Al-Jinn[1] (Arabic:الجن, “TheJinn”) is the72nd chapter (sūrah) of theQuran with 28 verses (āyāt). The name as well as the topic of this chapter isjinn. In the Quran, it is stated in that humans are created from the earth and jinn from smokeless fire.
AlthoughAl-Jinn is aMeccan surah, it is generally agreed that it was revealed much later than any other sura contained inJuz' Tabāraka -lladhi (which covers surahs 67 to 77).Abdullah Yusuf Ali says that it is "tolerably certain" thatAl-Jinn was revealed around 2 B.H. when Muhammad was evangelising near present-dayTa'if.[2]Maulana Muhammad Ali agrees with the date of around 2 B.H., saying that this surah was revealed at a time when opposition to the Prophet's message was reaching a climax.[3]
Muslim scholars discuss the definition of the termjinn: a) they are invisible bodies in which air and fire dominates b) disembodied spirits of the planets, mostly held by the philosophers c) the souls of the dead, often attributed to Christian beliefs.[6][7]
In the second verse the jinn recant their belief infalse gods and venerateMuhammad for hismonotheism. The jinn apologize for their pastblasphemy and criticize mankind for either neglecting them or encouraging their disbelief.
The third verse mentions that travelers among humans sought refuge among the jinn, when they were scared, for example, when passing through a valley. When humans sought refuge among the jinn, it increased the sin of both the jinn and humans. Since the verse speaks about "men from the jinn", jinn are believed to have men and women among them, and that they procreate like humans do.
The eighth verse speaks about the belief that jinn and devils spied on the gates of heaven to reveal news to soothsayers, until the skies were found filled with meteors.
^Ali, Abdullah Yusuf;An Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an with Full Arabic Text; p. 873ISBN1853267821
^Ali, Maulana Muhammad;The Holy Qur’an: Arabic Text, Translation and Commentary; p. 1106ISBN091332101X
^abWherry, Elwood Morris (1896).A Complete Index toSale's Text, Preliminary Discourse, and Notes. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
^Haussig, H., Haußig, H. (2009). Religionen und Weltanschauungen: Islam / Hans-Michael Haußig. Bd. 3. Deutschland: BWV, Berliner Wiss.-Verlag.
^Calverley, E. E., & Pollock, J. W. (2002). "Chapter 2: Incorporeal Substantial Beings". In Nature, Man and God in Medieval Islam (vol. 1/2). Leiden, Niederlande: Brill.https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004531468_023