Aliens in the Quran

Introduction
On 7th August 1996,NASA (1) scientists made an announcement that made front page headlines throughout the world.Within a Martian meteorite,they had found evidence of a microscopic lifeform that may have existed on Mars more than three billion years ago. (2) Although other studies were later published which challenged this conclusion, (3) numerous recent discoveries,for example,the discovery by the Galileo spacecraft, (4) in February 1997,of a possible red-coloured sea under the ice crust of Jupiter's moon,Europa, (5) are raising hopes that we may soon be able to get an answer to one of the oldest and most interesting questions asked by humans-"Is anyone out there,or are we alone in the universe?"
However,it may be that none of us may live to see the day when scientists will give us a definitive answer to this question.For Muslims,that should not be a problem.We already have the answer.Although many Muslims are unaware of the fact,the Quran (6) explicitly mentions the existence of extraterrestrial life.
The existence of creatures of a spiritual nature,such as angels,in the universe,is accepted as a fact by all Muslims,as well as people of other religions, such as Christians.The point that generates excitement among the public,and scientists is the question of whether material lifeforms like ourselves,which can be found by science,do actually exist outside the earth. (7) The objective of this article is to present evidence from the Quran for the existence in the universe,of MATERIAL lifeforms ("Life as we know it").
"Dabbatun"
In Sura 42,Verse 29 (42:29) of the Quran,we are told, "Among His (God's) signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth,and the living creatures that He has scattered through them :and He has power to gather them together when He wills." (8) Before proceeding further,a point or two must be noted.The word "sama",translated "heavens",is also the Arabic for "sky".One may object that the verse refers to creatures in the sky (which would be birds),not in the heavens.However,birds are mentioned seperately from creatures of the heavens in 24:41, "Seest thou not that it is God Whose praise all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate,and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread?..." (9) In a note to 42;29,Muhammad Asad states,"In the Quran,the expression "the heavens and earth" invariably denotes the universe in its entireity." (10) The Quran mentions that inanimate objects also worship God:"Do they not look at God's creation, (even) among (inanimate) things- how their (very) shadows turn round,from right to left,prostrating themselves to God..."(16:48). (11) Therefore,may not the creatures spoken of in 42:29 in the heavens,be inanimate creatures of God.No.The next verse,16:49 goes, "And to God doth obeisance all that is in the heavens and earth,whether moving (living) creatures or the angels...". (12) The word translated "living creatures" here is the same as that in 42:29- "Dabbatun".Comments Asad,"The word dabbah denotes any sentient,corporeal being capable of spontaneous movement and is contrasted here with the non-corporeal,spiritual beings designated as "angels" ". (13) In other words,42:29 is referring to precisely the type of lifeforms that science is searching for,not some metaphysical entities.Yusuf Ali says,"Dabbatun:beasts,living,crawling creatures of all kind." (14) This is the same word used in 2:164,"...in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth...are signs for a people that are wise," (15) and in 24:45,"And God has created every animal from water:of them are some that creep on their bellies;some that walk on two legs;and some that walk on four. God creates what he wills..." (16) Commenting on 42:29,Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani says,"From the verse it appears that like on the earth,there are some kinds of animals- living creatures- in the heavens also." (17) On the same verse,Yusuf Ali comments, "Life is not confined to our one little Planet.It is a very old speculation to imagine some life like human life on the planet Mars...it is reasonable to suppose that Life in some form or other is scattered through some of the millions of heavenly bodies scattered through space." (18) From such remarks,the reader will realize that Muslim scholars are well aware of the fact that 42:29 clearly mentions the existence of aliens.
Is there any alien intelligent life ?
Although the discovery of any form of life outside the earth would be dramatic,humankind is especially interested in knowing whether there is any alien intelligent life in the universe.NASA previously had a program on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).Although now scrapped due to budget cuts, private SETI organizations (19) have now been made which continue the search.The Planetary Society, (20) a private organization,in which the film director Steven Speilberg (21) is a member of the Board of Directors,has the largest SETI program in the world.So far, no sign of alien intelligent life has turned up.Can the Quran provide an answer?
