If the djinn exist in a nearby dimension, it would stand to reason that the two realities must interact from time to time, giving us a view of their world and them a view of ours. However, because humans are three-dimensional, physical beings, we may only get a partial view of the djinn world. Instead of seeing detail, we may only see shadows, two-dimensional lines, or vague orbs of light. Since the djinn live in a higher dimension-perhaps the fifththey should be able to perceive all dimensions below them, much like we humans can interact with the three dimensions in our space.
A belief that predates Islam states that the djinn can see us, but we cannot see them. The only time we're able to catch glimpses of them is when they allow it. Many people may find this thought somewhat unsettling, but it may be true. Have you ever been outside or in a dark basement, or even in your bedroom at night, and gotten the feeling that you were not alone-that someone or something was watching you? Most people brush off the feeling and go about with their business or fall back to sleep, but your inner voice and feelings may be telling you that a djinni is watching. The djinni is in the same space, perhaps alongside of you, but in a higher dimension. As a djinni presses against the membrane that divides the dimensions it may appear as a shadow image or a ghost-like apparition. It is the Islamic belief that sightings of phantoms and reports of hauntings are the result of djinn interacting with our reality.
Although the idea of djinn closely observing us may seem ridiculous to the paranormal investigators who research haunted places, it must be considered nevertheless. We must also take it into account that only certain djinn may have the ability to peer into our world when near geographic locations where their reality crosses ours. We believe their restricted entry points could account for the number of locations around the world that are considered as paranormal hot spots. Some of these may include Sedona, Arizona; the Bermuda Triangle; the Hudson Valley of New York; and the Bridgewa- ter Triangle in Massachusetts, just to name a few.
The djinn world is very complex and may also be the home of a number of other living creatures. According to Turkish mythology, the djinn (known there as the cinn) have a variety of pets. The pets are said to be much different than our cats and dogs and are described as horrible monsters you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Perhaps the sightings of strange creatures throughout time are nothing more than a djinni's stray pet.
Since the home of the djinn is beyond the fourth dimension, time in this other reality is most likely different from ours. One thousand years in our world may be only a year there. Whether the djinn can enter the fourth dimension and travel back and forth in time is also unknown, but they are reportedly able to tell the future. On the other hand, other accounts say the djinn cannot really tell the future-they only appear to have this ability. Some of the more powerful djinn receive their "gift" of prophecy by traveling to the higher realms and eavesdropping on the angels who occasionally meet to discuss future plans for humanity on planet earth.
The concept of the djinn and all these extra dimensions and parallel universes opens up a great number of possibilities for paranormal investigators. To fully understand the hidden secrets of the multiverse and the world of the djinn, we must change our view of reality and open our minds to new possibilities. Our thinking must no longer be rigid and two-dimensional. Rather, we must take our conscious minds beyond the confines of the physical body and use our deeper inner intelligence to help us perceive and understand what our five senses cannot. When we are able to achieve this, we will learn more about not only our own reality, but also that of the djinn.
HE DJINN ARE CALLED "GOD'S other people" and the Qur'an makes it very clear that they existed on this planet long before humans, but exactly how long ago, no one knows. According to most Islamic stories, the djinn were created by Allah sometime between one and two thousand years before the first humans appeared on earth. It is hard to accept the notion that the djinn were only masters of this planet for twenty centuries, and in that time were able to create kingdoms and societies with an almost supernatural technology. The early Islamic people believed that with each passing millennium, great changes took place on earth that affected all living things. Many human cultures throughout time used the passage of a thousand years to mark the beginning of a new age. For example, in the biblical book of Revelation, the prophet John talks about a new age of man that will last for onethousand years after which the devil will be set free and once again attempt to corrupt the human race. We must remember that before the fifteenth century a thousand years seemed like a very long span of time; no one thought of time in terms of millions. The idea of millions of years was something that these people of long ago could not fathom, since the common belief was that God created the earth only six thousand years earlier.
Though it's believed the djinn were around for a long period of time before they were exiled from the physical universe, it's possible they appeared on this planet millions of years before mankind. In fact, many of them could still be with us today. While traveling through the Middle East, Phil gathered many tales of the djinn. A considerable number of these stories were not written, but passed orally from generation to generation. After listening to the many djinn tales, he asked a question that the typical, skeptical westerners would pose: "If you have never seen djinn, how do you know they exist?" The answer he got was always the same: "They are mentioned in the Qur'an, the word of Allah, who does not lie."
The origin of the djinn is indeed mentioned in the Qur'an in more than thirty verses, such as "He (Allah) created man from sounding clay. The angels from light and the djinn from smokeless flame of fire (Ar-Rahman 55.15). "The origin of the djinn also appears in Al-Hijr 15.26-42, but is slightly different: "And indeed, Allah created man from sounding clay of altered black and smooth mud. The djinn, Allah created aforetime from smokeless fire and the angels from light. " No one really knows how long ago djinn were created, or what their past and current population number could be. However, there is a great deal of information about this ancient race of beings in the mythologies of the cultures of the Far and Middle East-but not in the Western Hemisphere.
