The Vengeful Djinn: Unveiling the Hidden Agenda of Genies

by Rosemary Ellen Guiley; Philip J. Imbrogno

  Another tradition holds that one of the entities is not an angel, but a wicked djinni. The good angel whispers in one ear and the bad djinni whispers in the other, both in a battle for a person's moral conscience. The role of the bad influence in Western tradition falls to the demons, while angels are considered to be solely an influence of good.

  In addition to recording angels, Islam also holds that every person has a qarin, a special companion spirit or djinni permanently assigned to a person at birth.' The qarin combines features of the Greek daimones, who whispered both seduction and advice, and the Christian guardian angel. By some accounts, the qarin is ambiguous in intention, with a primary purpose to seduce and lead its assigned person astray by whispering temptations in the ear. (`Qarin " also refers to a nonbeliever who can lead a Muslim person astray.) By other accounts, the qarin provides companionship, comfort, and protection, including against illnesses and possession by other djinn. The qarin can be of either gender. It is called a double and a brother or sister who lives below the earth.

  Some believe that people are assigned qarin of the person's gender, while others believe it is always the opposite gender. An opposite-gender qarin is jealous of any romantic partners a person may have, and will thwart relationships and potential marriages. When humans are said to marry a djinni, it may be with their qarin. Parents warn children not to spend too much time looking into a mirror because the qarin will react in a jealous rage. A qarin who is displeased with its human can cause headaches, illnesses, nightmares, bruises, and other physical discomforts, insomnia, depression and loss of appetite.' When the qarin exerts an evil influence, it disavows responsibility for actions on the basis of the free will of the mortal: "His companion (devil) will say: `Our Lord! I did not push him to transgress (in disbelief, oppression, and evil deeds), but he was himself in error, far astray."'9 In other words, the djinni says to God, "It wasn't me who made this person sin, I just helped him follow his own desires." Thus, the qarin reveals a Trickster nature in the deliberate and often malicious sowing of discord and chaos.

  Muhammad acknowledged the qarin, but said his own converted to the faith, and functioned only in benevolent ways: "`There is no one among you but a comrade from among the djinn is assigned to him.' Sahaba e Karam present in that occasion asked: `Even you, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: `Even me, but Allah granted me victory over him and he became Muslim (or: and I am safe from him), so he only enjoins me to do that which is good'."1° The qarin knows everything about its assigned person, including all his or her weaknesses. Giving in to temptation and evil feeds the qarin, enabling it to gain in power and strength. Only leading a righteous life can weaken it.

  Knowledge of the Past, Present, and Future

  According to Islamic thought, the future is not yet part of the created world and is known only by God and a select few of his angels. Forty days before an event takes place, a message about it is sent down from the Highest Assembly to the heaven where angels called katibin write it down as destiny." Once written, destiny is irreversible and cannot be changed, even if the person learns about it. Angels do not reveal destiny without God's permission. Certain sheikhs say they are inspired by angels and can know and reveal the future. However, some believe the sheikhs are really talking to djinn masquerading as angels.

  Djinn know the past, the present, and what is taking place at another location (clairvoyance or remote viewing), but they do not know the future. Before Islam, they had the power to know the invisible, but they abused it by revealing their secrets to humans in exchange for gifts and control over a person's freedom.12 God took their power away and shut them out of the seventh heaven. They climb up stairs or fly up to sit at the door and eavesdrop on the angels, who chase them away with stones. If hit, the djinn fall like burning stars (meteors)."

  King Solomon proved the djinn have no knowledge of the future by concealing his death, in order to show people that they should not let the djinn fool humanity into thinking their ethereal counterparts ever had such knowledge.

  It is said Solomon died leaning on his stick, and his corpse remained propped up on it for an entire year. Meanwhile, the djinn, thinking he was still alive, went on as slaves building his temple and city. At last, ants ate through the stick and the corpse collapsed. The djinn suddenly realized he was dead and had no more hold over them, and they fled.14 In Western tradition, angels are consulted for fortune-telling, although it isn't an official function. Theirs is not to reveal the future-unless God tells them to-but to stand by to provide aid when called upon by people as they go through the trials and experiences that are the results of choice.