Sura 27:65 commands,"Say:None in the heavens or on earth, except God,knows what is hidden:nor can they perceive when they shall be raised up (for Judgement)." (22) This shows that,like humans,there are other creatures in the universe that will also be raised from the dead.We are told in 19:93-96,"Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (God) Most Gracious as a servant.He does take an account of them (all),and hath numbered them (all) exactly.And everyone of them will come to Him singly on the Day of Judgement.On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will (God) Most Gracious bestow love." (23) From these verses we learn that there are alien lifeforms that,like us,will also be judged according to the works that they do during their lives.Among them are the believers.Therefore,naturally,there will also be those aliens who are unbelievers.The believers will be rewarded.The lifeforms being descibed in the above verses can hardly be expected to be microorganisms.The Quran is referring to creatures of a level of development that makes them morally accountable beings.They must be organisms possessing qualities which we would ascribe to intelligent lifeforms.
In Sura 72:14-15,jinn (a type of spiritual lifeform,which the Quran mention as living on the earth) say,"Amongst us are some that submit their wills (to God),and some that swerve from justice.Now those who submit their wills- they have sought out (the path) of right conduct:But those who swerve- they are (but) fuel for Hell-fire." (24) The Quran mentions that good jinn will be rewarded with Paradise.Summing up from all the above verses,it is clear that Judgement Day is for creatures in the whole universe (Sura 39:68-"The Trumpet will (just) be sounded when all that are in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except such as it will please God (to exempt).Then will a second one be sounded,when,behold,they will be standing and looking on!") (25) and like jinn,aliens will also be sharing Paradise and Hell with humans.In fact,the Quran mentions that Paradise is of a size like that of our present universe- 57:21,"Therefore (vie) with one another for the pardon of your Lord,and for a Paradise as vast as heaven and earh, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His apostles." (26) Therefore, it is not surprising that when we are sharing this universe with aliens,we should share Paradise and Hell with them too.The Quran shows us,therefore,that not only do aliens exist,but among them are also intelligent beings.
Where can aliens be found?
Knowing that aliens,including intelligent lifeforms exist elsewhere, our next question would be,"Where do they live?"Scientists naturally expect them to live on planets.They look for other planets around other stars- planets that have the right conditions to harbour life- in other words,other earths.In October 1995,scientists announced the discovery of the first extrasolar planet around the star 51 Pegasi. (27) Since then,there have been a string of discoveries of other planets.At the time of writing of this article,fifteen planets have been claimed to have been discovered. (28) Although some of these objects have been dismissed as brown dwarfs (including the object around Pegasi 51) by some scientists, (29) at least some of the fifteen objects are agreed upon as being planets.Scientists believe that on potential moons around planets found to be orbiting two stars, the right conditions may exist for life to be present. (30)
In Sura 65:12,we are informed,"God is He Who created seven heavens and of the earth a similar number..." (31) This verse,although usually translated properly,is very commonly misinterpreted by commentators.They give their interpretation that space is divided into seven zones,and likewise,as Yusuf Ali puts it,"the crust of the earth is built up of geological strata one above another". (32) This interpretation arises due to a misunderstanding of what a "heaven" is as mentioned in the Quran.Before continuing further about the topic of aliens,it is necessary to clear up this confusion.The answer can be deduced from verses in the Quran itself and comparing them with our current scientific knowledge about the universe.