Archaeologists agree that when dealing with the ancient legends of a Middle Eastern culture, any spirit below an angel and not human can be referred to as a djinni. The idea of the djinn pre-dates Islam. The ancient Persians believed injainni and jaini, evil spirits of both genders who lived in an invisible world and often interacted with humans in different ways. They brought pleasures like fine food and gold, but also delivered disease and death. Inscriptions from northwest Arabia dating to three thousand years ago indicate worship of djinn-like beings called ginnaye, the "rewarding gods," also known as the "gods of pleasure and pain." In most of these early legends, these gods could be benevolent, but then suddenly without warning or cause, turn malevolent. These beings are similar to early Western European concepts of demons, who were summoned to teach the sciences and medicine, and locate buried treasure. If the summoner didn't perform the proper ritual or exercise extreme caution, the demon could instantly change into a hideous killing monster.
Djinn and Fallen Angels
The Christian faith believes a certain angel most beloved by God was tired of serving and decided to do things his own way. This rebel angel, known as Lucifer, conspired with other powerful angels to overthrow God and become the new masters of the universe. As a result, a war among the angels broke out. In the end, Lucifer and one-third of the heavenly host were cast into hell. In another version of this story, Lucifer and the angels of heaven were forced by God to bow before man, His most perfect creation. Lucifer convinced a great number of other angels that they were the true first-born, and that man should bow before them. God sensed Lucifer's excessive pride and disobedience, and so he and his minions were thrown out of paradise. According to Roman Catholic belief, after the Fall, God made a deal with Lucifer, allowing his demonic horde to test the human race by using enticing, tempting thoughts to encourage actions that would take humankind away
from the Creator's grace.
In the Islamic faith, there are no fallen angels. Muslim people believe that angels were created from pure light and have no free will. Thus, they are above sin and can only do the work of Allah (God). However, there is a similar story in the Qur'an of a powerful being who fell from God's grace and was shunned forever. This being, whose power was almost equal to an angel's, was a djinni named Iblis.' The story goes that God orders all the angels to bow before Adam, the first human. All the angels obeyed God's command except for Iblis, the leader of the djinn, who had access to heaven. This lone djinni was proud and arrogant, and felt that he and the other djinn were superior to the new creation:
It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels prostrate to Adam, and they prostrate; not so Iblis; He refused to be of those who prostrate.
(Allah) said: "What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?"
(Iblis) said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay."
(Allah) said: "Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant here: get out, for thou art of the meanest (of creatures). Be thou among those who have respite."
(Iblis) said: "Because thou hast thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in wait for them on thy straight way: Then I will assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left. Nor wilt thou find, in most of them, gratitude (for thy mercies)."
(Allah) said: "Get out from this, degraced and expelled.
If any of them follow thee, Hell will I fill with you all."'
For this act, God cursed Iblis and all the djinn who followed him, and banished them to hell for eternity. They were no longer allowed to visit heaven and mingle with angels. Iblis begged for forgiveness. God relented and gave him and all the disobedient djinn until Judgment Day to mend their ways. Iblis obtained permission from God to "prove" that humankind was unworthy of His love, and was given the power to attempt to lead all men and women astray. According to one Arabian story, after Iblis was thrown out of paradise, his name was changed to Shaitan (meaning "adversary") similar to Satan, as he is known in the West.
Just as in the Christian story of Lucifer, Iblis was allowed by God to test the human race with the pleasures and thoughts that tempt people to turn away from God's love. After centuries passed, Iblis convinced many other djinn that God had in fact wronged them. Iblis raised an army whose sole purpose is the downfall of the human race. He and his horde of renegade djinn have recruited many humans to their cause, promising them power, wealth, and pleasures, the so-called wishes a genie grants. However, the price those who make requests of the djinn must pay is not loyalty to Iblis, but their very souls.
Iblis as an Angel
In some early Islamic accounts, Iblis was once a powerful angel named Azazel. The name "Azazel" means "God strengthens" and this angel may have originally been a Semitic god of shepherd's flocks who became demonized as Abrahamic religions flourished. Azazel is associated with the ritual of scapegoating as an expiation of sin, as described in Leviticus 16. In verse nine, God tells Moses that his brother Aaron shall take two goats and sacrifice them: one is to the Lord for sin and the second is for Azazel, to be presented live for atonement, and then sent into the wilderness supposedly to the demon. This reference to the wilderness has led to beliefs that Azazel was a demon of the desert. Coincidentally, the desert is also considered to be Iblis' home when Allah permits him to enter our world.
In the apocryphal story The Apocalypse of Abraham, Azazel is mentioned as the angel of disgrace, lies, evil, wrath, and trials. He is the lord of hell, confined to earth by God because he became enamored with it. In Judaic lore, Azazel figures prominently in folk tales, along with another fallen angel, Samyaza (sometimes spelled Shemihazah or Shemhazai). Azazel refuses to bow to Adam when presented to God and the heavenly hierarchies. Islamic lore also tells of Azazel refusing to bow to Adam, and God casting him out of heaven and changing him into Iblis as a result. Although the angelic origin of Iblis contradicts Islamic beliefs, it is still considered by some scholars as a possible origin for this rebellious spirit.
