Doctrine - Creation according to Muhammad - The Djinn (Part 2)

This is a continuation of a multi-post article. You can read the first post here. You can also find the previous post here. This is also part of a larger series called "The Koran from a Christian perspective." You can find other posts in this series here.

The Djinn perform many functions in this creation. First, is to try and deceive mankind.

"So We have appointed [given] to every Prophet an enemy -- Satans of men and jinn, revealing tawdry speech [tinsel discourse] to each other, all as a delusion [in order to deceive]; yet, had thy Lord willed, they would never have done it." (Koran 6:112)

This verse reveals several things of interest regarding God, man, and the Djinn. First is that, whenever God commissions a prophet, He also commissions satans to deceive that prophet. This statement reveals so much about Muhammad's view of God. Muhammad's god is always testing, always tempting, and always watching; expecting us to fail. When God looks upon us, He is always expecting us to be tempted, deceived, and corrupted. While we do know that the apostle Paul was given a "thorn in the flesh," it was not to tempt or deceive him, but to temper him. "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself!" (2 Corinthians 12:7) The truth is that God tempts no one, nor does He commission anyone to do so to those whom He has sent. James says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." (James 1:13)

Secondly, Muhammad acknowledges that, while there is Satan proper, there are many statans that have gone out into the world. Some of these are people who actively work against the plan and purpose of God, and others are of the Djinn. The acknowledgment of many satans is supported by the Christian scriptures, just as John acknowledged the existent of many antichrists. "Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour." (1 John 2:18) However, the Jewish and Christian scriptures speak nothing of the Djinn, but would assign the role of satans to the daemons which are believed to be angels who sided with Satan in His rebellion against God.

Finally, Muhammad confirms that the tempting of satans, including the Djinn, is according to God's plan for, had He wished otherwise, they would not have done it. Here Muhammad places the blame for all that is worng and evil in this world squarely on God's shoulders for, after all, had He not willed it to be so, things would have been different. However, the God of the Jews and Christians is not so disposed but rather loves His creations and "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4)

The Djinn are not all bad. Muhammad records the account of some giving their ascent to the message of the Koran upon their hearing it.

"And when We turned to thee a company of jinn [that they might] giving ear [hearken] to the Koran; and [no sooner] when they were in its presence [at its reading] they said [to each other], 'Be silent!' [‘Hist’] Then, when it was finished, they turned back to their people, warning. They said, 'Our people, we have heard a Book that was sent down after Moses, confirming what was before it [affirming the previous scriptures], guiding to the truth and to a straight path [right way]." (Koran 46:28-29)

"Say: 'It has been revealed to me that a company of the jinn gave ear, then they said, "We have indeed heard a Koran wonderful [a marvelous discourse], guiding to rectitude [the truth]. We believe in it, and we will not associate with our Lord anyone." (Koran 72:1)

It is unclear when this event was to have occurred. It is obvious that it did not occur in Muhammad's lifetime nor that it was recorded in any historical record that Muhammad was familiar with, including the Jewish and Christian scriptures, for the verses say that this history was revealed to Muhammad. We have only Muhammad's word that such an event actually occurred. This also means that the reading of the Koran that the Djinn heard was the reading of the Mother Book in heaven from which the Koran was later to be a word-for-word copy. It is curious that such an event would have occurred and yet it, and the very existence of the Djinn, are completely lacking from both the Jewish and Christian scriptures.

More to come...
David Robison