Sura 21:30 asks,"Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation),before we clove them asunder?..." (33) Sura 41:11-12 tell us,"Then turned He to the heaven when it was smoke,and said unto it and unto the earth:come both of you,willingly or loth...Then We ordained them seven heavens...and inspired in each heaven its mandate;and We decked the lowest heaven with lamps..." (34) and Sura 71:15-16,"See ye not how Allah hath created seven heavens in harmony,and hath made the moon a light therin,and made the sun a lamp?" (35) Sura 51:47 informs us,"And it is We who have built the universe with (Our creative) power;and,verily,it is We who are steadily expanding it." (36) Asad,comments on the above verses as follows:about 21:30,"...the above unmistakable reference to the unitary origin of the universe- metonymically described in the Quran as "the heavens and the earth"- strikingly anticipates the view of almost all modern astrophysicists that this universe has originated as one entity from one single element,namely,hydrogen,which became subsequently consolidated through gravity and then seperated into individual nebulae,galaxies,and solar systems,with individual parts progressively breaking away to form new entities in the shape of stars,planets and the latter's satellites"; (37) about 41:11,he explains the word "smoke" as,"a gas- evidently hydrogen gas,which physicists regard as the primal element from which all material particles of the universe have evolved and still evolve..." (38) and says about the verse,"explaining this passage,Zamakhshari observes:"The meaning of God's command to the skies (heavens) and the earth to "come"... is this:He willed their coming into being..."";for 41:12,he explains "seven heavens" as,"a multiplicity of cosmic systems"; (39) about 51:47 he says,"the phrase "inna la-musi'un" clearly foreshadows the modern notion of the "expanding universe"- that is,the fact that the cosmos,though finite in extent,is continuously expanding in space." (40) Finally,three more verses need to be referred to- 50:38,"And verily We created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them...and naught of weariness touched us" (41) ,21:104,"The Day when We shall roll up the heavens as a recorder rolleth up a written scroll.As We began the first creation,We shall repeat it.(It is a promise binding) upon Us.Lo!We are to perform it" (42) ,and 14:48, "One day the Earth will be changed to a different Earth,and so will be the heavens..." (43)
From the verses above,we learn this from the Quran:a heaven is a material entity which arose from the same material as the earth originated from.Initially,there was one gaseous mass.A cleavage process occured resulting in the making of the "seven heavens" and "all that lies between them".The sun,moon and earth are constituants of a heaven.Therefore,a heaven must be larger than a star (sun).When the end of the universe is at hand,the heavens,which till then were in an expanding universe (51:47) will come together.Then,the way our present universe came into being,in a similar manner,a new creation will come into being,containing other heavens and another earth.Any astronomer reading these verses can tell you that there is only one entity that fits the description of a heaven in the Quran- a "heaven" in the Quran must be referring to a "galaxy".According to modern science,the universe arose from a singularity,at the Big Bang,and has since,been expanding.From a primordial gas cloud arose hugh fragments from which the galaxies and their clusters arose.Today,the galaxies are moving apart from each other in space.They are seperated by intergalactic space in which may lurk invisible dark matter,making upto 90% of the total mass of the universe.if there is sufficient dark matter,at some time in the future,the universe will stop expanding and enter a contraction phase in which the galaxies will finally come close together in a Big Crunch marking an end to the present universe.The universe would have returned to a singularity state similar to that from which the present universe arose.Then,once again,scientists predict,a new universe may rebound from the singularity of the Big Crunch,as another Big Bang gives rise to a universe with its own galaxies and planets etc.Verses in the Quran agree amazingly with our current ideas about the universe!
The purpose of our lengthy divergence from the main topic of this article was to prove that the "seven heavens" are not zones into which the universe is divided,but large astronomical entities, the galaxies.Some people have interpretted a heaven as being a solar system.However,while this view may seem appropriate for some verses,it does not tally with all the verses.
The Quran mentions the creation of seven heavens.Asad explains that,"...as regards the "seven heavens",it is to be borne in mind that in Arabic usage...the number "seven" is often synonymous with "several"." (44) I have shown that the heavens are the galaxies and we can see that millions of them exist.Even if we assume that the heaven are some other astronomical objects that arose from the primary gas cloud,they definitely are not literally seven in number,but in the millions.
