Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Burhan bhai,

 

It is mentioned in Quran that Jinn can see you but you cannot see them .. then how Prophet Ibrahim A.S. saw Ibless (Shaytan) 3 times when he was about to sacrifice his son Ismael .. in one of the hadith, it is mentioned that Shaytan came to Abu Hurraira in human form and tried to steal and abu hurraira caught him 3 times and then Prophet Mohammed SAW informed him that it was shaytan. Ibless is also jinn .. then how did he come into human form and Jinn can be seen.

 

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Answer:

 

How ibraheem saw jinn three times

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Question: It is mentioned in Quran that Jinn can see you but you cannot see them .. then how Prophet Ibrahim A.S. saw Ibless (Shaytan) 3 times when he was about to sacrifice his son Ismael

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraf verse 27:

O ye children of Adam! Let not the Shaytaan seduce you in the same manner as he got your parents (Adam and Hawwa) out of the Garden stripping them of their raiment to expose their shame: for he and his tribe watch you from a position where ye cannot see them:  We made the 'Shayateen' friends (only) to those without faith.

 

It is absolutely evident from the above quoted Aayah of Surah Aaraaf that the Jinn Iblees and his tribe can see mankind, but mankind cannot see them.

 

In the incident of Hadrat Ibraheem (a.s.), it is not as if the evil and accursed Shaytaan came to Hadrat Ibraheem (a.s.) in a physical or human form…..but rather he merely whispered his evil into the heart of Prophet Ibraheem (a.s.) three times when Prophet Ibraheem (a.s.) was about to sacrifice his noble son, Prophet Ismail (a.s.), as Commanded by Allah Subhanah.

 

Your Question: ….. in one of the hadith, it is mentioned that Shaytan came to Abu Hurraira in human form and tried to steal and abu hurraira caught him 3 times and then Prophet Mohammed SAW informed him that it was shaytan.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.530         Narrated by Abu Masud=

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (saws) ordered me to guard the Zakat revenue of Ramadan. Then somebody came to me and started stealing of the foodstuff. I caught him and said, "I will take you to Allah's Messenger (saws)!"  Then Abu Huraira described the whole narration and said: ‘That person said (to me), "Please don't take me to Allah's Messenger (saws), and I will tell you a few words by which Allah will benefit you. When you go to your bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi, (2.255) for then there will be a guard from Allah who will protect you all night long, and the Shaytaan will not be able to come near you till dawn." When the Prophet (saws) heard the whole incident, he (saws) said to me: “Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights, O Abu Huraira? He was a Shaytaan and he told you the truth although he is a liar!”

 

Respected brother in Islam, there is absolutely no reason to believe that the ‘person’ Hadrat Abu Hurairah (r.a.) saw stealing the foodstuff was a Jinn, or a Jinn in human form……for in light of the clear guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, neither can mankind see Jinns, nor can Jinns take the form of human beings. The declaration of the Prophet (saws) saying that the thief was a ‘Shaytaan’ by itself does not make that thief a Jinn…..for a Shaytaan can also be one from the human race.  The thief Abu Hurairah (r.a.) saw was not a Jinn, but rather a human being!  And Allah Alone Knows Best.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 114 Surah An-Naas verses 1-6:

1        Say: ‘I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of mankind.

2        The King of mankind

3        The Allah of mankind

4        From the mischief of the whisperer (of evil, the Shaytaan) who withdraws (after his whisper)

5        (The Shaytaan) who whispers into the hearts of mankind

6        Amongst Jinns and amongst men.

 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),   one can be assured of never ever being misled;   but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.  

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan