they will walk to where Allaah orders them to go. Allaah says: “The Day when they will come out of the graves quickly as if they were racing to a goal.” [Surah Al-
Ma'aarij: 43]

And Allaah says: “They will come forth with humbled eyes from (their) graves as if they were locusts spread about. Hastening towards the caller, the disbelievers will say: `This is a hard day.’” [Surah Al-Qamar: 7-8]

These are the three angles that are responsible for life. Jibreel is responsible for bringing the revelation, which brings life into the hearts. And Mikaa’eel is responsible for the raindrops, which bring life to the earth after its death. Israafeel is responsible for blowing on the trumpet, which will bring life to the bodies (on the Day of Resurrection). This is why when the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would get up for prayer at night, after saying the opening Takbeer, he (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would say in his opening
supplication: “O Allaah! Lord of Jibreel, Mikaa’eel and Israafeel, Originator of the heavens and the earth…”

These are the greatest angels due to the magnitude of their duties.

Fifth: There are also angels that are put in charge of the fetuses in the mothers’ wombs.
This has been reported in the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood (radyAllaahu ‘anhu), in which he
said: “The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) narrated to us – and he is the truthful one who is believed – saying: `Verily the creation of each of one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days in the form of a seed, then he is a clot of blood for a like period, then a morsel of flesh for a like period. Then the angel is sent to him and commanded with four matters – to write down his means of livelihood, his life span, his actions, and whether he will be happy or unhappy.’” Allaah sends this angel to him to carry out this great important task.

Sixth: There are angels that are in charge of taking the souls when their prescribed time is over. There is the Angel of Death (Malak-ul-Mawt) about whom Allaah says: “Say: `The Angel of Death, who is set over you, will take your souls.’” [Surah As-Sajdah: 11]

The Angel of Death has assistants that will aid him, as Allaah says: “Until when death approaches one of you, Our messengers (i.e. the Angel of Death and his assistants) take his soul, and they never neglect their duty. Then they are returned to Allaah, their Master, the Just Lord.” [Surah Al-An'aam: 61-62] So taking the soul at the time of death is ascribed to the angels, to the Angel of Death and also to Allaah.

“It is Allaah who takes away the souls at the time of their death.” [Surah Az-Zumar: 42] Death is ascribed to Allaah here because He is the One who orders it to occur. It is ascribed to the angels because they are the ones who physically carry that out by gathering the soul and leading it out of the human’s body until it reaches his throat. And it is also ascribed to the Angel of Death -- “Say: `The Angel of Death, who is set over you, will take your souls’” – because he is the one in charge of seizing the souls after they have been rounded up in the last stage (of death).

Seventh: There are also angels in charge of recording the deeds of the son of Aadam (i.e.
humans), as occurs in the hadeeth: “You are constantly being frequented (in successive
shifts) by angels at night and angels during the day.” Allaah says: “And verily, there are guardians (i.e. angels recording your deeds) over you – Honorable, recording (your deeds).
They know all that you do.” [Surah Al-Infitaar: 10-12]

Every human being has two angels with him:
Every human amongst us has two angels that are responsible over him – an angel on his right side recording his good deeds and another on his left side recording his bad deeds.
Allaah says: “When the two receivers receive (i.e. record his deeds) from his right side and his left side, sitting. Not a word does he utter, except that there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).” [Surah Qaaf: 17-18]

These guardian angels accompany a human being whether he is on a journey or sitting at home – they are next to him at all times under all conditions – during his prayer, while he is prostrating, etc. – they accompany him and do not leave him alone except under specific circumstances, such as when the person is relieving himself (in the bathroom). So these angels record his statements and his actions.

The angels record People’s Intentions and Objectives:
It has been related that the angels also record a person’s intentions and inner objectives, which are located in the heart. Whatever he intends to do, they record it. This is why a person is rewarded for having good intention, since it is an action of the heart, while he is punished for evil intentions, since the intention is an action of the heart.

These angels are put in charge of recording a person’s deeds from the time that he reaches the age of puberty – the age of discernment – to the time when Allaah takes his soul in death. And they record against him everything that he does in his life – whether that is in the form of intentions, actions, statements, or other than that.