The relevance of this to our discussion on aliens is that the Sura 65:12 tells us that,as God has created "seven Heavens",He has created,"of the earth a similar number..." Therefore,as there are millions of galaxies,God has also created millions of earths scattered throughout the universe.Usmani comments on 65:12,"The earths as well,He created seven (Usmani thinks literally seven.We know it actually means "many"),as given in the Tradition of Tirmizi etc.It is possible they are not visible, it is possible they are visible,but people think them to be stars or planets,as the scientists of today have predicted the possibility of life on Mars etc..." (45) An important thing to point out in 65:12 is that God does not use the word "worlds",but specifically,"earth".An 'earth' would be a planet that harbours life.Scientists also often speak of looking for other earths.They mean not just any planet,but one sustaining or capable of sustaining life.In his book,The Bible,The Quran and Science, Maurice Bucaille writes,"...it comes as no small surprise to the reader of the Quran to find that earths such as our own may be found in the Universe..." (46)
We have finally arrived at the Quran's answer as to where aliens can be found.They inhabit the millions of earths that God has created among the millions of heavens (galaxies) in the universe. The Quran therefore,gives us a magnificent view of the universe- a universe teeming with life,a place that the late astronomer Carl Sagan described as a "cosmic fugue,with themes and counter- points,dissonances and harmonies,a billion different voices playing the life music." (47)
Will we ever discover aliens?
So far,we have learnt from the Quran that extraterrestrial life,inclucing intelligent life, exists throughout countless earths in the universe.But this is not sufficient to satisfy our curiosity.We want scientists to actually discover aliens.Only after we have found incontrovertible scientific evidence that aliens exist,will our (unbelieving) hearts see that the Quran was correct all along.We actually won't be satisfied till we meet an alien face to face.Is there any chance that in the future we will actually discover,through science,the existence of aliens and establish some kind of contact with them or even meet them?
To get some idea on this matter,we must return to Sura 42:29.We are told over there that the scattering of living creatures in the heavens and the earth is a "sign".What is a sign?Sura 6:104 says,"Momentous signs have come to you from your Lord.He that sees them shall himself have much to gain,but he who is blind to them shall lose much." (48) Sura 6:109,"They solemly swear by Allah that if a sign be given them they would believe in it." (49) Sura 7:73,"A clear proof has come to you from your Lord.Here is Allah's she-camel:a sign for you." (50) Clearly,a sign is something which we can see,or at least,experience with our senses.Otherwise,it would not be a sign.Some signs are those that God showed to humans in the past.Other signs remain for God to show us in the future-"Soon we will show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions,and in their own souls,until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth" (41:53). (51) THERFORE,SURA 42:29 CONTAINS A PROPHESY THAT A TIME WILL INDEED COME IN THE FUTURE WHEN HUMANS WILL DISCOVER ALIENS.
In Sura 55:33-34,we are addressed,"O ye assembly of Jinn and men!If it be you can pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth,pass ye!Not without authority will ye be able to pass!Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?" (52) Why does God ask us to go into space? There must be some purpose.Maybe it be for us to fulfil some grand destiny in store for our species- maybe to become a galactic race,a respectable part of the galactic community of civilizations.Maybe,it is our travels in space that may lead to our encounter with aliens and fulfil the prophesy in 42:29.Only time will tell.In anticipation of the time when we become space-travellers,we are told in Sura 29:22, "Neither on earth nor in heaven shall you be beyond reach:nor have you any guardian or helper besides Allah." (53)
To reach other civilizations,we must be capable of feasible interstellar transport. Might we one day be capable of undertaking such a voyage?Sura 16:8 says,"And (it is He Who creates) horses and mules for you to ride...and He will yet create things of which (today) you have no knowledge." (54) The latter part of this verse is often translated in the present tense but as Asad points out,"The use in this context,of the aorist "yakhluqu" implies the future tense ("He will create") ...Since this reference to God's continuing creation comes immediately after a mention of primitive means of transport,it obviously relates to other- as yet unknown- things of the same category:that is to say,to new means of transport which God unceasingly creates through the instrumentality of the inventiveness with which He has endowed man's mind." (55) Therefore,it is possible that we may one day make the spacecraft required for interstellar travel.After all,God Himself has encouraged us to,"pass beyond the regions of the heavens".Sura 42:29 ends with the statement that God has the power to gather the creatures of the heavens and earth together if He wills.This also points to the possibility of our meeting aliens in the future.However,this gathering may well refer to that which will occur on Judgement Day as mentioned in Sura 19:93-96 (see above).
