جِنَّة

23:26; 34:47; 52:30; 81:23.

Important Words:

صاحب (companion) is derived from صحب which means, he was or became his companion, associate, comrade, fellow or friend. صاحب of which the plural is اصحاب or صحابة means, a companion, associate, comrade, fellow or friend; owner or master; possessor; inmate; manager or disposer; one who keeps or adheres to a thing (Lane). Figuratively the word is also used in the sense of helper.

Commentary:

The word صاحب (companion) meaning both a companion and a helper is not intended as a plain reference to the Holy Prophet. The word has been specially chosen to imply a refutation of the charge of insanity brought by some of his enemies against the Holy Prophet, as well as a veiled rebuke to the Meccans. They are told that the Prophet was their companion and associate. He lived and moved among them and they knew him perfectly well and, therefore, they could easily see, and indeed in their heart of hearts they knew that there was nothing of insanity about him. He was also their helper and was constantly working for their good which constituted further proof of the fact that he was not insane. That he was نذیر مبین (a plain warner) and issued his warnings in a clear and reasoned manner also pointed to the same conclusion—that he was in full possession of his senses.

15:44; 32:14; 38:85-86.

Commentary:

The words, for this has He created them, mean that it is for mercy that God has created men. This interpretation is supported by 7:157.

The words, the word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled, show that it is only the followers of Satan and evildoers that will be cast into Hell. The verse does not at all mean that all men will be thrown into Hell. In the words, the word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled, God mentions a promise, so the verse must be interpreted in harmony with that promise. But no promise is to be found in the Quran to the effect that all men will be cast into Hell. On the contrary, there is a definite promise in which it is said that Hell will be filled with those who follow Satan (7:19). It is to this promise that the verse under comment refers, for the Quran makes mention of no other promise except this.

So the verse means only that those who follow Satan will be thrown into Hell.

It was stated in the previous clause that God had created man for mercy. Now the question naturally arose, if man had been created for mercy, why were men to be cast into Hell? The present verse answers this question by saying that it is true that man has been created for mercy, but it was also declared that this promise of mercy would not be fulfilled immediately with regard to people who followed Satan. These companions of Satan will first be thrown into Hell on account of their affinity with him, and after they have been purged of their sins, they will go to Heaven. Moreover, the preceding verse speaks of disbelievers "who would not cease to differ". So the jinn and men spoken of here are none but the wicked among them. For a discussion of the jinn see 15:28.

54:10.

Commentary:

In this and the preceding verse Noah’s opponents are represented as having brought forward six objections to reject his message: First, that he was only a man like themselves. Secondly, that he sought to impose his leadership on them. Thirdly, that no angel had descended from heaven to testify to his truth. Fourthly, that his teaching was opposed to the time-honoured beliefs of their forebears. Fifthly, that he was stricken with madness, and sixthly, that sooner or later he was sure to come to grief. These objections have always been raised against every Prophet and Divine Reformer in every age.

7:185; 34:47.

Commentary:

This verse continues the theme of the preceding one and embodies a repudiation of the foolish charge of disbelievers that the Holy Prophet has been smitten with insanity, and mentions also the cause and reason for their denial of him. It throws a challenge to them by saying that there could possibly be no insanity or madness about the Holy Prophet inasmuch as maniacs have never produced such wonderful results as he has done. He has changed the whole face of Arabia. Nor have the teachings of madmen or impostors offered such satisfactory solutions of all the difficult human moral, social and economic problems as the Quran has done. The verse gives the reason for the disbelievers’ rejection of the Message of Islam in the words that they hate the truth, meaning thereby that they know that by accepting it they will have to undergo untold hardships and privations and to suffer loss of power, prestige and property. This they by no means are prepared to do.

11:120; 15:44; 38:85-86.

Commentary:

The reference in the words "I will fill Hell with jinn and men all together" is to 15:43-44 where it is stated, "such of the erring ones as choose to follow thee, surely Hell is the promised place for them," meaning thereby that only the "erring ones" will be cast into Hell.

17:11; 27:5.

Commentary:

In this and the next few verses, another kind of argument has been suggested to test the truth of the Holy Prophet. The present verse recommends an objective and detached examination of his claim. The disbelievers are urged to ponder, dispassionately, without prejudice, and being uninfluenced by crowd mentality, whether the Holy Prophet suffers from insanity or unsoundness of mind. The Quran is convinced that if a person were to deliberate seriously and in solitude over the claim of the Holy Prophet, he would inevitably come to the conclusion that he is neither an impostor, nor an insane person, because an impostor is never allowed to progress and prosper, and sooner or later—sooner rather than later—he meets with a terrible end, while an insane person can neither give such excellent teaching as does the Quran, nor can bring about such wonderful revolution in the life of a whole people, steeped in ignorance and immorality as had been brought about by the Holy Prophet.

6:101.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that morally and intellectually disbelievers have become so degraded that they assert blood-relationship between God and evil spirits. What greater folly and blasphemy could there possibly be?

4:32; 42:38.

13:7; 41:44.

Important Words:

اللمم (minor faults) is derived from لم. They say ألم بالقوم او علی المقوم i.e. he came to the people and alighted at their abode temporarily as a guest. ألممت بکذا means, I appreciated it without committing it. ألم also means, he visited covertly or in a light, slight or hasty manner or rarely. لمم means, a chance leaning towards evil; a temporary and light lapse; a rare slight offence, a passing evil idea which flashes across the mind and leaves no impression on it. The root word possesses the sense of temporariness, haste and infrequency and of doing a thing unintentionally. A chance, unintentional look at a woman has also been called اللمم by some authorities (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse may mean that the Evil One whispers evil thoughts into the hearts of the jinn (big men) and common men, sparing nobody. Or it may mean that whisperers of evil are to be found both among the jinn and common men. The verse may also refer to the evils of western democracies and of the Communist powers that work from behind the iron curtain.