The Status of the Fajr and `Asr Prayers amidst the Other Prayers:
The Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “You are constantly being frequented (in successive shifts) by angels at night and angels during the day. And they gather together during the `Asr Prayer and during the Fajr Prayer.” This is why these two prayers are the greatest of all prayers. Allaah says: “Verily, the recitation of the Qur’aan in the early dawn (i.e. Fajr Prayer) is witnessed (by the angels).” [Surah Al-Israa: 78] He is referring here to the Fajr Prayer, which the angels of the night and the angels of the day attend. They gather together to witness the Fajr prayer along with the Muslims and listen to the Qur’aan that is recited in prayer. They also gather together during the `Asr Prayer, where Allaah asks them, even though He is most knowledgeable of the answer: “In what state did you leave My servants?” The angels reply, saying: “We came to them while they were praying and we left them while they were praying.” This means that they descended while we were praying `Asr and they attended the prayer along with us. And then they rose back up (to the
heavens) while we were praying Fajr.

Due to this, it has been determined that the `Asr Prayer is the “Middle Prayer” that Allaah has encouraged us about, where He says: “Guard strictly the (five daily) prayers, especially the middle prayer (i.e. `Asr).” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 238] He means by this the `Asr prayer since that is the prayer that the (guardian) angels of the night and the angels of the day attend.

A Call to those who fall short:
So where are those who hold back from attending the Fajr Prayer, sleeping (instead) in their beds and not witnessing this great event every night with the angels of the Most Merciful? This is such that these angels inform about these attendees (of the Fajr Prayer) while in the most highest of gatherings, saying: “We came to them while they were praying and we left them while they were praying.”

What benefit has this person who refrains from going to the Fajr Prayer and instead prefers sleep gained from his actions? And what benefit has this person who misses out on attending the `Asr Prayer, due to laziness, preferring sleep or some other deed, gained from his actions?

It is stated in the hadeeth that: “Whoever misses the `Asr Prayer, it is as if he lost his family and wealth.” And in another hadeeth it states: “…then he has nullified his actions.”
This means that he has taken the prayer out of its proper time. So if he takes it out of its proper time, he has missed it.

Eight: There are also angels that are responsible for protecting humans from perils. A human being is prone to walk into dangers everyday. However, Allaah entrusts angels that guard and protect him from these dangers during his lifetime, which Allaah has ordained for him. This earth, which a human being walks upon everyday, contains many dangers.
There are wild beasts, snakes, scorpions, not to mention transgressors from among humans – enemies and oppressors. However, Allaah has placed these angels around the human being. Allaah says: “He has those (angels) who constantly surround him – from before him and behind him, protecting him by the Command of Allaah.” [Surah Ar-Ra'ad:
11]

Therefore, so long as Allaah has decreed that this individual will be safe from harms, these angels will protect and guard him, and no human will be able to harm him. But if Allaah desires to bring an end to his appointed time, He removes them from him – one from before him and one from behind him.

“Verily, Allaah will not change the condition of a people until they (first) change the condition of themselves. And when Allaah desires a bad end for a people, there is no turning it back.” [Surah Ar-Ra'ad: 11] So if Allaah’s Divine Pre-Decree comes to pass and He desires to put an end to this person, the angels that constantly surround him withdraw themselves from him because they do not refrain from carrying out Allaah’s Command.
These are the angels that constantly surround a person.

Ninth: There are also angels that have responsibilities in this universe that only Allaah has knowledge of. There are angels that are put in charge of the seas and angels put in charge of the days. There are angels responsible for the winds and angels put in charge of carrying out many other duties.

All of the events that occur in the universe and which constantly transpire within it on a daily basis are only by Allaah’s decreeing that. As for the angels, they carry out whatever tasks Allaah orders them to execute.