Man's position among creation
The most revolutionary discoveries in history have been those which altered the way humans perceived themselves in the universe.We discovered that the earth was not at the centre of the universe.We discovered that our Sun was a very ordinary star located in an insignificant part of an ordinary galaxy,which was only one of millions of galaxies.These discoveries should have humbled us.Yet,even today,many of us triumphantly proclaim ourselves as being the most supreme creation of God.It is common to ascribe our cherished position among all living things to our higher intellectual abilities.If we were to find out that there are other intelligent beings in the universe,and that some may be intellectually more superior to us,where would that leave us ?Would we finally be dethroned?
Sura 17:70 informs us,"Verily We have honoured the children of Adam...and preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment." (56) Many translations fail to mention the "marked preferment" in the verse,although the verse contains the Arabic "tafzelan" which conveys this.Note that the verse mentions that there are other creatures besides humans,who have also been given a position of distinction,and humans have been preferred above many,not all,of these creatures.Usmani states in a comment on this verse,"Under this verse a debate is opened:Who is superior- Man or Angel?But logically this verse does not decide the issue." (57) Another scholar has written,"From this (verse) it is evident that whatever superiority humans have got over other creatures is not whole.Allah's creatures contain such creatures upon which humans have got no superiority."It must be remembered here that while so far we have been discussing material alien lifeforms,the debate of man's position in creation includes both material and spiritual creatures of God.Some early authorities,such as Hasan,have not accepted the word "akser" mentioned in 17:70 as meaning "many".Hasan maintains that the word "akser",as used in 17:70, should be understood as meaning "all",since the same word is used in 26:233 and 10:36,where it would be inappropriate to take its meaning as "many" but rather as "all".With such a substitution in verse 17:70,the meaning would be altered to mean that man is preferred by God over all creatures.
The debate on man's status continues among scholars and also among the public.Let us make an analogy to the debate of whether man is superior to woman.Suppose for a moment that we hand the trophy to man and let him enjoy his "superior" position.On the Day of Judgement,it will only be deeds that count and good women will go to Paradise and bad men will burn in Hell.Who would have been more superior?As you can see,in the final analysis,any debate on the status of a race,or species is useless.From earlier verses mentioned in this article,the reader will remember that,according to the Quran, God will judge humans as well as aliens on the basis of their deeds and reward them accordingly.Many humans will be sent to Hell for their wrongdoings. At the same time there will be aliens who will be rewarded for their good deeds.Who would be more superior- the unbelieving human or the faithful alien?The answer is obvious.Therefore,what's the use of debating this point?Status of a creature is relative to its moral conduct.Sura 95:4-5 states, "Surely We created man of the best stature,then We reduced him to the lowest of the low." (58)
Islam and the geocentric universe
It is the fanciful idea of religion-bashers that the discovery of extraterrestrial life will undermine any remaining credibility that religion may have.In the case of Islam,as one can see from this discussion,that can hardly be the case.On the contrary,such a discovery would verify the truth of the statements contained in the Quran relating to the subject of alien life,and strengthen the position of Muslims.The vision of Islam is that of a truly universal religion.It is far removed from the exclusiveness of Judaism ("We are the Chosen Ones for God's message").It is a pity that the image of all religions has suffered a setback from the great scandal of the Church- its treatment of Galileo,for (rightly) challenging their views of a geocentric universe,in which Man was The Central Figure in God's Plan of Creation,living on a planet around which all the rest of creation revolved.
