In the
Jinn section of part 5 of Mirza Tahir Ahmads book
Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth the following verses are mentioned:
And the Jinn We created before that (the creation of man) from blasts of fire (naris-samum). [15:27]
And the Jinn He created from the flame of fire. [55:15]
He gives an explanation of the literal meaning of the word
jinn as follows:
Arabic lexicon mentions the following as the possible meanings of the word jinn. It literally means anything which has the connotation of concealment, invisibility, seclusion and remoteness. It also has the connotation of thick shades and dark shadows. That is why the word 'jannah' (from the same root word) is employed by the Quran to denote paradise, which would be full of thick, heavily shaded gardens. The word jinn is also applicable to snakes which habitually remain hidden from common view and live a life secluded from other animals in rock crevices and earthen holes. It is also applied to women who observe segregation and to such chieftains as keep their distance from the common people. The inhabitants of remote, inaccessible mountains are likewise referred to as jinn. Hence, anything which lies beyond the reach of common sight or is invisible to the unaided naked eye, could well be described by this word.
Then he speaks about what jinns eat and from it he concludes that the Quran and Hadith refer to bacteria by the word jinn and not secluded humans, or snakes or anything else that is not bacteria:
This proposition is fully endorsed by a tradition of the Holy Prophetsa in which he strongly admonishes people not to use dried up lumps of dung or bones of dead animals for cleaning themselves after attending to the call of nature because they are food for the jinn. As we use toilet paper now, at that time people used lumps of earth, stones or any dry article close at hand to clean themselves. We can safely infer therefore, that what he referred to as jinn was nothing other than some invisible organisms, which feed on rotting bones, dung etc. Remember that the concept of bacteria and viruses was not till then born. No man had even the vaguest idea about the existence of such invisible tiny creatures. Amazingly it is to these that the Holy Prophetsa referred. The Arabic language could offer him no better, more appropriate expression than the word jinn.
He goes on to say:
Having established that the word jinn applies here to some type of bacterial organisms,....
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The view above contradicts the verses of the Quran below by saying that jinn refers to bacteria and not a creation of fire who was created before humanity and whose purpose of creation was to worship Allah and who have similar abilities like humans in many regards, however, we are 2 different creations and do differ on many aspects. i will quote some verses and post the commentary of Ibn Kathir for each of the verses.
Verse #1 and it's meaning
15:26 And indeed, We created man from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.
15:27 And the Jinn, We created earlier from the smokeless flame of fire.
Allah says:
And indeed, We created man from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud. And the Jinn, We created earlier from the smokeless flame of fire.
Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah said that;
Salsal means dry mud.
The apparent meaning is similar to the Ayah:
He created man (Adam) from sounding clay like the potter's clay, And He created the Jinns from a smokeless flame of fire. (55:14-15)
It was also reported from Mujahid that, (dried (sounding) clay) means "putrid'', but it is more appropriate to interpret an Ayah with another Ayah.
of altered mud,
means the dried clay that comes from mud, which is soil. "Altered'' here means smooth.
And the Jinn, We created earlier,
means before creating humans.
from the smokeless flame of fire.
Ibn Abbas said, "It is the smokeless flame that kills.''
Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi said that Shu`bah narrated tothem from Abu Ishaq, who said:
"I visited `Umar Al-Asamm when he was sick, and he said: `Shall I not tell you a Hadith that I heard from Abdullah bin Mas`ud He said: `This smokeless flame is one of the seventy parts of the smokeless fire from which the Jinn where created.
Then he recited
(And the Jinn, We created earlier from the smokeless flame of fire).''
The following is found in the Sahih
The angels were created from light, the Jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created from that which has been described to you.
The Ayah is intended to point out the noble nature, good essence and pure origin of Adam.
Verse #2 and it's meaning
O you assembly of jinn and mankind! "Did not there come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say: "We bear witness against ourselves." It was the life of this world that deceived them. And they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.
(Al-Anaam, Chapter #6, Verse #130)
Allah will chastise the disbelieving Jinns and humans on the Day of Resurrection, when He asks them, while having better knowledge, if the Messengers delivered His Messages to them,
"O you assembly of Jinn and humans! Did not there come to you Messengers from among you,''
We should note here that the Messengers are from among mankind only, not vice versa, as Mujahid, Ibn Jurayj and others from the Imams of Salaf and later generations have stated. The proof for this is that Allah said,
Verily, We have sent the revelation to you as We sent the revelation to Nuh and the Prophets after him. (4:163) until,
Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the (coming of) Messengers. (4:165)
Allah said, concerning the Prophet Ibrahim,
And We ordained among his offspring Prophethood and the Book. (29: 27),
thus sending the Prophethood and the Book exclusively through the offspring of the Prophet Ibrahim. No one has claimed that there were Prophets from among the Jinns before the time of Ibrahim, but not after that.
Allah said,
And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets. (25:20)
And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships. (12:109) 217
Therefore, concerning Prophethood, the Jinns follow mankind in this regard and this is why Allah said about them,
And (remember) when We sent towards you a group of the Jinn, listening to the Qur'an. When they stood in the presence thereof, they said: "Listen in silence!" And when it was finished, theyreturned to their people, as warners. They said: "O our people! Verily, we have heard a Book sent down after Musa, confirming what came before it, it guides to the truth and to the straight way. O our people! Respond to Allah's caller, and believe in him. He (Allah) will forgive you your sins, and will save you from a painful torment (i.e. Hellfire). And whosoever does not respond to Allah's caller, he cannot escape on earth, and there will be no helpers for him besides Allah. Those are in manifest error. (46:29-32)
A Hadith collected by At-Tirmidhi stated that;
the Messenger of Allah recited Surah ArRahman, to these Jinns, in which Allah said,
We shall attend to you, O you two classes (Jinn and men)! Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both (Jinn and men) deny! (55:31-32)
Allah said in this honorable Ayah,
O you assembly of Jinn and humans! "Did not there come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours!" They will say: "We bear witnessagainst ourselves.''
meaning, we affirm that the Messengers have conveyed Your Messages to us and warned us about the meeting with You, and that this Day will certainly occur.
Allah said next,
It was the life of this world that deceived them.
and they wasted their lives and brought destruction to themselves by rejecting the Messengers and denying their miracles. This is because they were deceived by the beauty, adornment and lusts of this life.
And they will bear witness against themselves,
on the Day of Resurrection,
that they were disbelievers...
in this worldly life, rejecting what the Messengers, (may Allah's peace and blessings be on them), brought them.
to continue.....
