Discussion on the Embrace of Islam by the Jinn and the Signs of that in the Quran

Allah the Almighty said: And when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Quran. And when they attended it, they said, "Listen." And when it was concluded, they went back to their people as warners. They said, "O our people, indeed we have heard a [recited] Book revealed after Moses confirming what was before it which guides to the truth and to a straight path." (Quran 46:29-30)

In another place in the Quran, it is stated: Indeed, we have heard an amazing Quran which guides to the right path. So we have believed in it, and we will never associate anyone with our Lord. (Quran 72:1-2)

Testimony of Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz

Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz narrated: Muhammad ibn Ya'qub narrated to us, and he said: Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us, and Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abdan reported to us that Ahmad ibn Ubayd al-Saffar narrated to us, and Isma'il al-Qadi said that Musaddad informed us, and Abu Awana reported from Abu Bishr.

Key Points:

• Jinn listened to the Quran and embraced Islam
• They testified to the truth and guidance in the Quran
• Emphasized belief in one God without associating partners
• Chain of narration leading to the testimony of Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz

The Prophet's Encounter with the Jinn

Narrated by Sa'id bin Jubair, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, he said: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, did not recite Quran upon the jinn nor did he see them."

The Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, once set out with a group of his companions towards the market of Ukaz. A barrier was placed between the devils and the news of the heavens, and meteors were sent upon them. The devils returned to their people, saying: 'What is wrong with you?' They replied: 'A barrier has been placed between us and the news of the heavens, and meteors have been sent upon us.' They were told: 'Something extraordinary has occurred between you and the news of the heavens. Go and search the east and west of the earth to see what has happened between you and the news of the heavens.' So they set out, searching the east and west of the earth to find the cause of this event. When the group approached the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, at Nakhl, while he was heading to the market of Ukaz and leading his companions in the Fajr prayer, they listened to the Quran and believed in it. They returned to their people saying: 'O our people, indeed we have heard an amazing recitation guiding to the right path, so we believed in it and will not associate anyone with our Lord.'"

At that moment, Allah revealed to His Prophet: "Say, [O Muhammad], I was only inspired that a group of jinn listened" (Surah Al-Jinn, 72:22).

Translation of a Classical Arabic Text

Hadith Narration

Reported by Al-Bukhari in Sahih from Musaddad and by Muslim from Shayban ibn Farrukh from Abu Awana.

Story Overview

Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that this was amongst the first experiences of the Jinn hearing the Prophet Muhammad's recitation. At that time, he did not see them, nor they him, until a caller among the Jinn brought him back to recite the Quran to them. Abdullah ibn Masood confirmed this account, witnessing their traces and the marks of their fires. Allah knows best.

Additional Narrations

Abdullah ibn Masood memorized both these stories and narrated them:

• From Sahih Al-Bukhari
• From Sahih Muslim

Analysis of Abdullah ibn Masood's Account

Islamic scholars have various interpretations regarding Abdullah ibn Masood's presence during the specific night. Some sources indicate he was not present, while others suggest he indeed attended. Another narration suggests they missed him in Mecca that night.

The Story of the Night of the Jinn

First Narrative

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz narrated to us, saying: Abu Ali Al-Hafiz informed us, saying: Abdan Al-Ahwazi told us, saying: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us, saying: Abu Ahmad Al-Zubayri informed us, saying: Sufyan reported from Aasim from Zir from Abdullah, who said: "They descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was reciting the Quran beneath a palm tree. When they heard him, they said: 'Listen!' They were seven, one of them being Zoba'ah. Then Allah revealed the verse: 'And [mention, O Muhammad], when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Quran. And when they attended it, they said, "Listen!" And when it was concluded, they went back to their people as warners.' [Quran 46:29-31]"

Other Narratives

According to Ibn Jarir's account, Ibn Masud was with the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the Night of the Jinn. The Prophet asked his companions in Makkah, "Who among you would like to witness the jinn tonight?" None except me attended. We set out... etc.

From Abu Nuaim's chain of narration, Ibn Masud said, "The Prophet followed me, and we set out... etc." Also, narrated by Ibn Jarir through Abdulah ibn Amr al-Thaqafi.

Additional sources mention Ibn Masud accompanying the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the Night of the Jinn. Ibn Kathir referred to these accounts in his interpretation of Surah Al-Ahqaf. Al-Qurtubi summarized them, while Darqutni mentioned that some sources state Ibn Masud did not witness the Night of the Jinn, as relayed by Alqamah bin Qais and Abu Ubaidah bin Abdullah, who both reported that Ibn Masud did not attend the event.

First Account

In a narration, it is reported that Ma'n said: "I asked Masruq who called the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) for the night recitation of the Quran. He said: 'My father informed me – referring to Ibn Mas'ud – that a tree called him for that.'" This hadith is narrated by Bukhari and Muslim in the Sahih, through Abu Qudamah.