  Western demons are said to be clairvoyant, and able to know and tell the future. They know the secrets of people past and present, and are capable of commanding any language. In cases of possession, demons reveal these abilities; the speaking of dead languages or claims of the ability to tell the future are taken as proof of possession.

  Possession

  In ancient times, illnesses, afflictions, aberrant behavior, and misfortune were blamed on demons who were said to have the power to enter the body and take over one's body and mind. Djinn have this ability, too, and the traits of their possession described in the previous chapter can be applied to demons as well.

  In Islamic and Christian traditions, the invading entities find ways to sneak into the body. The djinn often enter when a person's aura is weakened or split from trauma. In Western lore, demons enter through the breath, such as when a person sneezes, or hiding on bits of food. Giving in to temptations and sin will, of course, make one susceptible as well.

  Certain individuals-religious authorities and healers-have the ability to exorcize demons through prayers, incantations, fumigations, and issuing holy commands. Exorcisms can easily go wrong when an unskilled exorcist challenges powerful, crafty demons or djinn; a person who performs this sort of task must be knowledgeable and powerful in his or her own right. In the Western tradition, the Catholic church has strictly ritualized exorcism, with rules governing how and why demons can possess people, and how they must behave in exorcisms. Demons do not just upset life, but use possession as a way to mock the Church and God, spewing forth blasphemies and obscenities through His most beloved creation.

  Sexual Union

  Angels and demons do not marry and have families, but the djinn do, just like us.

  It is interesting to note, however, that angels, demons, and djinn are all capable of having sexual relations with human beings. Such unions are not considered desirable for mortals, and the offspring are usually oddities, if not downright monstrosities. Demons are considered to be sterile, but can impregnate women through a bothersome and awkward process of first using a female form to seduce a man to collect his sperm, and afterwards changing to a male form to impregnate a woman.

  Both djinn and demons can approach humans sexually as seductive lovers in beautiful or familiar forms. Certain demons, the incubi (male) and succubi (female), are more sexually aggressive, especially in cases of hauntings and possession.

  Eating and Drinking

  The angels and demons of Western lore do not eat. In Genesis 18 and 19, two angels who are shapeshifted into the guises of men visit Abraham and tell him he and his elderly wife, Sarah, will bear a son. Abraham and Sarah offer them a meal and the strangers eat, and then depart to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Whether or not the angels actually consumed the food was a subject of great theological debate in Christianity. Theologians opined that angels, being non-corporeal, cannot eat, and so they only gave the illusion of eating in order to conceal their identities. Djinn eat and drink. They are allowed the bones over which the name of Allah has been said, and they can give animal dung to their own animals to eat." There are many more points of intersection among djinn, angels, and demons, and we have summarized the most important ones in the table on the next two pages:

  In Closing

  Making distinctions among supernatural entities and drawing boundaries is problematic at
best. The problem increases in complexity when concerning the strongest and most prominent forces who represent the absolutes of good and evil. The nature, characteristics, and traits of entities often blur together. They are not "either-or," but "both-and." For example, can we confidently recognize an angel as an angel, certain it is not something else in disguise? The djinn are renowned for masquerades, and so are demons in the Western supernatural world. Saint Paul observed, "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."16 Theologians wrote that demons could also appear as the Virgin Mary, saints, and even Jesus himself. The literature of the saints contain numerous accounts of holy men and women being deceived by demons. If the most dedicated holy people can be so deceived, how can ordinary mortals hope to know exactly what they are dealing with when they have entity encounters?

  The answer is not easy, and we suggest that we often do not know-we think we are dealing with one particular entity when in fact we may be dealing with djinn.