The Quran gives us a picture of our place in the universe that is quite different.In Sura 40:57,God says, "Assuredly the creation of the heavens and the earth is a greater (matter) than the creation of men:yet most men understand not." (59) Comments Yusuf Ali,"Man is himself a tiny part of creation.Why should he be so ego-centric?" (60) No one race of humans was chosen to be the exclusive custodians of the truth.Sura 16:36 tells us,"For We assuredly sent amongst every People an apostle,(with the command),"Serve God,and eschew Evil":of the people were some whom God guided,and others on whom Error became inevitably (established).So travel through the earth,and see what was the end of those who denied (the Truth)." (61) According to some Traditions of The Prophet (pbuh), 124,000 messengers have been sent into the world by God,throughout the ages to people all over the world.No nation was denied access to the Truth.Even on earth,guidance was provided not only to humans,but also the Jinn who co-habit this planet with us- 6:130:"(Then He will say):"Jinn and men!Did there not come to you apostles of your own who proclaimed to you my revelations and warned you of this day?" (62) .God's bounty,according to Islam,is not confined to creatures of the earth because He is,"...Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth,the Lord of the Worlds" (45:36). (63) To the people were sent revealed Books also,the last of which is the Quran.About the Quran itself,we are told in 43:4,"It is in the Mother Book with Us,sublime and full of wisdom." (64) About other planets,S.Bashir-ud-din Mahmood has this to say,"On the basis of the interpretation of verse 65:12 by Ibn-e-Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him),we can say that inhabitants of these worlds must have their religion like ours and so the Holy Books.They all come from the same "Supreme Source" of revelation from where the Holy Quran originated for us on the Earth.It is evident from the verse of the Holy Quran" (ie.43;4.All Books come from the "Mother Book with Us"). (65) The very first verse of the Quran begins,"Praise be to Allah,Lord of the Worlds." (66)
Summing up,while the Quran does point out that man has a favoured position on earth, (2:30-"Behold,thy Lord said to the angels:"I will create a vicegerent on earth.""; (67) 2:34- "We said to the angels:"Bow down to Adam..."" (68) 95:4- We have indeed created man in the best of moulds." (69) ) there are other creatures of God who have also been favoured in the universe (17:70).Humans are just a small part of God's creation (40:57).When they act wrongly,they are reduced to the lowest of the low (95:5).Salvation is not only for some race of humans, but for all humans and creatures throughout the universe.There is a grand destiny planned by God for all of them.All humans as well as aliens who follow the guidance that God sent to their respective planets,will be rewarded (19:96)."...it is God Whose praise all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate..."(24:41). (70) All will return to Him.How far the picture of the universe that Islam paints is from that of a geocentric universe!
Conclusion - a "secret" waiting to be told
If the Quran is so explicit in stating the existence of living organisms in the universe (42:29),we would suppose that the Muslim population would generally be aware of the fact that the Quran mentions extraterrestrials.Unfortunately that is not the case.A significant proportion of Muslims have no idea that this exciting piece of information is provided in their Holy Book.I have quoted a number of scholars in this article,who have commented on the verses relating to extraterrestrials.Among them are those such as Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad,whose works are known to Muslims throughout the world.Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani was a prominent figure in the Freedom Movement of Pakistan.All scholars quoted are from the mainstream of Islam. So,at least,Muslim scholars are aware of the Quran mentioning aliens.Yet,there are scholars also who have no idea about this subject.Surprisingly,even Maurice Bucaille,whose brilliant book, The Bible,The Quran and Science is extensive in its coverage of scientific topics in the Quran,completely overlooked the mention of aliens.
How aware were the early Muslims,about the existence of extraterrestrials,or verses in the Quran on this topic?Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood writes,"The idea that there is life elsewhere in the universe also,was derived from the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) when he told Muslims,"When you sit down in the prayer for the Attahiyat and say: "Peace be upon us,and the righteous servants of Allah" you actually send peace on all the righteous people living on the Earth and in the heavens."This clearly implies that all type of people,good and bad live in the other worlds as they live on our Earth." (71) He also writes,with reference to the Rasial Imam Ghazali,"According to Imam Muhammad Ghazali (11th Century),people in some of these planetary worlds have learnt to travel and communicate with each other." (72)
The case of Ibn-e-Abbas is interesting.He was one of the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh).The Prophet (pbuh) had prayed to God specially to endow Ibn-e-Abbas(73) with knowledge of the Quran,and he became one of the great scholars of the Quran.Maulana Maududi writing in his Tafhim-ul-Quran,tells us that,"Ibn-e-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)...believed with confidence that there are many more earth-like bodies in the heavens. ...He not only thought that such earths are inhabited by intelligent beings but also that their people are exactly like the inhabitants on the Earth.He even went so far as to say that they may have a Prophet like Muhammad (pbuh),and had a Adam,like our Adam,a Noah,like our Noah,an Ibrahim like our Ibrahim,and a Jesus like our Jesus (pbut)." (74) The knowledge of the existence of aliens and that they are mentioned in the Quran, has been present among Muslims from the earliest days of Islam!
