According to Islamic tradition, Allah created three types of beings: angels, made of light; humans, made of earth; and jinn, made of smokeless fire. Supernatural, shape-shifting, intelligent and blessed with free will and remarkable powers, jinn have over the ages been given many names - demon, spirit, ghoul, genie, ifrit and shaitan. Neither human nor immortal, they roam the earth inhabiting dark and empty places, luring humans to their deaths or demonically possessing them if harmed or offended. Despite the fact they cannot be seen, jinn are said to be strangely human-like - marrying, bearing children, forming communities and tribes, eating, sleeping, playing and facing judgement like any other human. They are ever-present partners in the human experience, causing endless mischief, providing amazing services and sometimes inducing sheer terror. Believed in by hundreds of millions of people throughout the world and from all faiths, jinn have played a particularly central role in the literature, culture and belief systems of the Middle East and the Islamic world. Legends of the Fire Spirits explores through time and across nations the enduring phenomenon of the jinn.
From North Africa to Central Asia, from the Mediterranean to sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, this riveting, often chilling, yet reasoned book draws on long-forgotten ancient testimonies, medieval histories, colonial records, anthropologist's reports and traveller's tales to explore the different types of jinn, their behaviour, society, culture and long history of contact with humankind. It documents their links with famous figures in history such as King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and illustrates the varied and vivid portrayals of jinn in world literature. In essence Legends of the Fire Spirits demonstrates the colourful diversity of human culture and the durability of faith and is a magnificent and indispensable portrayal of the rich folklore of the Islamic world.
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION: The Nature of Jinn
ORIGINS
What Are the Jinn?
Ancient Perspectives
How Muslims View the Jinn
ANCIENT LEGENDS
Adam, Eve & Iblis
Lilith and the Qarinah
King Solomon
Mount Qaf: Home of the Jinn
Amid Ancient Ruins
HISTORICAL ENCOUNTERS
Al-Andalus
Al-Biruni on Aristotle
Jinn in the Afterlife
Jinn in the ‘Catalogue’
Medieval Influences
ACTING UP: JINN BEHAVIOUR
Human Possession & Exorcism
Jinn Hauntings
Do Jinn Cause Illnesses?
‘The Condemned System’
Abductions
Shifting Shapes
Jinn Living
Sex & Marriage
JINN GEOGRAPHY
Arabia: The Core
Iraq: ‘Pandemonium’
Harran: The ‘North’
Palestine: Underground
Syria: The Red King’s Daughter
Egypt: Ifrits & Ghouls
Morocco: The 'Masters'
Tunisia: Air, Sea & Land
Turkey: Out of the Forest
Iran: ‘The Holy Jinn’
Armenians: Devs and Dragons
Kurds: The Jinn’s Children
South Asia: Coat of Many Colours
Zanzibar & Beyond: Spreading the Wealth
Nigeria: ‘Children of Jangare’
Malays: Jinnis in the Jungle
CULTURAL ECHOES
How I Met the Ghul
The Arabian Nights
Southey’s Genii
Hugo’s ‘Les Djinns’
The Mystery of Ishmonia
Arab Folktales
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: Edward Lane's Notes on the Jinn
APPENDIX B: Muhammad Asad on the Jinn
APPENDIX C: Jinn Physics
References