  NE OF A DJINNI'S FAVORITE disguises is that of a fairy, an intermediary being found in mythologies around the world. Fairy beliefs are universal and strikingly similar across cultures. In all places, and at all times in history one can find fairies in mythology and folklore. Usually, they appear in stories as small, supernaturally gifted beings that live inside the earth and harbor longstanding grudges against the human race.

  Though Western fairy lore predates Christianity, much of it has acquired Christian elements. In Western lore, fairies seem cute, pretty, and harmless. In modern depictions, they are usually small beings (usually with wings) that tend to things in nature. Modern fairies of this type occasionally interact with humans, usually in good or sometimes comically mischievous ways. Traditionally, however, fairies are not as innocent, not even in Western lore. Underneath their gossamer glow lies a dark side that crosses into djinn territory.

  Popular Western notions about fairies have been increasingly sanitized since Victorian times, before which they were among the most feared of supernatural entities. In earlier times, even the good-natured fairies were believed to use their supernatural powers against people more than for help, and people went out of their way to avoid them or, if they absolutely couldn't, at least placate them. Fairies offer a good disguise for the stealthy, shapeshifting djinn, enabling them to hide in plain sight in a supernatural part of our world. This masking in no way negates the existence of fairies, the varieties of good and bad fairies, or anyone's experiences with them. But have all our encounters with fairies been with them-or with djinn?

  The use of fairy disguises probably appeals most to green djinn and red djinn. The green djinn are fascinated with people, as are many fairies, and both can fall in love with humans and follow them around. Green djinn love to play, and fairies are renowned for their nocturnal dancing, singing, and bewitching brews. Green djinn also love pranks and jokes, a trademark fairy activity.

  The guise of ill-tempered fairies suit the red djinn, the ones looking for ways to cause serious strife with humans. Most of the fairies documented in Western folklore have a dim view of humans at best. Like many blue djinn, they avoid people, believing them to be inferior and not worth their attention. But cross them-especially those who have mean streaks and bad tempers-and disaster strikes. Angry, wronged fairies will destroy homes, fortunes, and health, using some of the same tactics employed by angry, terrorizing red djinn.

  Fairies have already been compared to extraterrestrials, most notably by the folklorist Thomas E. Bullard, and by ufologist Jacques Vallee in Passport to Magonia (1969). In our research, we found an even stronger connection to the djinn. The connections shared by djinn and fairies that also link to extraterrestrials add even more intrigue if it can believed that a masquerade of shapeshifting is indeed in effect.

  We have identified numerous similarities and links between djinn, fairies, and leprechauns. We mention leprechauns separately because it is uncertain whether or not they technically belong to the class of fairies. In some descriptions, they are called fairieseven "Ireland's national fairy"-and in other descriptions, they are separate entities that interact with fairies.

  Origins of the Word Fairy

  Fairy is generally thought to come from the Latin word fata, or fate, which refers to the Fates of mythology: three women who spin, twist, and cut the threads of life. Fairy came into usage in medieval times and was often used to refer to women who had magical powers. Fairy, originally spelled faerie, referred to the state of being enchanted.

  According to lore, fairies themselves do not like the word, but prefer such labels as "the Good Neighbors," the Good People," the Gentry," "the People of Peace," "the Strangers," "Themselves," the Seelie (Blessed) Court," and similar terms. Compare them with the djinn, often referred to by similar names, such as "God's Other People," "Them," "One of Those," and "Those Other People." Fairies are also called "the Little People" because of their diminutive size: most are described as two to three feet in height. However, in some accounts, fairies do not care for the term "Little People" either, considering it and "fairy" to be disrespectful.

  A connection between fairies and Persian lore was made by Lady Jane Wilde (1826-1896), an Irish poet and wife of Sir William Wilde. Lady Wilde was interested in Irish fairy stories, and wrote extensively on them. She said the word fairy originated in ancient Persia, and in these passages described characteristics shared by both fairies and djinn:

  The belief in a race of supernatural beings, midway between man and the Supreme God, beautiful and beneficent, a race that had never known the weight of human life, was also part of the creed of the Iranian people. They called them Peris, or Ferouers (fairies)... Every nation believes in the existence of these mysterious spirits, with mystic and powerful influence over human life and actions, but each nation represents them differently, according to national habits and national surroundings ...