AUTHOR: Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan
SOURCE: His booklet: “Al-Eemaan bil-Malaa’ikah”
PRODUCED BY: Al-Ibaanah.com

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Throughout history man has always had a deep attraction for the supernatural and the unseen. The existence of a world parallel to our own has always fascinated people. This world is commonly referred to as the spirit world, and almost every set of people have some concept of one. With some people, these spirits are no more then the souls of dead people- or ghosts. With others, spirits are either the forces of good or the forces of evil -- both battling against one another to gain influence over humanity. However, both of these explanations are more in tune with folk tales and fantasy. The true explanation of such a world comes from Islam. Like every other way, Islam also claims to explain this realm of the unseen. It is from this realm that Islam explains to us about the world of the Jinn. The Islamic explanation of the Jinn provides us with so many answers to modem day mysteries. Without the knowledge of this world, the Muslims would become like the non-Muslims and be running around looking for any old answer to come their way. So, who or what are the Jinn?
Existence

The Jinn are beings created with free will, living on earth in a world parallel to mankind. The Arabic word Jinn is from the verb ‘Janna’ which means to hide or conceal. Thus, they are physically invisible from man as their description suggests. This invisibility is one of the reasons why some people have denied their existence. However, (as will be seen) the affect which the world of the Jinn has upon our world, is enough to refute this modern denial of one of God’s creation. The origins of the Jinn can be traced from the Quran and the Sunnah. God says:

“Indeed We created man from dried clay of black smooth mud. And We created the Jinn before that from the smokeless flame of fire” (Quran 15:26-27)

Thus the Jinn were created before man. As for their physical origin, then the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, has confirmed the above verse when he said:

“The Angels were created from light and the Jinn from smokeless fire.” (Saheeh Muslim)

It is this description of the Jinn which tells us so much about them. Because they were created from fire, their nature has generally been fiery and thus their relationship with man has been built upon this. Like humans, they too are required to worship God and follow Islam. Their purpose in life is exactly the same as ours, as God says:

“I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Quran 51:56)

Jinns can thus be Muslims or non-Muslims. However, due to their fiery nature the majority of them are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Jinns form a part of the army of the most famous Jinn, Satan[1]. Consequently, these disbelieving Jinns are also called devils. Jinns also become Muslims, as they did in the time of the Prophet when a group of them were amazed by the recitation of the Quran. God orders the Prophet to tell the people of this event:

“Say (O’ Muhammed): It has been revealed to me that a group of Jinn listened and said; ‘Indeed we have heard a marvelous Quran. It guides unto righteousness so we have believed in it, and we will never make partners with our lord’.”(Quran 72:1-2)

In many aspects of their world, the Jinn are very similar to us. They eat and drink, they marry, have children and they die. The life span however, is far greater then ours. Like us, they will also be subject to a Final Reckoning by God the Most High. They will be present with mankind on the Day of Judgment and will either go to Paradise or Hell.
Abilities

That which clearly distinguishes the Jinn from mankind, are their powers and abilities. God has given them these powers as a test for them. If they oppress others with them, then they will be held accountable. By knowing of their powers, we can often make sense of much of the mysteries which go on around us. One of the powers of the Jinn, is that they are able to take on any physical form they like. Thus, they can appear as humans, animals trees and anything else. Thousands of people have sighted strange looking creatures all over the world -- and it seems more plausible all the sightings of such creatures may have been Jinns parading in different forms.

The ability to possess and take over the minds and bodies of other creatures is also a power which the Jinn have utilized greatly over the centuries. This however, is something which has been prohibited to them as it is a great oppression to possess another being. Human possession is something which has always brought about great attention. But the true knowledge of this subject is rare. Over the last 3 decades the subject of possession has become very commercialized. During the 70’s, films such as The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby were used to educate people about possession. However, because such institutions (the film industry) were heavily influenced by Christianity, knowledge of the subject was non-existent. Rather then educate people about Jinn possession, films such as The Exorcist just tended to scare the living daylights out of us!

Only through Islam can we understand such a phenomena. We know as Muslims, that Jinns possess people for many reasons. Sometimes it is because the Jinn or its family has been hurt accidentally. It could be because the Jinn has fallen in love with the person. However, most of the time possession occurs because the Jinn is simply malicious and wicked. For this reason we have been commanded to recite the Quran frequently in our houses as the Prophet said:

“Indeed, Satan flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah (the 2nd chapter of the Quran) is recited.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

If a person does become possessed, then the name of God has to be used in expelling the Jinn. If we look at the practice of the Prophet and his companions, we find many invocations to exorcise the Jinn. All of them invoke God to help the possessed person. How contrary this is to many modern-day exorcists. Many exorcists, often invoke the names of others besides God to exorcise the Jinn. When the Jinn does leave, these people believe that their way was successful. However, this is a ploy of the Jinn, as it knows that if it obeys the exorcist, then it has succeeded in making him worship others besides God. The Jinn often returns when the exorcist leaves, as it knows that nothing except the words of God can stop it from oppressing others.

