Surah Al-An‘âm 6:128

وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ قَدِ اسْتَكْثَرْتُم مِّنَ الْإِنسِ ۖ وَقَالَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُم مِّنَ الْإِنسِ رَبَّنَا اسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ وَبَلَغْنَا أَجَلَنَا الَّذِي أَجَّلْتَ لَنَا

6:128 The infidels of the past referred to the jinn جِن as an imaginary ghost-like being that they sometimes worshipped. The Holy Qur’ân does not give this meaning to the word. We read in verse 72:6 رِجَالٌ مِّنَ الْإِنسِ يَعُوذُونَ بِرِجَالٍ مِّنَ الْجِنِّ - “Humble people among the folk used to seek refuge with the haughty, shrewd and powerful people among the folk.” In Arabic there is a difference between basharبشَر, rijâl رجالinas إنس and jinn. Although all these terms refer to human beings, the Holy Qur’ân differentiates between them while using them at appropriate places with their appropriate meanings. The word jinn is derived from jannaéجَنٌ that means to cover, wrap, conceal, be dark, be covered (with plants), or be hidden (cf. 6:76). Janna also means to be mad or excited (with joy or anger) as the sane mind is clouded by excitement, madness and insanity. Janûn جنون is madness, insanity, diabolical fury, passion (51:52; 54:9) and junnatun جُنٌة is the covering or shield. Jannâtجنٌات (sing. jannatجنٌت) are the Gardens of Paradise as they are still concealed, covered, wrapped or hidden to human beings. Janîn جنين (plu. Ajinntun أجِنٌة ) means embryo, or foetus that is hidden, but present in a body (53:32; Lisân). According to dictionaries of classical Arabic (Tâj, Lisân, Lane, Râghib), jinn is any hidden thing, anything that hides, conceals, or covers. Jinn is thus what remains hidden or becomes invisible, or one who remains aloof from the people as if remaining concealed from eyes of the common folk. That may be a king or someone with high rank and enormous wealth. Metaphorically, it can be an intense or confusing darkness, spirits that inspire evil thought (cf. 114:6), a germ that we cannot see with the naked eye, or a very small insect. The word is also used for peoples of different remote countries living apart from other civilized peoples (cf. 46:29-32), or people who inhabited the earth in prehistoric times before the birth of Adam (7:38; 41:25). Stalwarts whom Solomon had taken into custody, made his subjects, and put to work as builders of huge buildings, and who were also expert divers, were also called jinns (cf. 27:17, 39; 34:12-13). The English word “genius” is probably derived from jinn. The word jinn was also used for the Jews of Nasîbîn at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) (cf. 72:1). These Jews were called jinns by the Arabs because of their intelligence, their great knowledge and their closed community. Dubai ibn Abî Sulmâ has used the word Jinn for people who are fearless, or who have no matches or equals. Tabrîzî writes in his book Sharh al-Hamâsah that a jinn is a human being who is highly shrewd, and possesses great powers and abilities (41:29). A jinni is also the one who is haughty and arrogant (7:179; 18:50). It is in all these senses that the word is used in the Holy Qur’ân, but never in the sense of a ghost (see also verses 15:27 and 7:38; 7:179; 18:50; 27:17; 34:41; 41:25; 46:18; 46:29; 51:56; 55:33; 72:5; 114:6).

The primary meaning of the word Ma‘shar معشر“the community” in the verses 6:128, 130; 55:33 also reinforces the above-mentioned meanings of jinn. Ash‘arahû أشراء means, “he lived in close communion with him and was on intimate terms” (Lisân). Thus, by calling al-Jinn ألجن and al-Nâs ألناس a single community, it is made clear that, in this context, jinn جنand nâs ناسare not two different kinds of beings. In that verse (55:33), giving this word the meaning of “ghost or “demon” does not make sense as the context clearly implies a community of human beings comprised of jinn and nâs.

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