According to Islamic belief, the evil that exists everywhere is due to corrupt humans and djinn who have turned their backs on Allah. Demons, fairies, ghosts, demonic possession, and even sightings of extraterrestrial aliens are believed to be the work of djinn, or in some cases, spiritually corrupt humans who have joined Iblis. If we take into account the reality of the existence of djinn, we can understand the paranormal's great diversity. Rarely do djinn present their true identity to us. Instead, they enjoy taking on many disguises. Many djinn merely play a harmless game with us for their amusement, but some have a more deadly agenda.
Stories about the djinn reveal a long history of perceived injustices and indignities from their perspective, creating valid reasons (in their minds) for many of them to plot against humanity. Believing themselves to be wronged by God in favor of human beings, some djinn have carried a deep grudge for millennia. Add to that the abuses they believe they've suffered at the hands of one of the few men to ever have dictatorial control over them-King Solomon. In order for us to understand the djinn and their feelings about humans, we must study both their past and present interactions with our race.
Solomon and the Djinn
The legendary Solomon, renowned as one of the wisest and most powerful rulers of antiquity, had absolute power to command and exorcize the djinn. Solomon ruthlessly forced them into slave labor to build the first Temple of Jerusalem and the entire city of Jerusalem as well. He sent them off into war to fight against men and djinn controlled by other men, and used them to impress the Queen of Sheba-who was rumored to be half-djinn herself. The djinn were resentful to be reduced to the status of slaves, but were powerless to do anything other than Solomon's bidding as long as he wished to control them. Even Iblis was powerless before the king, and could do nothing but provide a small measure of comfort to his kind.
Solomon's ability to control the djinn was a divine gift. He was the son of David, the second ruler of the united kingdom of Israel. According to the Old Testament book of Samuel, David's reign probably corresponded to the years 1000-970 BCE. After David's death, Solomon took the throne and ruled until his own death, circa 922 BCE. Historical details about Solomon are hard to find, but he figures as one of the most important persons in Biblical accounts of Jewish history. In Islamic lore, Solomon (Sulayman) is regarded as one of the greatest of world rulers, a true apostle, and messenger of Allah, the prototype of the prophet Muhammad.
Solomon's great powers were bestowed by God, who came to him in a dream and said, "Ask what I shall give you."3 Many men might have asked for great wealth and power, but Solomon answered that he wanted an understanding mind for governing his people, and for the ability to discern between good and evil. Pleased with the man's response, God replied, "Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you."4
Solomon's construction of the first Temple of Jerusalem brought him into direct contact with djinn, the site itself has a long, sacred history. It was the place where Cain and Abel argued over division of the earth and on whose portion a temple was to be built. It was the same spot where Abraham had prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. During David's reign, it was the place where the Angel of Death, sent by God to punish the Israelites for David's sins, stayed his executing hand.
In his gratitude, David ordered that a great temple be built on that holy ground. Although he received divine revelation about its construction, he was forbidden from undertaking the project himself because he had shed blood. David passed the building instructions to Solomon. During the fourth year of his reign, Solomon launched construction and sent out calls for labor. According to different sources, both humans and djinn were recruited, most of them as slaves. Various rulers sent human slaves, and Solomon enslaved the djinn himself by the power and authority God had granted him.
Some accounts hold that the stones for the temple were fetched from quarries by female djinn. Some rabbinical interpretations of the Bible hold that the stones cried out in loud voices and moved themselves to the temple site.' The djinn dug for diamonds, dove for pearls, and brought the finest marble from all over the world.
The djinn participation is not included in all accounts of the temple: Biblical versions of the construction are given in 1 Kings 6-8 and 2 Chronicles 2-4; these omit mention of both djinn and demons. The Roman Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-c. 100 CE) also gave no mention of the djinn in his Antiquities of the Jews, though he did cite Solomon's ability to exorcize demons (djinn) with the help of a magical ring.
Other sources provide a different picture of how the construction of the temple was accomplished. The great Persian poet and saint Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-73) wrote in his epic the Masnavi:
The richest details are found in The Testament of Solomon, a pseudepigraphic text written between the first and third centuries CE and the oldest magical text attributed to the king. Its translation from Greek into English describes the djinn as demons. Solomon controlled them, as he "mastered and controlled all spirits of the air, on the Earth, and under the Earth." 7
Solomon acquired his power over djinn through a vampiric djinni named Ornias. During the temple's construction, Ornias crept in one day at sunset in the form of burning fire and attacked the son of the master workman, a child Solomon loved as well. Ornias stole half the boy's pay and food, and sucked out his vital life force through his right thumb. The boy grew thinner and thinner. Worried, Solomon summoned him and learned about the djinni's attacks.
The king prayed intensely night and day for Ornias to be delivered into his hands. In answer, God sent the archangel Michael to Solomon with a ring made of copper and iron bearing an engraved seal of a pentagram, a five-pointed star. Michael instructed Solomon to wear the ring and use it to lock up all djinn, male and female, and force them to help build the temple.
The Vengeful Djinn: Unveiling the Hidden Agenda of Genies Page 3