It is not only humans which are possessed, but also animals, trees and other objects. By doing this, the evil Jinn hope to make people worship others besides God. The possession of idols is one way to do this. Not so long ago the world-wide phenomenon of Hindu idols drinking milk, shocked the world. From Bombay to London, Delhi to California, countless idols were lapping up milk. Ganesh the elephant god, Hanuman the monkey god and even Shiva lingam, the male private organ (!), all seemed to guzzle down the milk as if there was no tomorrow! Unfortunately people were taken in by this and many flocked to feed the Hindu gods. This feat was undoubtedly done by the Jinn as a classic attempt to make people worship false gods.

Footnotes:

[1] Unlike Christianity, Islam maintains that Satan (Lucifer) was from the Jinn and not an angel. Angels do not have a free will to disobey.

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Through their powers of flying and invisibility, the Jinn are the chief component in occult activities. Voodoo, Black magic, Poltergeists, Witchcraft and Mediums can all be explained through the world of the Jinn. Likewise, so can the illusions and feats of magicians. Because the Jinn can traverse huge distances over a matter of seconds, their value to magicians is great. In return for helping them in their magic, the Jinns often ask the magicians to worship them and Satan. Thus the magicians take the Jinn and Satan as lords besides God. In our day, some of the feats performed by magicians and entertainers are without doubt from the assistance of the Jinn. Making the Statue of Liberty disappear, flying across the Grand Canyon and retrieving a ship from the Bermuda Triangle, have all been done by the Jewish magician David Copperfield. There is NO way that a man could do such things without the assistance of the Jinn. It would not be surprising therefore, if David Copperfield had sold his soul to Satan himself.may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him

One of the most frequent activities associated with the Jinn, is fortune telling. Before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, fortune-tellers and soothsayers were wide spread. These people would use their associates from the Jinn to find out about the future. The Jinns would go to the lowest heaven and listen to the Angels conversing amongst themselves about events of the Future which they heard from God. The Jinns would then inform the fortune-tellers. This is why before the time of the Prophet many fortune-tellers were very accurate in their predictions. However, upon the Prophet’s arrival the heavens were guarded intensely by the Angels, and any Jinn who tried to listen was attacked by meteors (shooting stars):

“And We have guarded it (the heavens) from every accursed devil, except one who is able to snatch a hearing and he is pursued by a brightly burning flame.” (Quran 15:17-18)

The Prophet also said: “They (the Jinn) would pass the information back down until it reaches the lips of a magician or forrtune-teller Sometimes a meteor would overtake them before they could pass it on. If they passed it on before being struck, they would add to it a hundred lies” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari). Thus, it is clear from this as to how fortune-tellers get predictions of the future sometimes right. It is also evident as to why they get so many wrong. Men like Nostradamus are an example, as some of his predictions of the future were correct whilst many were completely wrong. Unfortunately, the amount of fortune telling which occurs amongst the Muslims is also increasing. By visiting Muslim lands such as Morocco, one is able to see as to how much inter Jinn-fortune-teller activity there really is. If you look up at the sky on a clear night in Morocco, you will see the heavens ablaze with shooting stars! A clear display of the devils being chased away from the heavens.

Fortune-tellers also operate through the Qareen. The Qareen is the Jinn companion which is assigned to every human being. It is this Jinn which whispers to our base desires and constantly tries to divert us from righteousness. The Prophet said: “Every one of you has been assigned a companion from the Jinn. The companions asked: Even you O’ Messenger of God? And the Prophet replied: Even me, except that God has helped me against him and he has become a Muslim. Now he only tells me to do good” (Saheeh Muslim). Because the Qareen is with a person all his life, it knows all that has happened to the person from the cradle to the grave. By making contact with the Qareen, the fortune-teller is thus able to make out that it is he who knows about the person. He looks in his crystal ball or the palm of a person and proceeds to amaze him with knowledge which no one else knows. The severity of going to a fortune-teller is such that the Prophet said: “The prayer of one who approaches a fortune-teller and asks him about anything, will not be accepted for forty days or nights” (Saheeh Muslim) and: “Whosoever approaches a fortune-teller and believes in what he says, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammed.”

