Jinn Article Part 5

This is an article, not a magical ritual.

SUPERNATURALITY

The supernaturality of jinn does not mean they are transcendent to nature, but that they appear so in relation to human's perception of nature, due to their invisibility. They are "natural" in the classical philosophical sense by consisting of an element, undergoing change and being bound in time and space. Thus they are not purely spiritual, but also physical in nature, being able to interact in a tactile manner with people and objects, and also subject to bodily desires like eating and sleeping. Unlike the jinn in Islamic belief and folklore, jinn in Middle Eastern folktales are often depicted as monstrous or magical creatures, and unlike the former, generally considered to be fictional.

DEPICTIONS

Zoomorphic Manifestation

Jinn is assumed to be able to appear in the shape of various animals such as scorpions, cats, owl sand onagers. The dog is also often related to jinn, especially black dogs. However piebald dogs are rather identified within. Associations between dogs and jinn prevailed in Arabic-literature but lost its meaning in Persian scriptures. Serpents are the animals most associated with jinn. Islamic traditions know many narrations concerning a serpent who was actually a jinni. However (except for the 'udhrut from Yemeni folklore) the jinn cannot appear in the form of wolves. The wolf is thought of as the natural predator of the jinn, who contrasts the jinn by his noble character and disables them to vanish.

Jinn in the form of storms and shadows

The jinn is also related to the wind. They may appear in mists or sandstorms. Zubayr ibn al-Awam, who is held to have accompanied Muhammad during his lecture to the jinn, is said to view the jinn as shadowy ghosts with no individual structure. According to a narration Ghazaliaskedabas, famous for jinn-incantations, to reveal the jinn to him. Accordingly,Tabasi showed him the jinn, seeing them like they were "a shadow on the wall". After Ghazali requested to speak to them, abas stated, that for now, he could not see more. Although sandstorms are believed to be caused by jinn, others, such as Abu Yahya Zakariya' ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini and Ghazali attribute them to natural causes. Otherwise, sandstorms are thought to be caused by a battle between different groups of jinn.

Anthropomorphic Manifestation

A common characteristic of the jinn is their lack of individuality, but they may gain individuality by materializing in human forms, such as Sakhrand several jinns known from magical writings. But also in their anthropomorphic shape, they stay partly animalic and are not fully human. Therefore, the individual jinn is commonly depicted as monstrous and anthropomorphized creatures with body parts from different animals or a human with animalistic traits. Commonly associated with jinn in human form is the Si'lahand the Ghoul. However, they stay partly animalistic, their bodies are depicted as fashioned out of two or more different species. Some of them may have the hands of cats, the head of birds or wings rise from their shoulders.

IN THE WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICAL LITERATURE

Witchcraft (Arabic: sihr,which is also used to mean "magic, wizardry") is often associated with jinn and Afarit around the Middle East. Therefore, a sorcerer may summon a jinn and force him to perform orders. Summoned Jinn may be sent to the chosen victim to cause demonic possession. Such summonings were done by invocation, by the aid of talismans or by satisfying the jinn, thus to make a contract. Jinn is also regarded as assistants of soothsayers. Soothsayers reveal information from the past and present; the jinn can be a source of this information because their lifespans exceed those of humans.

Ibn al-Nadim, the Muslim scholar of hisKitbal-Fihrist,describes a book that lists 70 Jinn led by Fuqtus (Arabic: Fuqua), including several jinns appointed over each day of the week. Bayard Dodge, who translated al-Fihrist into English, notes that most of these names appear in the Testament of Solomon. A collection of late fourteenth- or early fifteenth-century magico-medical manuscripts from Ocala, Spain describes a different set of 72 jinns (termed "Tayaliq") again under Fuqtus (here named "Fayqay" or Fiqitush), blaming them for various ailments. According to these manuscripts, each jinni was brought before King Solomon and ordered to divulge their "corruption" and "residence" while the Jinn King Fiqitush gave Solomon a recipe for curing the ailments associated with each jinni as they confessed their transgressions.

A disseminated treatise on the occult, written by al-abas, called Shmil, deals with subjugating demons and jinn by incantations, charms and the combination of written and recited formulae and to obtain supernatural powers through their aid. Al-abas distinguished between licit and illicit magic, the latter founded on disbelief, while the first on purity.

Seven kings of the Jinn are traditionally associated with days of the week.

• Sunday: Al-Mudhib (Abu 'Abdallah Sa'id)
• Monday: Murrah al-Abyad Abu al-Harith (Abu al-Nur)
• Tuesday: Abu Mihriz (or Abu Ya'qub) Al-Ahmar
• Wednesday: Barqan Abu al-'Adja'yb
• Thursday: Shamhurish (al-Tayyar)
• Friday: Abu Hasan Zoba'ah (al-Abyad)
• Saturday: Abu Nuh Maimun

During the Rwandan genocide, both Hutus and Tutsis voided searching local Rwandan Muslim neighbourhoods because they widely believed the myth that local Muslims and mosques were protected by the power of Islamic magic and the efficacious jinn. In the Rwandan city of Cyangugu, arsonists ran away instead of destroying the mosque because they feared the wrath of the jinn, whom they believed were guarding the mosque

The information above was brought to you from Wikipedia.