What is the ruling on seeking the help of the jinn?

The questioner : Regarding the jinn, there are two matters in the affair of the jinn. The first question is seeking the help of the jinn. It is known to us that among the jinn there are disbelievers, open sinners, and Muslims. So, is it permissible for a Muslim, if he is able, or if certain matters occur to him and, for example, a Muslim jinn appears to him, to seek its help in some worldly matters? Is this permissible between a Muslim? Is it permissible for a Muslim to use this jinn in a matter, just as I would seek the help of my Muslim human brother?

The Shaykh : Of course, it is not permissible. But when you mentioned seeking the help of a Muslim jinn, how do you know that it is Muslim?

The questioner : He says, he says...

The Shaykh : And it is unknown to you!

The questioner : Yes!

The Shaykh : And it is unknown to you?

The questioner : Yes, it is unknown.

The Shaykh : So how do you judge based on the testimony of an unknown person?

The questioner : He means, in truth, some of the brothers...

The Shaykh : No, I am asking you, the one next to me. Yes! How do you know?

The questioner : I do not know.

The Shaykh : So the question is wrong from its origin. The question remains in its first, general starting point: Is it permissible to seek the help of the jinn or not? The answer is no. As for classifying the jinn, it has two considerations. Classifying the jinn in that there are among them the righteous and the wicked, the believer and the disbeliever, this is correct. This is with regard to the unseen reality that is not witnessed by us. But classifying the jinn with regard to us humans, this classification is lost for us. We cannot say, "So-and-so who is speaking with us, so-and-so is a Muslim jinn or a disbeliever, or a Muslim jinn who is righteous, or a Muslim jinn who is wicked." We cannot issue judgments, because this is a judgment about what is beyond, as they say today, nature, meaning in the Shari'ah expression, the unseen. We do not know the unseen, and believing in the unknown that is beyond the unseen, at a time when it is not prescribed, is foolishness. Because if a person you do not know at all came to you and said, "I am a Muslim man, trustworthy, and I want to partner with you," you would not agree to this because you do not know him. And a fortiori, you would not accept the testimony of a person from behind the wall who says to you, "I am a righteous, good Muslim, and I will deal with you according to the religion, giving advice," and he is behind the wall. Would a person accept this dealing? How much more so behind the wall, behind all of matter? So the correct question is: Is it permissible to deal with the jinn absolutely? The answer is: It is not permissible absolutely. Everything that is permissible regarding the jinn and humans is only if it is likely that there is a human who is afflicted due to the oppression of a jinn over him. Then some verses are recited over him and he is warned with them, and nothing more than that. This is what is established in the Sunnah. As for the Qur'an, it warns us against seeking the help of the jinn, on the tongue of the believing jinn who came to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), believing in him, and spoke about their reality with words like: meaning fatigue and misguidance. Therefore, it is not permissible to seek the help of the jinn, and this is the answer to the question.

Another questioner : My Shaykh, regarding the point you mentioned, may Allah reward you with good. A brother of my cousin told me that he has a Shaykh who deals with the jinn. He told him, "This is my cousin, he speaks to his Shaykh who deals with the jinn." He said to him, "I work with concrete and work with contractors." He said to him, "I have engineers with me who overpower me. This is acceptable, this point. So I want you to make a barrier with something that helps me in my work." This is from his tongue; he spoke with me, this man, the one involved, spoke with me. He said to me, "I told the Shaykh so-and-so, I want, meaning, a barrier that helps me so that I can overpower those who work with me, and I seek his help in my work." He said, "What do you think? Shall I give you a jinn to work with you and make you comfortable?"

The Shaykh : Something nice.

Another questioner : He said to me, "He brought this paper and wrote on it and folded it, and said, 'If you want, put it in the concrete, just put it under you and tie it like this.'" They said, "I brought a young man, so small and short in stature, he looks like a human." They said, "This is Ahmad, what do you want to do for you?"

The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.

Another questioner : He said, "Ahmad came down, short in stature, and he is short, he will speak to me again." He said, "He came to me at my waist."

The Shaykh : This jinn?

Another questioner : This jinn. He said, "If I sleep with him today at work." He said, "What do you want?" They said, "If this engineer is going back and forth." He said, "Okay, the engineer is sitting on the chair, and he is idle, and we became at ease." He said, "What do you want to do? Work." He said, "I want to tire him out. Just pull your hand, the jack that lifts the concrete, this requires effort; four or five strong young men work on it." He said, "I will work on it." He said to him, "Okay." He said, "You put it on it." He said, "They lifted it with concrete, he does it like this, and he is the bucket above to the top of the building, and he returns the bucket. They saw it and said, 'It cannot bear with us. Something goes with us in the service, comes with the service.'" He said to me, "Three days with them, I dried out." He said to me, "I dried out. I was accompanying him in the service, and at home, and at work, and in this, three days. I was afraid of fatigue."

The Shaykh : Dried out means tired.

Another questioner : Because his companion, this jinn, and they saw it with their eyes. He said to me, "I became wanting to eat. I was with him at the mixer, with me at the engineers, and every time they said, 'My Shaykh, let me go out in it, and go out in me. Let me, I became in the sun eating, and fear crept in, and I went to the Shaykh and said to him, "O Shaykh, are you not the one who wanted someone to help you? This is his help." He said to me, "I do not want him. Let the engineer overpower me, and I will bring workers for the concrete, and take it from me." They said, "Okay, bring the paper." He took the paper and tore it. He lost it, I did not see it, and the routine returned to normal. He said to me, "Their problem is a problem like this." He said, "This is me, I have, he spoke, the one who tells me this man. So I will say that dealing with the jinn means difficult."

The Shaykh : Very difficult.

Another questioner : True, Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).