The effects of the Jinn are not just limited to fortune-tellers. Other activities such as oujia boards and seances, which are used to contact the dead, are manipulated by the Jinn. ‘Are you there Charlie? Speak to us Charlie!!’ are the sort of words spoken by anxious relatives (names are obviously different!) seeking to make contact with their loved ones. And it is when the Jinn starts to talk and communicate as ‘Charlie’, that the people are truly fooled.

One of the biggest manipulations of the Jinn is through visions. Through these visions the Jinns are more likely to lead people away from the worship of God then any other way. When a person sees a vision in front of his eyes it is something which is very hard to explain away. Only by having knowledge of the world of the Jinn and conviction in God, can a person fight such a trial. The countless numbers of visions of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary over the centuries has been a popular choice for the devils. It almost seems as if leading Christians astray is the most easiest trick for the Jinns! Not only are Christians fooled by these visions, but often the Jinns possess and begin to talk from their voices. To the Christians this is known as the tongues of the Angels and thus a proof for their faith. However, the amount of unintelligible nonsense and rubbish which is heard is a clear proof that this is in fact the tongues of the devils! For other people, visions of their parents or relatives are commonplace. By taking on the form of peoples parents, the Jinns can convince people that the souls of dead people still mix with the people of the earth. This is why so many people believe in ghosts.

The onslaught of satanic visions has also hit the Muslims. Many Muslims claim to have seen visions of the Prophet Muhammed and even God! By doing this, Satan is able to lead astray the weak Muslims. Through such visions, Muslims are often told that the commands of Islam are not applicable to them. The Jinns tell them that Prayer, Fasting, Hajj etc. are not obligatory for them. It is a great deception and unfortunately one which has been very effective. The extent of satanic visions still continues to this day. The recent death of Diana Princess of Wales sparked off great love and adoration for this woman. In fact the grief of the British people was such, that it was as if Diana was something divine. No sooner had the mourning of Diana reached its peak, that visions of her were already being seen at Hampton Court Palace! If these visions did occur, the desire of Satan and his army of Jinn to capitalise on this event, was evident. Such visions are clear attempts by Satan to lead mankind away from the path of God.
Protection from the Jinn

Because the Jinn can see us while we cannot see them, the Prophet Muhammad taught us many ways to protect ourselves from their harm, such as seeking refuge in Allah (God) from the accursed Satan, reciting chapters 113 and 114 of the Holy Quran, and reciting the words taught by God in the Quran: “Say: ‘My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of Satan (devils). And I seek refuge with You, my Lord, lest they may attend (or come near) me.’” (Quran 23:97-98)

Saying Bismillah (in the Name of Allah (God)) before entering one’s home, before eating or drinking, and before having intercourse will also keep Satan from entering the house or partaking with a person in his food, drink and sexual activity. Similarly, mentioning the name of Allah before entering the toilet or taking off one’s clothes will prevent the Jinn from seeing a person’s private parts or harming him, as the Prophet said. Strength of faith and religion in general will also prevent the Jinn from harming a person.

Reciting Al-Kursi verse in Arabic (Quran 2:255) provides also a strong protection against the Jinn, as we learned from the story of Abu Hurairah (one of Muhammad’s companions) with a devil.[1]

Also the Prophet Muhammad said: “Do not make your houses like graves, for Satan runs away from a house in which al-Baqarah chapter [chapter 2] is recited.”(Narrated by Saheeh Muslim)

These Arabic verses and prophetic sayings were some examples of how a Muslim would get protection from the Jinn. Islam teaches us how to deal with all of God’s creation -- and not just the Jinn. A true Muslim should not fear Satan or the Jinn, because Islam taught us about them and how to get protection from their harm.

