How to respond to those who deny possession by jinn?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : What is the ruling on one who denies that possession may be from jinn?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : That possession may be from jinn?
The Shaykh : Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says in *Zad al-Ma'ad*: "Those who deny possession by jinn are ignorant people who have no knowledge; their knowledge is merely material. He denied this strongly and said: 'Possession is of two types: possession from jinn, and possession due to a disorder of the nerves'."
And what he said is the truth, because it is well-established that some of the possessed speak with the jinn inside them and converse with the reciter. He mentioned a story about his Shaykh, the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: that a possessed man was brought to him, and he began to recite over the possessed man, and the jinn conversed with him. A female jinn in the man had fallen in love with him and entered his body. She would admonish her, and she would say, "I love him, I love the man." The Shaykh al-Islam would say, "He does not love you, and he is truthful, and he does not love her, without doubt." She refused to leave, so the Shaykh al-Islam began to strike the man, which in reality fell upon the female jinn inside him. He said, "Until his hand grew weary from striking, and the possessed man did not feel it." Then the female jinn said to the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, "I will leave out of respect for the Shaykh." He said, "Do not leave out of respect for me; leave in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, for Allah and His Messenger have forbidden transgressing against people." So she left. When the man recovered, he said, "What brought me to the presence of the Shaykh? I did not feel it. His family brought him to the Shaykh, and he recited over him and struck the jinn, and he was unaware." He said, "What brought me to the presence of the Shaykh?" So the important point is that possession is of two types: possession from the nerves, which doctors know about and can treat, and it is cured by the permission of Allah; and possession from jinn, which is cured by recitation. How many people recite and have great power, so much so that the jinn screams and says, "Let me go, let me go," but if he persists with the recitation, it leaves. It may return if the first reciter dies, as is mentioned that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) used to recite over a possessed man, and the jinn left him. When Ahmad died, the jinn returned and entered him a second time. The reciter came to recite the verses that Imam Ahmad used to recite, but the jinn refused to leave. It refused and said to the reciter, "The recitation is the same recitation, but the reciter is not the same reciter," and it refused to leave. Yes, after that.
The questioner : Your Eminence, what is your advice?
The Shaykh : And I urge you, may Allah bless you, to be safe from the evil of these transgressing jinn. I urge you to be diligent in reciting the Qur'anic and Prophetic adhkar, including the recitation of Ayat al-Kursi, believing that Allah protects you with it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And when people neglected the prescribed adhkar, the jinn multiplied among them now and played with them. After that, yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, on the right.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : That possession may be from jinn?
The Shaykh : Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says in *Zad al-Ma'ad*: "Those who deny possession by jinn are ignorant people who have no knowledge; their knowledge is merely material. He denied this strongly and said: 'Possession is of two types: possession from jinn, and possession due to a disorder of the nerves'."
And what he said is the truth, because it is well-established that some of the possessed speak with the jinn inside them and converse with the reciter. He mentioned a story about his Shaykh, the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: that a possessed man was brought to him, and he began to recite over the possessed man, and the jinn conversed with him. A female jinn in the man had fallen in love with him and entered his body. She would admonish her, and she would say, "I love him, I love the man." The Shaykh al-Islam would say, "He does not love you, and he is truthful, and he does not love her, without doubt." She refused to leave, so the Shaykh al-Islam began to strike the man, which in reality fell upon the female jinn inside him. He said, "Until his hand grew weary from striking, and the possessed man did not feel it." Then the female jinn said to the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, "I will leave out of respect for the Shaykh." He said, "Do not leave out of respect for me; leave in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, for Allah and His Messenger have forbidden transgressing against people." So she left. When the man recovered, he said, "What brought me to the presence of the Shaykh? I did not feel it. His family brought him to the Shaykh, and he recited over him and struck the jinn, and he was unaware." He said, "What brought me to the presence of the Shaykh?" So the important point is that possession is of two types: possession from the nerves, which doctors know about and can treat, and it is cured by the permission of Allah; and possession from jinn, which is cured by recitation. How many people recite and have great power, so much so that the jinn screams and says, "Let me go, let me go," but if he persists with the recitation, it leaves. It may return if the first reciter dies, as is mentioned that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) used to recite over a possessed man, and the jinn left him. When Ahmad died, the jinn returned and entered him a second time. The reciter came to recite the verses that Imam Ahmad used to recite, but the jinn refused to leave. It refused and said to the reciter, "The recitation is the same recitation, but the reciter is not the same reciter," and it refused to leave. Yes, after that.
The questioner : Your Eminence, what is your advice?
The Shaykh : And I urge you, may Allah bless you, to be safe from the evil of these transgressing jinn. I urge you to be diligent in reciting the Qur'anic and Prophetic adhkar, including the recitation of Ayat al-Kursi, believing that Allah protects you with it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever recites it in the night, a protector from Allah will remain over him, and Satan will not approach him until morning.
إن من قرأها في ليلة لم يزل عليه من الله حافظ ولا يقربه الشيطان حتى يصبحThe questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, on the right.