Inkar al-Jinn min Shatahat al-Tafsir al-Mawdui lil-Quran
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- al-Jāmi‘ah al-Islāmīyah bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
Inkar al-Jinn min Shatahat al-Tafsir al-Mawdui lil-Quran (The Denial of the Jinn: Among the Aberrations of Thematic Exegesis of the Quran) is a polemical theological treatise written by Shaykh Mustafa al-Warraq Ibrahim, a teacher at the Secondary Institute, refuting modernist interpretations that deny the existence of the jinn . The text was published as a critical essay in the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah bi-al-Madinah al-Munawwarah) .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was written in direct response to Dr. Muhammad al-Bahi, who, in his thematic exegesis of the Quran (al-Tafsir al-Mawdu'i under the theme al-Qur'an fi Muwajahat al-Maddiyyah), argued against the physical and separate existence of the jinn . Ibrahim frames belief in the unseen realm (al-ghayb), including angels and jinn, as an essential branch of Islamic faith rooted in God's revelation . He notes that while historically certain Mu'tazilites and philosophers—as mentioned by al-Qurtubi—denied the jinn, modern denials, such as those of the Qadiyani sect and modern materialist currents, merely succumb to materialist thought under the pretext of confronting it .
Key Arguments and Refutations
Ibrahim analyzes and counters the exegetical and rational arguments raised by al-Bahi:
- Linguistic and Quranic Evidence: Al-Bahi asserted that the term jinn in the Quran refers to unfamiliar humans (ghayr al-ma'hud lil-insan)—interpreting the jinn mentioned in Surat al-Ahqaf as a human delegation from the tribes of Aws and Khazraj—except in Surat al-Saffat (158), where he claimed it refers to angels . Ibrahim counters that classical Arabic lexicography uniformly defines jinn as beings hidden from human senses . He also highlights Quranic passages addressing humans and jinn as two distinct categories, such as Surat al-Rahman: سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ ("We shall attend to you, O two weighty throngs") and يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالأِنْسِ ("O company of jinn and mankind"), arguing that God could not refer to an unfamiliar group of humans as jinn since nothing is hidden from Him .
- Hadith Evidence and Physical Origin: Al-Bahi raised rational doubts regarding how angels and jinn could originate from light and fire respectively if both elements share common physical characteristics . Ibrahim responds by citing the hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim and the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: خلقت الملائكة من نور وخلق الجان من مارج من نار وخلق آدم مما وصف لكم ("The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created from what has been described to you") . He argues that divine creation is by God's omnipotent command and not limited by material origins . He further adduces prophetic narrations from al-Bukhari and Muslim regarding the jinn listening to the Prophet's recitation at Nakhlah , as well as commentary from Sayyid Qutb's Fi Zilal al-Quran affirming their objective reality .
- Exegesis of Surat al-Naml: Ibrahim criticizes al-Bahi's reinterpretation of the story of Solomon (Sulayman), where al-Bahi claimed the 'Ifrit among the jinn was merely a clever human engineer, and the throne of Bilqis was simply a drawn map of the kingdom of Sheba . Ibrahim demonstrates that defining the throne ('arsh) as a military map is contrary to Arabic usage, undermines the miraculous nature of transporting Bilqis's actual throne in the twinkling of an eye, and contradicts the context of the Quranic dialogue .
Answer updated