Jinn

On Faith | Jinn

When we talk about God’s creatures, let’s classify them into two main groups, the seen and the un-seen.  Now the creatures that are seen can be classified into two major groups, humans and others.  By others we mean animals, animate and inanimate objects.

Angels and Jinn: Unseen creatures

For the invisible creatures there are once again two basic groups that the Quran mentions.  One is the angels and also the second is the Jinn.  Some people may wonder what the word Jinn means that and if it has an comparable in English.  To my understanding there is absolutely no single word in English that would give appropriate and complete meaning of Jinn as recognized by Muslims except to say that they are unseen creatures.  Nevertheless to understand it better in English we can separate Jinn into two main groups, believers and unbelievers. (Click here to read about angels.)

Believing Jinn would be just as good as angels as well as as good as human believers. The unbelieving Jinn, then again, are the ones that we generally refer to as Satan and additionally a term that appears in the Quran about the very first of those unbelieving Jinn, Iblis. When we use Satan or Iblis we are speaking particularly regarding the first Satan, the one who attracted Adam and Eve in Paradise.  Now, the category of Satan, his descendants, and assistants until today are known as Satans or devils.

Jinn have free will, similar to humans

In fact the Quran indicates that like human beings the Jinn, both of the believing and unbelieving, have free personal preference.  They can make the decision to obey God or to rebel and in that sense they're just similar to human beings except for the reality that they are non-material.


Because they have discretion, some might develop into good and some might be evil.  Jinn are not evil by meaning.  In fact, we find that in the Quran it discusses the Jinn receiving messengers coming to guide them exactly like human beings also received prophets (6:130).