The world of the Jinn is one which is both sinister and intriguing. By knowing of this world we can explain many of the mysteries and issues which bother us. By doing this we can avoid the extremes which the people have gone to; nothing being more extreme then worshipping others besides God. By learning the monotheism of God, we defend ourselves from these hidden allies of Satan:

“Indeed he (Satan) and his tribe watch you from a position where you cannot see them.” (Quran 7:27)

Footnotes:

[1] Abu Hurairah (a companion of Muhammad) said: “The Prophet Muhammad put me in charge of guarding compulsory charity collected in the month of Ramadan. Somebody came and began to take away some food-stuff from it. I caught him and said, ‘I must take you to the Prophet of God.’ He replied, ‘I am a needy man with a large family, and so I have a pressing need.’ So I let him go. When I saw the Prophet next morning, he asked me, ‘O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?’ I said, ‘O Prophet of God! He complained of a pressing need and a big family. I felt pity for him and I let him go.’ The prophet said, ‘He told you a lie and he will return.’ I was sure according to the saying of the Prophet that he would return. I waited for him. He sneaked up again and began to steal food-stuff from the charity. I caught him and said, ‘I must take you to the Prophet.’ He replied, ‘Let go of me, I am a needy man. I have to bear the expenses of a big family. I will not come back.’ So I took pity on him and let him go. I went at dawn to the Prophet who asked me, ‘O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?’ I replied, ‘O Prophet of God! He complained of a pressing need and the burden of a big family. I took pity on him and so I let him go.’ The Prophet replied, ‘He told you a lie and he will return.’ (That man) came again to steal the food-stuff. I arrested him and said, ‘I must take you to the Prophet of God, and this is the last of three times. You promised that you would not come again but you did.’ He replied, ‘Let go of me, and I shall teach you some words with which God may benefit you.’ I asked, ‘what are those words?’ He replied, ‘When you go to bed, recite Al-Kursi verse (Quran 2:255), for there will be a guardian appointed over you from God, and no devil will be able to approach you till morning.’ So I let him go. Next morning the Prophet of God asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do last night.’ I answered, ‘He promised to teach me some words which he claimed will benefit me before God. So I let him go.’ The Prophet asked, ‘What are those words that he taught you?’ I said, ‘He told me: When you go to bed, recite Al-Kursi verse from the beginning to the end and that by reciting it, there will be a guardian appointed over you from God who will protect you during the night, and no devil will be able to come near you until morning.’ The Prophet said, ‘Verily, he has told you the truth though he is a liar. O Abu Hurairah! Do you know with whom you were speaking for the last three nights?’ I said, ‘No.’ The prophet replied, ‘That was a devil.’” (Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

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A very emotional recitation of the holy quran. Please share, rate, comment and show your support

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“So from Shaddaad ibn Aws from the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, that he said, “The noblest and most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness is that the servant says

`O Allaah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped except You. You created me, and I am Your slave/worshipper. And I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as far as I am able. I seek Your refuge from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge before You all the favours that You have bestowed upon me. And I confess all my sins to You. So forgive me, since none can forgive sins except You.’

This wording occurs in one of the two narrations brought by Bukhaaree.

The Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Whoever says it in the day, with firm conviction in it, and dies in that day before evening – then he is from the people of Paradise. Whoever says it in the night,with firm conviction in it, and he dies before the Morning -then he is from the people of Paradise.”

The scholars count this hadeeth as one of the narrations both for the night and for the day – one of the adhkaar that should be said in early morning (sabaah), between dawn and sunrise, and at the start of the evening (masaa). Whoever says it and dies in that day, before evening, will enter Paradise. Similarly, whoever says it at night, and then dies before morning, will enter Paradise. Paradise is guaranteed for him.

This tremendous hadeeth of Shaddaad ibn Aws is reported by al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh in the Book of Supplications, under the title: `Chapter: The most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness.’

He also quotes it in a second place in the same Book under the title:`Chapter: What to say when one gets up in the (early) morning.’ This shows that Imaam al-Bukhaaree (rahimahu`Allaah) holds that, in the saying of the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam , “The most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness …” to the end of the hadeeth, there is proof that this is indeed the best wording for seeking forgiveness and the wording that is most complete.

When we study and reflect upon these words and what they contain, with regard to all aspects of supplication: humble submission, humility, ones abject poverty and need before Allaah, acknowledgement of His favour and blessings, and the fact that none forgives sins except Him-when we consider this, then it becomes clear to us that the wording of this hadeeth is very great and that it indeed deserves its description by the Prophet as, “The noblest/most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness.”