There is something else that we know about Ibn-e-Abbas.He did not widely publicize his views about aliens. Rather,he was quite secretive about this matter.The reason is that he was afraid that his ideas would confuse people.In fact,he was afraid that people would be in danger of becoming unbelievers by not accepting the truth of this matter,which the Quran itself attested to.Perhaps it was such considerations that lead Muslim scholars of later times not to touch on the topic of aliens much,and so today,also,so many Muslims remain unaware about this matter.But times have changed.We've come a long way in our voyage of discovery of the wonders that surround us.The recent discoveries of extrasolar planets,of ice on the moon (75) ,of microbes deep beneath the earth's surface and around thermal vents in the oceans (76) ,of water on the sun (77) and many other amazing findings are setting the stage for a grand finale.The public is mentally prepared to hear soon about the discovery of life outside the earth.
In recent times,Muslims have missed golden opportunities of propagating their religion to the peoples of the world.For example,the Quran mentions the expansion of the universe.This phenomenon was discovered by scientists only in 1929.If Muslims had let the world know beforehand,that the Quran mentioned this fact, then upon its discovery,a big impact could have been made on the non-Muslim world.We would have shown the world the power,the miracle,of the Quran.Of course,even today,the miracle remains that the Quran mentions the expansion of the universe,but non-Muslims tend to say,"Now you tell us,after science has already discovered this!You must be construeing the meaning of Quranic verses to suit your wishes."
Today,as we stand at the threshold of making the most revolutionary discovery in the history of humankind,we Muslims should ask ourselves,"Hasn't the time finally come for the "secret" that Ibn-e-Abbas held to be made known to the whole world?"Yes,the time is ripe.Let the world know,before it discovers for itself,that 1400 years ago in the deserts of Arabia,a prophet received revelations,mentioning the existence of extraterrestrial life through countless heavenly bodies in the universe,and prophesying that one day, humans will indeed discover aliens.
The Quran contains many amazing statements relating to science.There is no reason to believe that it has finally yielded all of its scientific secrets and as we enter the next century,we can be confidant that the Quran will continue to shed light on some of the most enduring and intriguing scientific mysteries of our times.
REFERENCES AND LINKS
Introduction 1.NASA Home Page 2.Medline citation --Ref:Search For Past Life On Mars:Possible Biogenic Activity In Martian Meteorite 2.ALH84001.McKay et al. in Science,Vol.273,pages 924-930;August 16,1996. --Scientific American:The Case For Relic Life On Mars.December 1997. 3.Ref:Scott,Edward R.D. et al,Petrological evidence of shock melting of carbonates 3.in the martian meteorite ALH84001.Nature,387,377-379(22 May,1997). 4.Galileo Home Page 5.Water on Europa: --NASA Space Science News:The Frosty Plains of Europa 6.The Quran: --Translations by Yusuf Ali,Pickthall and Shakir.Muslim Students Association site --(MSA-USC),containing the entire translated text by three scholars. --Quran Search Engine.Search for verses in the Quran by key words. --Transliteration of the Quran.The complete transliterated text of the Quran. --Listen to the Quran.The complete text recited in Arabic.Files can be downloaded and saved too. --Quran Reciter.Learn how to recite the Quran. 7.The Astrobiology Web.Information on space life science.Highly recommended.
