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[MADRASA] A Question & Answer to an Atheist, Why did God create the Jinn?
jannah
07/10/01 at 00:57:40
Q: "I do have one question, which I hope will not seem too provocative (remember we philosophers are like Socrates!): Did God create the jinn? If so, why? Is there some kind of theological explanation of this? The problem would seem to be, if He knew they would have these flaws or become evil, why create them? Or, if they are independent, wouldn't that seem to be a limitation on God? Again, I hope this is not offensive; it's a sincere question. Dr. Freeland" University of Houston A: Dr. Freeland, this is a good question and it requires a good answer as well.  But before we can talk about Jinn and the purpose of their creation, let?s talk about human a bit since we seem to understand more about ourselves than we do about jinn.  Let me begin with the following questions, what is the purpose of our creation? Did God create us? Why?  If God knew that we would have some flaws or become ?EVIL? (after all we once bombed the city of Hiroshima where150, 000.00 people perished in seconds), why did He create us then?  Since we like to think of ourselves as independent and free willed, would that seem to be a limitation of God? You see if we could understand our being, then we would be able to understand the purpose of our creation and in turn understand the environment around us that was ?created? for us to live in.  Earth for example was created long before any animal, or human was to inhabit it.  So the environment was created first then we came to live in it. Did God create us?  Simply, yes, God did create us.  We are not a scientific evolution as many might claim to think about our very existence.  We did not evolve from apes, as Darwin wanted us to believe.  What is my logical explanation?  Well, walk with for a moment through the following story.   If I asked if you have ever read a book that you thought it was the most beautifully written book?  The answer is probably, yes.  We all read a book at one time and we are extremely impressed with it that we think the world of it, we tell friends about how beautiful the book is and how it might have changed our life around for the better. If I told you that this book you just read and thought the world of it was once many letters boxed up and was placed on a shelf in a room, 5 million years ago.  One day there was an earthquake that shook the shelf where the boxed up letters were.  This caused the box to fall and spill out all the letters that it contained and the letters started to form words.  The words placed themselves in a way that sentences started to be structured.  The sentences in turn started to form paragraphs and the paragraphs filled the pages of a book page after page until a book was finally formed without an ?Author?!   I am certain that you will never accept this story from me.  Your ?logic? will never allow it.  So for every ?creation? there has to be a ?Creator?.  Do you agree with me?  It is God who created us and created us in the way we look today.  He created the original copy, Adam and Eve.  Then from them came many men and women (us today). Why would then God create us to begin with?  He created us to worship Him and Him alone!  This is the purpose of our creation and the ?creations? on earth.  Therefore, Jinn and Humans were created to worship God. However God created us, He did not leave us alone.  There are certain laws that we have to follow.  These laws were given to us through his messengers.  Men (Prophets) from amongst each tribe or nation chosen by God and were given ?revelations? that they in turn taught to their people.  These laws were sent as guide to deal with one another accordingly.  When God created mankind, God instilled two sides in his/her soul.  He instilled good and evil so that there is balance.  If the evil overcame the good in one?s soul, then that person is considered ill (evil), and if the good in that person?s soul over came the evil, then that person is considered good (righteous).  This leads us to the following question. Why then create them if God knew that this creation would be evil?  Yes, ?God? knows who will be evil and who will be good, but ?we? don?t.  For example, you might have a student who is not doing well in the subject you are teaching.  He/she is always scoring below average in his/her exams.  So when you ask him/her why are you not doing well in this subject?  He/she will answer, well I know that I will not do well, therefore I did not study.  Will you accept his/her answer?  I think not.  Therefore, even though God knows who is good and who is not, this should not stop us from doing good (or wanting to do good).  Therefore we can say that our very existence is a ?TEST? put to us the day we were born to live out the course of life and then be judged based on our way of living that course of life according to the ?laws? sent to us by God through His messengers.   But we are independent, so is this a limitation of God?  No, not by all means!  When God created us, He gave us the ?free will? to have a choice, but not before He told us about the ?consequences?!  A thieve knows if he steels and is caught, he will go to Jail.  But he steels any way knowing the consequence is Jail.  We are independent to make decisions, but we are not independent to take care of our heart, lungs, the shape of our body, the color of our skin, the color of our eyes, or the tribe, origin, or country that we were born in.  We are not independent to choose our parents, brothers, or sister.  So we are not really independents after all.  Certain rules and laws that are beyond our control govern us.  These very rules and laws that govern us beyond our control should be the very signs of God?s wisdom in creating His ?Creations?.  There are absolutely no flows, and no limitations in God?s creation. In looking at our creation (us human) we come to know, certainly, that we are the most intelligent creation that God created.  The number one sign of our Intelligence is ?Free Will?.  We are given the ability to choose our way of life.  We are given the ability to invent cars, planes, rockets, and computers.  We are given the ability to communicate by writing, reading, and speaking to understand one another by the tone of our voice, and the look on our faces.  These are not by all means limitations; they are opportunities give by the creator to His creatures to discover the ?Creator?. Ok, what about Jinn?!  Just as the way God created Humans, He also created Jinn.  But Jinn were not created from the same ?mater? that humans were created from.  Human were created from ?dust?.  Jinn were created from ?fire?.  Even thought mankind is created from dust (soil), but no plants can grow on human.  The same logic can be used with Jinn.  Even though they are created from ?fire? they cannot burn what is around them.  It is a different kind of fire; only God knows its ?compound?.  Humans are physical beings. Jinn are not physical beings. When someone commit a wrong doing we usually label him or her as ?ignorant?, or less intelligent for committing such act.  We also label him/her ?evil? when he/she commits a crime.  Jinn have the ability to possess humans since they cannot be seen.  We cannot say that all Jinn are ?evil?.  It has been proven that humans can control Jinn.   DEMONIC VISIONS Those involved in incantations and oaths often swear by some devils to help them against others.  Sometimes the evil JINN fulfill their request but frequently they do not, especially when the JINN against whom help is sought is honored among them. Neither the one chanting incantations nor his incantations have any power to force the devils to help them.  The reciter of Incantations earnestly entreats a being whom he considered great which may or may not be the case - to harm others who may conceivably be greater.  In the case where someone entreats the JINN to harm someone whom the JINN hold in high esteem, they will ignore him.  In fact, it may prevent them from even responding at all.  Their situations is quite similar to that of humans except that human beings are generally more intelligent, truthful, just and trustworthy while the JINN tend to be ignorant, untruthful, oppressive and treacherous. Generally speaking, the experiences concerned seem not to have the distinctness of ordinary perception but are rather a seeing or hearing 'in the mind's eye' or ear. Sometimes, however, the figures seen or voices heard may attain as hallucinatory vividness; the medium's experience then resembles that of one who witnesses an apparition." (Benjamin B. Wolman. ed., Handbook of Parapsychology, New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1977, pp, 579-580)] In conclusion, the creation of Jinn is unique to any other creation that God created.  He also enabled them free choice and will to choose right from wrong.  Those Jinn that chose wrong wanted us Human to also follow them by possessing our bodies (create illusions in our eyes and block our righteous thinking) and try to force us to lead an evil way of life.  The good Jinn, simply left us alone. Your brother in Islam; -Rodwan Saleh Houston TX

Re: A Question & Answer to an Atheist
Saleema
12/01/00 at 17:03:51
Jinn have the ability to possess humans since they cannot be seen.  We cannot say that all Jinn are “evil”.  It has been proven that humans can control Jinn. Is this true? How can humans control jinn? Is he talking about not listening to them when they want to lead us astray? Or is he saying completely something different? Well I guess I can ask him :) since I probably will see him next wed.   Their situations is quite similar to that of humans except that human beings are generally more intelligent, truthful, just and trustworthy while the JINN tend to be ignorant, untruthful, oppressive and treacherous. Does anyone know anymore on this subject? That jinns usually tend to be treacherous and oppressive? That raises some more questions in my mind, which I will keep to myself. :) Wassalam

Re: A Question & Answer to an Atheist
jannah
12/01/00 at 13:43:39
salam, br rodwan thought it would be good to post this here. if you want to ask him more questions his email is : Rodwan Saleh <rodwan_saleh@hotmail.com> Saleema.. i know everyone. (almost ;))

Re: A Question & Answer to an Atheist
Saleema
12/01/00 at 13:59:21
Assalam ualykum, Dang Jannah! You do know everyone! sheesh...  :) Thank you for the email I was looking for it for some other reason. I need him to lead us in prayer at college, we are having an iftar party. wassalm

Re: A Question & Answer to an Atheist
chachi
12/02/00 at 22:38:20
salaam heh heh heh anybody read abu ameenah bilal phillips doctorate thesis on the jinn?

Re: A Question & Answer to an Atheist
se7en
12/02/00 at 23:46:14
http://jannah.org/articles/jinn.html fascinating stuff... I read a really good article on jinn a while ago, I'm going to look for it and post it if I can find it inshaAllah.
NS

Re: A Question & Answer to an Atheist
salaam
12/03/00 at 22:53:20
as-Salaamu 'Alaikum Chachi, Yes, I have read the book...all I can say is that it is one [i]intense[/i] book.  The ending where Dr. Philips talks about the different cases of jinn possession is really interesting too. was-Salaamu 'Alaikum, your sis in Islaam.
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