Furthermore, this is the only hadeeth of the noble Companion Shaddaad ibn Aws that is reported by al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh, and it is a noteworthy fact that he reports it twice. This is a point of benefit for the science of hadeeth and, although Muslim excludes it, it is also reported by some of the compilers of the Sunan, such as an-Nasaa’ee and at-Tirmidhee with wordings that also show the importance of learning this manner of seeking forgiveness. In a narration of at-Tirmidhee the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Shall I not guide you to the most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness?” And, in a narration of an-Nasaa’ee he said, “Learn the most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness.” This shows that learning this wording for seeking forgiveness from Allaah, the Perfect and Most High, was encouraged by the Prophet.sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam.”

To read the book in its entirety: http://islamic-knowledge.com/Books_Articles/Purification__Excellent_Manner_to_Seek_Forgiven

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Expert: Rami Bazlamit

Question
Salam Aleykum,
First of all thank you for giving people this opportunity to ask questions. Particularly this question has been bothering me…

first question
Can jinns marry with human? if yes can the get kids? if yes can we assume that there jinns kids among us?
last question
What is the relation between shaitan and the jinns?
I have been asking myself many time about this please do answer with daleel if available
thanks you very much!
Salam!

Answer
As-Salamu Alaykum Please note that my answer shouldn’t be taken as the only answer. I strongly encourage you to ask other experts, do more research and most importantly, read the Quran.

First Question

Jinns and Humans are different kinds of creatures. Jinns are made from fire [55:15], [15:27]. Humans are made from clay[38:71][15:26]. This is metaphorically speaking [3:7], which represents that they cannot physically touch each other. So to answer your question it is impossible to physically get married to a Jinn, and pass it down to children.
If you are referring to a “spiritual companionship” with a Jinn then Allah discourages you from doing that. Allah tells us that being companions of Jinns (“or man of Jinn”) can only lead us to adversity [72:6]. The only companion you should have is Allah [3:31].

Second Question

Iblis is introduced when Allah commanded everyone to bow down to mankind. He chooses not to bow down. [38:71-76]. {{{Please note that [18:50] clearly says Iblis is a Jinn.}}} He (Iblis) later says that he will try to try to lead people astray on earth [7:11-18].
And if you were to look at all of the verses regarding Shaitan, you would notice that it totally correlates with what Iblis said he will do. [7:20],[7:27],[4:38],[23:97][14:22][and more].
With that said, Shaitan is a Jinn (because Iblis is Jinn, and Iblis is Shaitan). I won’t necessarily tell you that all Jinns are Shaitan because the Quran never mentions that.

PLEASE REFLECT ON THE FOLLOWING VERSES FROM THE QURAN

[55:15] And created the jinns from blazing fire.

[15:27] As for the jinns, we created them, before that, from blazing fire.

[38:71] Your Lord said to the angels, “I am creating a human being from clay.[38:72] “Once I design him, and blow into him from My spirit, you shall fall prostrate before him.”[38:73] The angels fell prostrate, all of them,[38:74] except Iblis; he refused, and was too arrogant, unappreciative.[38:75] He said, “O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating before what I created with My hands? Are you too arrogant? Have you rebelled?” [38:76] He said, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and created him from clay.”

[15:26] We created the human being from aged mud, like the potter’s clay.

[3:7] He sent down to you this scripture, containing straightforward verses -- which constitute the essence of the scripture -- as well as multiple-meaning or allegorical verses….

[72:6] And that persons from among men used to seek refuge with persons from among jinn, so they increased them in wrongdoing:

[3:31] Proclaim: “If you love GOD, you should follow me.” GOD will then love you, and forgive your sins. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

[18:50] We said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam.” They fell prostrate, except Satan. He became a jinn, for he disobeyed the order of His Lord.* Will you choose him and his descendants as lords instead of Me, even though they are your enemies? What a miserable substitute!

[7:11] We created you, then we shaped you, then we said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam.” They fell prostrate, except Iblees (Satan); he was not with the prostrators.[7:12] He said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?” He said, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and created him from mud.”[7:13] He said, “Therefore, you must go down, for you are not to be arrogant here. Get out; you are debased.”[7:14] He said, “Grant me a respite, until the Day of Resurrection.”[7:15] He said, “You are granted a respite.”[7:16] He said, “Since You have willed that I go astray,* I will skulk for them on Your straight path.[7:17] “I will come to them from before them, and from behind them, and from their right, and from their left, and You will find that most of them are unappreciative.”[7:18] He said, “Get out therefrom, despised and defeated. Those among them who follow you, I will fill Hell with you all.