  The Sidhe, or Fairies, of Ireland, still preserve all the gentle attributes of their ancient Persian race, for in the soft and equable climate of Erin there were no terrible manifestations of nature to be symbolized by new images; and the genial, laughterloving elves were in themselves the best and truest expression of Irish nature that could have been invented. The Fairies loved music and dancing and frolic; and, above all things, to be let alone, and not be interfered with as regarded their peculiar fairy habits, customs, and pastimes ... but the fairies were sometimes willful and capricious as children, and took dire revenge if any one built over their fairy circles, or looked at them when combing their long yellow hair in the sunshine, or dancing in the woods, or floating on the lakes. Death was the penalty to all who approached too near, or pried too curiously into the mysteries of nature.'

  Lady Wilde believed the Irish names for fairies, sidhe, orfead-rhee, is a modification of the Persian term peri. The sidhe and the peri were comparable to the Egyptian and Greek concepts of demons, she said, and all were "a race midway between angel and man, gifted with power to exercise a strange, mysterious influence over human destiny." Her descriptions certainly fit the djinn as well.

  They Were Early Inhabitants of Earth Who Lost Their Dominion

  Fairies, like the djinn, preceded humanity as a sentient race that inhabited the earth. In Irish lore, the original fairies were the Tu- atha De Danaan ("the people of the goddess Danu"), said in some accounts to be directly descended from the gods. The fairies took up residency in Ireland, and possessed supernatural and magical powers. Over time, they lost battles to invaders and used their powers to retreat into the earth, into a parallel world where they could remain invisible and undisturbed.

  They Are Outcasts from Their Realms

  The djinn were cast out because they did not bow down to Adam, but rebelled under Iblis. Fairies have a number of origins, according to lore. In addition to being the original inhabitants of earth, they are said to be nature spirits, the souls of the pagan dead who cannot enter heaven, the ancestral dead, the guardians of the dead, supernatural creatures who are part human
and part monster, and fallen angels. When Lucifer and his followers were thrown out of heaven, some didn't become demons of hell but fell to earth and became fairies. Although there are no equivalents of fallen angels in Islam, the fall of the djinn, and the transformation of Iblis into an evil parallel of Lucifer/Satan, has strong associations with the "fallen angel" explanation of fairies.

  The belief that fairies were fallen angels is particularly strong in Irish and the Scottish Highland lore, where folklorist Alexander Carmichael recorded an oral version of the fallen angel story in which the fairies are cast out with the "Proud Angel," Lucifer.

  In October of 1871, Carmichael and his traveling companion, the folklorist J. F. Campbell, were forced to wait out a storm on the island of Barra. They spent their time listening to the local folklore. One of the storytellers was a ninety-two-year-old man named Roderick MacNeill, who had never worn shoes and never been ill, and who climbed about the sheer cliffs like an expert. MacNeill's account of the fairies follows:

  The Proud Angel fomented a rebellion among the angels of heaven, where he had been a leading light. He declared that he would go and found a kingdom of his own. When going out at the door of heaven the Proud Angel brought dealanaich dheilg- nich agus beithir bheumnaich, prickly lightning and biting lightning, out of the door-step with his heels. Many angels followed him-so many that at last the Son called out, `Father! Father! The city is being emptied!' whereupon the Father ordered that the gates of heaven and of hell should be closed. This was instantly done; and those who were in were in, and those who were out were out; while the hosts who had left heaven and had not reached hell, flew into the holes of the earth mar nafamhla- gan, like the stormy petrels.

  These are the fairy folks-ever since doomed to live under the ground, and only permitted to emerge when and where the King permits. They are never allowed abroad on Thursday, that being Columba's Day, nor on Friday, that being the Son's Day, nor on Saturday, that being Mary's Day, nor on Sunday, that being the Lord's Day.