Aqareen (Arabic:قرين,romanized: qarīn,lit. 'constant companion') is a spiritual double of a human, either part of the human themself or a complementary creature in aparallel realm.[1][2]
Theqareen belongs to the jinn in regards to its ghostly nature, yet distinct from jinn.[3] Although theqareen can be either a devil or an angel, they are more often associated with malevolent spirits tempting into sin.
The idea of a spiritual double accompanying humans might be a remnant of older Near Eastern beliefs, such as theEgyptkꜣ which in turn resembles theBabylonian idea of an undefined personal deity accompanying a person.[4]
The Qareen as an accompanying spirit should not be confused with theQarinah, a female "childbed demon" in Middle Eastern traditions.
In theQuran, the concept of aQareen is absent. The term, meaning "companion" appears a few times, but without any demonic associations. Hans Alexander Winkler noted that the Quranic reference to aQareen refers to an earthly companion like a friend, who influences a Muslim to leave theIslamic community.[5] Even the "satan" mentioned in 43:36 refers to a human tempter (shaytan al ins), not a spiritual entity. It is only in thehadith that spiritual company is clearly associated with the termQareen. Here, it refers to either a demon or angel.[6] Only in later folklore is aQareen considered a spiritual doppelganger of an individual human.
The termQareen is mentioned in the following Quranverses without necessarily referring to any type of spiritual creature:
Sūrataz-Zukhruf:"And whosoever turns away from remembering and mentioning the Most Beneficent, we appoint for him a Satan to be aQareen to him."[7]
Sūratas-Saffat:"A speaker among them will say, 'Indeed, I had aQareen.'"[8]
Sūratan-Nisa:"And those who spend of their wealth to be seen by the people and believe not in Allah nor in the Last Day. And he to whom Satan is aQareen - then evil is he as aQareen."[9]
SūratQaf:"And hisQareen, will say, 'This is what is with me, prepared.'"[10]
Muhammad'sqarin is said to have submitted toislam, which means, that he has trained hislower faculties (nafs) and turned his lust, greed, and delusions, into obedecience to God.[11] He achievedinsan-kamil, the perfect human-being to whom theshaytan bows down.[12]
A hadith fromAl-Tirmidhi which regarded authentic byal-Albani has transmitted a chain of narration which ended at 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, that he reported Muhammad has said:
"Indeed a Shaitan whispers to humans, angels also whisper. Whispers of the shaitan promised evil and denying the truth. Meanwhile, the angel's whisper promises goodness and truth. Whoever gets it, then know that it is from Allah Azza wa Jalla, then let him praise Allah Azza wa Jalla. And whoever gets something else, then he should seek refuge in Allah Azza wa Jalla from the cursed devil".
Then Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud said in his report that Muhammad continues by recited the Quran chapterAl-Baqara verse 268.[13][better source needed]A hadith fromSahih Muslim has transmitted a chain of narration which ended at 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, that he reported Muhammad has said
"Each of you has been sent for him a qarin (companion) from the jinn kind." The group ofSahabah asked, "Including you, O Messenger of Allah?", which replied by Muhammad, "Including me, only God helped me to subdue him, until he converted to Islam. Therefore, he does not whispered anything to me except goodness.".[14][better source needed]
Another Hadith from Sahih Muslim also stated that Muhammad said “Every one of you has been sent a companion from among the jinn.”[14][better source needed]
Several opinions exist on the exact nature of theQareen. Generally the termQareen refers to any type of spirit accompanying humans. TheQareen refers to devils (shaytan), who give evil suggestions (waswās) andangels who counsel towards good deeds.[2] While theQareen might be remnicent of spirits inspiring poetry in pre-Islamic Arabia, theQareen Islamic monotheism gradually shifted them into a negative role.[15]
Ibn Hanbal stated that one has aqareen from the devils and aqareen from the angels" (malak).[16]Tabari cites a tradition (hadith) that every human has aqareen from the devils advising evil and an angel accompanied advising good.[17]Suyuti is unsure if theqareen in Surah 50:23 refers to a devil or angel. He does identify theqareen in Surah 50:27 with a devil though.[18]
Al-Uthaymin has stated that Qareen is anevil jinn (evil spirit) who is tasked to lead human astray with God's permission to test the faith of humans, as interpretation of al-Baqara chapter in verse 268.[14][better source needed]
Some identify theQareen not as a separate being but as the "other self": a spirit integral to the person. A dissent between the innerQareen and behavior may cause the same symptoms asJinn-possession.[19][3]
The concept of aQareen appears in pre-Islamic literature as well, and is reminiscent of theGreekdaimones and theChristianguardian angel.[20] In Pre-Islamic Arabian myth the Qareen is said to be able to inspire poets for their works.[21]
How prevalent it is in folk belief varies by country. For example, it is more popular in Egypt than Sudan.[22] It is possible the concept in Egypt has been influenced by the older concept of theka. In some cases (such as that of holy men), the qarin or karin persists after a person has died.[23] In Egypt, bothCopts and Muslims believe in the qarin, and believe it may turn into a cat or dog at night.[24] Amulets are used to guard against the qarin, especially if it is jealous. Pregnant women in Egypt used to visit asheikha three months before birth to ask their counsel on ensuring their qarina does not harm their child. The prescribed rituals and amulets usually involve the number seven. Brides in Upper Egypt also wore amulets against their qarin.[16]
Many Russian and Turkish Muslims believe the qarin is present in the womb with the person it's attached to.[16]
One of the sevenmu'allaqat—Arabic poems recognized as masterpieces during the pre-Islamic period—uses the word as a metaphor. To describe his tribe's excellence in battle, poet Amr bin Kulthum says that "every tribe has taken fear of us as aqarin (or 'constant companion')," meaning that their fear of Amr's tribe is always present. This goes further to show the origin of the wordqareen, as described in the Arabic dictionary as a "companion".
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