[7:20] The devil (Shaitan) whispered to them, in order to reveal their bodies, which were invisible to them. He said, “Your Lord did not forbid you from this tree, except to prevent you from becoming angels, and from attaining eternal existence.”

[7:27] O children of Adam, do not let the devil (Shaitan) dupe you as he did when he caused the eviction of your parents from Paradise, and the removal of their garments to expose their bodies. He and his tribe see you, while you do not see them. We appoint the devils as companions of those who do not believe.

[4:38]…If one’s companion is the devil(Shaitan), that is the worst companion.

[23:97] Say, “My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the whispers of the devils(Shaitan).

[14:22] And the devil(Shaitan) will say, after the judgment had been issued, “GOD has promised you the truthful promise, and I promised you, but I broke my promise. I had no power over you; I simply invited you, and you accepted my invitation. Therefore, do not blame me, and blame only yourselves. My complaining cannot help you, nor can your complaining help me. I have disbelieved in your idolizing me. The transgressors have incurred a painful retribution.”

Popularity: 2% [?]

Question
Assalamo alaikum
All our lives we have read and seen stories about Jinn taking possession of humans but what we are witnessing in unbelievable-our niece has been possessedd by a strange being that she is totally a different being talking totally different thngs during that time and when the being goes out of her she is the same old being--we are witnessing it with our own eyes so there is no chance of not believing and the worst part is that the family is such a strong aqeedah and practicing muslims and since that day (a month, _all the surahs and ayats recommended by the sunnat and ulema are being recited and practiced but nothing seems to work—a weak and decent girl gains such power as of a strong man when this happens—
please  tell what the sunnah or hadees says about it as we dont find any incidents in sahaba s life—the girl herself has never left namaz and has been teaching Quran to children since so many years
plz guide
jazakallah

Answer
I suggest you do dua, recite and blow them and consult a good doctor. There is no need to involve mullah’s etc. This is also termed as multi-personality disorder. Allah has given it and he alone can remove it.

AbuDawud Book 001, Hadith Number 0006.
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Chapter : What should a man utter while entering the privy.

Narated By Zayd ibn Arqam : The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said: These privies are frequented by the jinns and devils. So when anyone amongst you goes there, he should say: “I seek refuge in Allah from male and female devils.”

AbuDawud Book 022, Hadith Number 3883.
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Chapter : Not known.

Narated By AbudDarda’ : I heard the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) say: If any of you is suffering from anything or his brother is suffering, he should say: Our Lord is Allah Who is in the heaven, holy is Thy name, Thy command reigns supreme in the heaven and the earth, as Thy mercy in the heaven, make Thy mercy in the earth; forgive us our sins, and our errors; Thou art the Lord of good men; send down mercy from Thy mercy, and remedy, and remedy from Thy remedy on this pain so that it is healed up.

AbuDawud Book 022, Hadith Number 3884.
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Chapter : Not known.

Narated By Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-’As : The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) sued to teach them the following words in the case of alarm: I seek refuge in Allah’s perfect words from His anger, the evil of His servants, the evil suggestions of the devils and their presence. Abdullah ibn Amr used to teach them to those of his children who had reached puberty, and he wrote them down (on some material) and hung on the child who had not reached puberty.

AbuDawud Book 008, Hadith Number 2597.
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Chapter : Not known.

Narated By Abdullah ibn Amr : When the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) was travelling and night came on, he said: O earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allah; I seek refuge in Allah from your evil, the evil of what you contain, the evil of what has been created in you, and the evil of what creeps upon you; I seek refuge in Allah from lions, from large black snakes, from other snakes, from scorpions, from the evil of jinn which inhabit a settlement, and from a parent and his offspring.

AbuDawud Book 020, Hadith Number 3724.
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Chapter : Covering vessels.

Narated By Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah : The Prophet (may peace be upon him) as saying: Gather your children when darkness spreads, or in the evening (according to Musaddad), for the jinn are abroad and seize them.

Popularity: 2% [?]