Second Account

As reported by Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz: "Ahmad ibn Ja'far informed us that Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal told us, narrating from Ismail ibn Ibrahim, who narrated from Dawud, who reported from Al-Sha'bi and Ibn Abi Zaydah, who narrated from Alqamah. Alqamah said: 'I asked Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, 'Did anyone of you accompany the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) the night the jinn listened to the Quran?' He replied: 'None of us accompanied him that night, but we lost him one night in Mecca, and we thought he was murdered or captured. He spent the night with a group, and in the pre-dawn or early hours of the morning, we approached him as he came from the direction of Hira. We said, 'O Messenger of Allah!' They described their experiences, and he said: 'A caller from the jinn came to me, and I went to them, recited to them, and later they departed, leaving behind their traces and traces of their extinguished fires.' Al-Sha'bi said: 'They asked him for provision.' Ibn Abi Zaydah said: 'A'amer asked him for provisions that night, and they were from the jinn of the island. He said: 'Every bone on which the name of Allah is mentioned falls into your hands better than meat, and all dung is fodder for your animals. So do not use them for cleansing yourselves, as they are the provisions of your brothers among the jinn.'"

Explanation of Hadith regarding Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud and the Night of the Jinn

Imam Muslim narrated in Sahih that Ali ibn Hujr reported from Ismail ibn 'Ulayya, and the authentic hadiths indicate that Abdullah ibn Mas'ud was not with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the Night of the Jinn. Rather, he was with him when he set out with others to show them the traces of the jinn and their fires.

It has been narrated from other sources that he was with him that night, such as what Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz reported: Abu Al-Husayn Ubaydullah ibn Muhammad ibn Al-Balkhi in Baghdad narrated from his book, who narrated from Abu Isma'il Muhammad ibn Isma'il As-Sulami, who narrated from Abu Salih Abdullah ibn Salih, who narrated from Al-Layth ibn Sa'd, who narrated from Yunus ibn Zaid, who narrated from Ibn Shihab that Abu Uthman ibn Sannah Al-Khuza'i, a man from Sham, heard Abdullah ibn Mas'ud saying: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions while in Mecca: 'Who among you would like to attend the meeting of the jinn tonight? None of them except me attended. We set out until we reached the highest part of Mecca, where he drew a line with his foot and asked me to sit within it. Then he set out and recited the Quran, and I was enveloped in a lot of darkness between him and me, to the point that I could not hear his voice. Then they departed swiftly, breaking apart like pieces of clouds, until only a group remained. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was startled with dawn and set out, then approached me and asked, 'Where are the companions?' I replied, 'They are those over there, O Messenger of Allah.' He took a bone and some dung and gave it to them as provisions, then he forbade anyone from using bones or dung for purification.'"

Ibn Sannah Al-Khuza'i's account adds more details to the incident, including the Prophet's question about the jinn and the provision he gave them. This hadith suggests a deviation from the authentic narration about Abdullah ibn Mas'ud not being present on the Night of the Jinn.

The Prophet's Encounter with the Jinn

In a narration by Abdullah bin Mas'ud, he recounts an incident where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was followed by fifteen jinn siblings and cousins who came to listen to the Quran. The Prophet marked a spot for Abdullah to stay and instructed him not to use anything from the human world when in seclusion. The next morning, Abdullah saw a group of blessed animals, sixty in number. Another account by Ibn Mas'ud mentions encountering jinn resembling soothsayers.

Further Narrations

Other narrators like Abu Abbas and Othman bin Amr convey similar encounters with jinn during the night of the jinn. One account describes jinn-looking creatures, alarming their observers. The Prophet himself marked a line during another jinn encounter near a cave, demonstrating unique interactions with spiritual beings.

Story of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) reciting Surah Ar-Rahman

Encounter with Jinns

After reciting Surah Ar-Rahman to the people, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) remarked that the Jinns responded better to his recitation than human beings did. When he asked them about the blessings of their Lord, they acknowledged their gratitude by saying, "We deny none of Your blessings, our Lord."

Prophet's Recitation and Rebuke

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) recited Surah Ar-Rahman until its conclusion and then questioned the audience why they remained silent. He pointed out that the Jinns responded more positively to his recitation compared to the humans. Every time he recited the verse, "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" the Jinns would reply, "We deny none of Your favors. All praise is due to You."

Translation of Classical Arabic Text

Letter from Abu Al-Malih Al-Hudhali to Abu Ubaidah ibn Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

It was narrated to us by Al-Mas'oodi, from Qatadah, from Abu Al-Malih Al-Hudhali, that he wrote to Abu Ubaidah ibn Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: "Where did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, recite to the jinn and wrote to him that he recited upon them with a branch known as Al-Hajun."

Hadith of Abu Huraira

It was narrated to us by Abu Amr Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Adib, who was narrated by Abu Bakr Al-Isma'ili, who was told by Al-Hasan ibn Sufyan, who was informed by Suwaid ibn Sa'id, who narrated from Amr ibn Yahya, from his grandfather Sa'id ibn Amr, that Abu Huraira used to accompany the Messenger of Allah for his personal needs and when the Prophet asked for stones to perform istinja, Abu Huraira was asked not to bring bones or dung. When Abu Huraira brought the stones, the Prophet used them for istinja and then Abu Huraira followed him and asked about the bones and dung. The Prophet informed that a delegation of jinn had come to him asking for provisions and he had prayed for them that they would find food in bones and dung. This narration is found in Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by Musa ibn Isma'il, through Amr.