The Genie Out of The Bottle | Reflections on ‘The Jinn, The Unseen World & The End of Times’
The ‘Boys In The Cave’ team did an episode with Shaykh Omar Baloch titled ‘The Jinn, The Unseen World and The End of Times’. It’s important to first define who the Djinn are and their parameters.
According to Dr Yasir Qadhi, Djinn are a race made up of matter or energy (smokeless fire) and thus they can move very fast, change shape and even possess people. Perhaps the unidentified flying objects are Djinn or the phenomena of haunted houses can be explained as being inhabited by Djinn. One of the most interesting origin stories of the Djinn is that of Iblis the one who defied God and refused to bow to Adam AS. This act reveals something about the Djinn which we can use to understand their motives. Iblis believed that he was a superior being made of smokeless fire while Adam AS was made of clay. When ordered to bow Iblis disobeyed suggesting a level of hubris stemming from an underlying inferiority complex which governs the actions of Djinn today. In other words Djinn act from a place of jealousy and intellectual inferiority to humans.
A common misconception is that magicians (sahir) control the djinn to possess and wreak havoc on people’s lives however it is more like a contract. The magician listens to the Djinn’s orders (drink pigs blood, go the grave and dig out bones) and in return the Djinn does the bidding of the magician. These wild and bizarre instructions do not benefit or have no end for the Djinn so why do they instruct the magician in this way? The answer goes back to the inferiority complex described earlier.
Shaykh Omar Baloch talks about how he recited Qur’an over schizophrenic patients who were then cured. Interestingly, he also mentions how Christians, who claim to have a connection with holy ghost, may in fact be possessed by Shaytaan (Djinn). In addition to this, there was a discussion of whether there is a link between mental illnesses and Djinn possession, with the shaykh positing that Djinn may have the ability to alter the chemicals in our brain, resulting in a chemical imbalance which perpetuates hallucinations and mood swings. Also interesting is the fact that Djinns are weak and small creations, with exception to Ifrit (strong type of djinn), and there is no need to fear them.
Djinn are also not the most intelligent of beings, and an example of this is a story that has been famously narrated among certain circles where a young girl was possessed by the djinn. She was then taken to a shaykh who then spoke to the djinn. He told the djinn to fetch water every day from a nearby river and once he was done he could repossess the girl. The point of this story is that the djinn will never be able to fetch enough water to make the river run dry. This story shows us how djinn are mentally inferior to humankind.
So what makes Djinn so scary? It can be hypothesised that it’s the fact that that we aren’t able to see them is the reason why humans may fear the Djinn. The fear of the Djinn is similar to the fear of a snake or spider, with added dimension of not being able to see them. Shaykh Omar Baloch mentioned that if you are scared of ten dogs barking at you maybe you should call the owner of the dogs. In the same vain we should seek protection from Allah almighty because He is the one who owns them.
It was interesting to note Shaykh Omar Baloch mentioned that when he was doing ruqya he would hear voices telling him where to recite over the person’s body. These voices may be coming from Muslim Djinn who assist the shaykh in his ruqya. It is common knowledge that Shaykhs or Raqees may recite Qur’an over a glass of Zamzam water. The patients head may start to roll and may perhaps feel something coming out of their chest. The Raqee will ask the patient to drink from the glass of zamzam water. In this process the patient will be impacted by the ruqya done over them, and the patient be relieved of their issues, which may vary from being paranoid about people coming to ‘get them’, to having irrational fears, to fearing the dajjal being released.
Shaykh Omar Baloch reveals that the number of Djinn related cases have increased suggesting the Shaytan have become emboldened due to our surrounding environment. Our recitation is not as good, our scholars are not of the same quality and our Imaan is lower.
So let’s make a resolution to increase the protection we have from the shaytaan. First read the 3 Quls before going to bed 3 times. Recite Ayatul Qursi after every salat and make Dua that you are protected from the devil. Also consult with books like Fortress of a Muslim for a list of duas which shield us from Djinn Possession, Evil eye and bad dreams.
If you want to check out the episode click the link below: