More Information For The Skeptics...
jinn
ee \Jin"nee\, n.; pl. Jinn. [Ar.] (Arabian & Mohammedan MYTH.) A genius or demon; one of the fabled genii, good and evil spirits, supposed to be the children of fire, and to have the power of assuming various forms. [Written also jin, djinnee, etc.]
Note: Jinn is also used as sing., with pl. jinns.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc
Jinn is Plural of the word Jinni, the English word Genie comes from this word Jinni. A complete Myth brought into the Quran by Mohammed.
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Jinni
The Arabic name for the anglicized genies, the supernatural spirits or beings found mostly in Islamic or Arabian mythology and the subject of intensive development in literature and folklore in Persia, Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Turkey, and across North Africa. According to mythology, the jinn were created some two thousand years before the making of Adam and were possessors of a lofty place in paradise, roughly equal to that of the angels, although they were probably considered beneath the angels. They are said to have been made of air and fire. After God made Adam, however, the jinn, under their proud and willful leader Iblis (or Eblis, refused to bow down before the mortal. For this grievous refusal, the jinn were cast out of heaven, becoming wicked and hideous demons. Iblis, who fell with them, became the equivalent of Satan. On earth they reputedly live in the Kaf Mountains, which supposedly circle the world. While inferior to devils, the jinn are nevertheless strong and exceedingly cunning. There is, though, a tradition that not all jinn are irredeemably fallen. Some, it is thought, are actually kindly disposed toward humanity, aiding them whenever help is needed-or when it is convenient to the jinni.
In Arabic mythology, Jinni, the plural form of Jinn, are supernatural spirit below the level of angels and devils. Ghul (treacherous spirits of changing shape), 'ifrit (diabolic, evil spirits), and si'la (treacherous spirits of invariable form) constitute classes of jinn. Jinn are beings of flame or air who are capable of assuming human or animal form and are said to dwell in all conceivable inanimate objects—stones, trees, ruins—underneath the earth, in the air, and in fire. They possess the bodily needs of human beings and can even be killed, but they are free from all physical restraints. Jinn delight in punishing humans for any harm done them, intentionally or unintentionally, and are said to be responsible for many diseases and all kinds of accidents; however, those human beings knowing the proper magical procedure can exploit the jinn to their advantage.
Belief in jinn was common in early Arabia, where they were thought to inspire poets and soothsayers. Even Muhammad originally feared that his revelations might be the work of jinn. Their existence was further acknowledged in official Islam, which indicated that they, like human beings, would have to face eventual salvation or damnation. Jinn, especially through their association with magic, have always been favourite figures in North African, Egyptian, Syrian, Persian, and Turkish folklore and are the centre of an immense popular literature, appearing notably in The Thousand and One Nights. In India and Indonesia they have entered local Muslim imaginations by way of the Qur'anic descriptions and Arabic literature.
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Jinns were part of Arabian/Syria/Egypt etc Mythologies, its not a surprise that these were krept into the Quran. Whether any of you would like to accept this information or not, its backed up by history and Jinns existed pre-Islamic arabia, they're not an invention of the Quran.
From http://www.geocities.com/khola_mon/myth/Mythic.html
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Jinn
Also singular Djinn or Jinnee, plural Djinni or Jineeyeh (Jin and Jinx are other variants). Arabian spirits, perhaps animistic, but more probably accurately mythological like the Persian divs. The word is usually translated as meaning approximately elementals although they are fearsome and frequently portrayed as monstrous demons. It is also likely that the word genii comes from Jinn. from http://www.occultopedia.com/j/jinn.htm
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Jinn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In Semitic and Arab mythology the jinns (or djinns) were evil spirits or genies.
For the ancient Semites they were descendants of disappeared ancient peoples who acted during the night and vanished with the first light of dawn; they could make themselves invisible or change shape into animals at will; these spirits were commonly made responsible for diseases and for the persecutory manias of some "lunatics", which they said were tormented by the jinns.
The Arabs used to believe that the jinns were spirits of fire, although sometimes associated them with beautiful women that visited men by night to copulate with them until they were exhaust, in this sense believing they extracted energy from the man in the same way vampires suck blood, weakening their victim.
from http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/Jinn
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ARABIA BEFORE THE PROPHET
EARLY Arab history is a mixture of fact and fantasy; a fate shared by the early histories of all peoples., The old Norse legends show a striking similarity to those of the ancient Arabs. Climate has lent support to the turn these legends have taken. While Swedish frost-giants were created by a 'warm influence', coming into contact with snow and ice, Arab jinn were made of pure fire unmixed by smoke.
Tradition tells us that Allah made the jinn two thousand years before He made Adam. Though invisible, they loved and married, begat children and died. In the beginning, all jinn were good, but long before the time of Adam they rebelled against their settled existence and tried to change the order of things. During the course of the revolt, one of the evil jinn, Iblis, gained great power and became the Satan of the Arab world. Iblis retained his power even after the angels of Allah had quelled the rebellion.
Jinn haunted ruins and dwelt in rivers and oceans. The Arab saw them in whirlwinds and waterspouts. The jinn's main abode, how-ever, was a mysterious mountain called Kaf which, in the imagination of the Arab, was founded on an immense emerald. Indeed, this sparkling gem gave the azure tint to the sun's rays so often in evidence over desert regions.
Before the birth of Jesus, jinn were allowed to enter any of the seven heavens. Since then, they were excluded from the first three and, after the birth of Muhammad, they were forbidden the other four. Nevertheless, jinn continued to go as close to the lowest heaven as possible, and when an Arab saw a 'shooting star' he said that it was the angels chasing an inquisitive jinn from the 'pearly gates'.
from Islam and the Arabs, Rom Landau, 1958 p 11-21
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This is not surprising as Mohammed, of course, was an Arab who was raised in pre-Islamic Arabian society. This understanding has been sustained by many scholars who have studied Islam. For instance, one scholar writes, "Arabic legends about the fabulous jinns fill its pages" 10. Indeed, much of what he included in the Qur'an from these sources was extremely fanciful:
- The story of the she-camel which leapt out of a rock and became a prophet was known in Arabia long before Muhammad (Surat 7:73-77,85; 91:14; 54:29).
- The story of an entire village of people who were turned into apes because they broke the sabbath by fishing was a popular legend in Muhammad's day (Surat 2:65; 7:163-166).
- The gushing 12 springs story found in Sura 2:60ff comes from pre-Islamic Arabian legends.
- In what is called the "Rip Van Winkle" story, seven men and their animals slept for 309 years in a cave and then woke up perfectly fine (Surah 18:9-26)! This was also a popular story in Arabia at and before Mohammed's time. This legend was also found in Greek and Christian folks fables from that time and before.
- The fable of the pieces of four dead, cut-up birds getting up and flying was well known in Muhammad's time (Surah 2:260).
Additionally, there appear to be several Jewish sources which Mohammed used when developing the Quranic revelation. 11,12,13,14 For instance, the source of Surah 3:35-37 is the apocryphal Jewish work, The Protevangelion of James the Lesser. Other examples of Jewish contribution to the Qur'an have been identified by scholars:
- The Second Targum of Esther supplied the non-biblical details of the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon (Surah 27:17-44).
- The Testament of Abraham provided the teachings of the Qu'ran found in Surah 42:17 and Surah 101:6-9, which relate that on the judgment day, a scale of balance will be used to weigh good and bad deeds, and to make the determination of whether people will be sent to heaven or hell. This Jewish work is also apparently quoted in Surah 87:19.
- The story of the murderous brother and the raven (Surah 5:30-31) is found in several Jewish writings, these being the Pirke Rabbi Eleazer, the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziah and the Targum of Jerusalem, all of which pre-date the Qur'an.
- The tale of Abraham being delivered from Nimrod's fire (Surat 21:51-71; 29:16, 17; 37:97,98) originated in the Midrash Rabbah.
- The Talmud provided to the Qur'an the story of Moses' resurrection (Surah 2:55-57)
- The story of the golden calf which was made by Israel in the wilderness, in which the image actually leaps out of the fire and moos, comes from the Pirke of Rabbi Eleazer.
- Lastly, the seven heavens and hells described at various points in the Qur'an can similar be found in the Zohar and the Hagigah.
Heretical Christian sources also provided a source of inspiration to Mohammed. The fingerprints of Gnostic and heretical sects can be seen at several points in the teachings of Mohammed. For example, the Quranic definition of the Trinity, consisting of God, Jesus, and Mary, was a doctrine held by a small Arabian pseudo-Christian group known as the Collyridians, with whom Mohammed apparently had some contact. That heretical Christian groups exerted a strong influence on Mohammed's theology and beliefs has been demonstrated repeatedly by scholars of Islam 15,16. Two examples of fanciful stories which were taught by heretical groups and which found their way into the Qur'an are the story of Jesus' speaking from the cradle as an infant (Surat 3:49, 100:110) and the story of Jesus moulding a bird from clay and then breathing life into it (Surah 5:110). These were stories passed down from various Gnostic sources.
from http://www.studytoanswer.net/myths_ch2.html
I've provided you with some good evidence OneGod ... What evidence have you got against your case?
Non-Islamic Sources please.