"Dabbatun" 8.Sura 42:29.The Holy Quran.Text,Translation and Commentary.Abdullah Yusuf Ali. 9.Sura 24:41.Yusuf Ali. 10.Note 33 on Sura 42:29.The Message of the Quran.Muhammad Asad. 11.Sura 16:48.Yusuf Ali. 12.Sura 16:49.Yusuf Ali. 13.Note 55 on Sura 16:49.Asad. 14.Note 4568 on Sura 42:29.Yusuf Ali. 15.Sura 2:164.Yusuf Ali. 16.Sura 24:45.Yusuf Ali. 17.Note 43 on Sura 42:29.The Nobel Quran.Tafseer-e-Usmani.Allama Shabbir Ahmed 17.Usmani. 18.Note 4569 on 42:29.Yusuf Ali.
Is there any alien intelligent life ? 19.SETI organizations: ---The SETI Institute. ---SETI@home.Now you can participate in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence ---from your own home by installing a screen saver.Check it out. 20.The Planetary Society.This has the world's largest SETI program. 21.Steven Spielberg. 22.Sura 27:65.Yusuf Ali. 23.Sura 19:93-96.Yusuf Ali. 24.Sura 72:14-15.Yusuf Ali. 25.Sura 39:68.Yusuf Ali. 26.Sura 57:21.The Meaning of the Quran.Dr. Mahmud Y. Zayid.
Where can aliens be found ? 27.A planet around 51 Pegasi: ----Mayor,M. & Queloz,D.A Jupiter-mass companion to a solar-type star.Nature ----378,355-359.(1995). 28.The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia.The main internet catalogue of all extrasolar planets 28. discovered so far. 29.Challenge to a planet around 51 Pegasi: ----Walker,Gordan.One of our planets is missing.Nature,385,775-776.(27 Feb 1997). ----Gray,David F.Absence of a planetary signature in the spectra of the star 51 Pegasi. ----Nature,385,795-796.(27 Feb 1997). ----Update:- New evidence for a planet around 51 Pegasi: ----Marcy,Geoffrey.Extrasolar planets:Back in focus.Nature,391,127.(8 Jan 1998). ----Gray,David F.A planetary companion for 51 Pegasi implied by absence of pulsations in the---- stellar spectra.Nature,391,153-154.(8 Jan 1998). ----Hatzes,Artie P. et al.Further evidence for the planet around 51 Pegasi.Nature,391, ----154-156.(8 Jan 1998). 30.The possible earths are potential moons of planets orbiting 16 Cygni B in the Swan ----and 47 Uma in Ursae Majoris. ----Chyba,Christopher F.Exobiology:Life on other moons.Nature,385,201.(16 Jan '97). ----Williams,Darren M. et al.Habitable moons around extrasolar giant planets.Nature, ----385,234-236.(16 Jan 1997). 31.Sura 65:12.Yusuf Ali. 32.Note 5527 on Sura 65:12.Yusuf Ali. 33.Sura 21:30.Yusuf Ali. 34.Sura 41:11-12.The Glorious Quran.Text and Explanatory Translation.Muhammad ----Marmaduke Pickthall. 35.Sura 71:15-16.Pickthall. 36.Sura 51:47.Asad. 37.Note 38 on Sura 21:30.Asad. 38.Note 12 and Note 13 on Sura 41:11.Asad. 39.Note 14 on Sura 41:12.Asad. 40.Note 31 on Sura 51:47.Asad. 41.Sura 50:38.Pickthall. 42.Sura 21:104.Pickthall. 43.Sura 14:48.Yusuf Ali. 44.Note 20 on Sura 2:29.Asad. 45.Note 32 on Sura 65:12.Usmani. 46.Ref:Bucaille,Maurice.The Bible,The Quran and Science.Section:The Quran and 46.Modern Science.Chapter III:The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth. 46.Subheading:The Basic Process of the Formation of the Universe and the Resulting 46.Composition of the Worlds. 47.Ref:Sagan,Carl.Cosmos.Chapter II. ----Read the classic article:The Quest for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.By Carl Sagan.
Will we ever discover aliens ? 48.Sura 6:104.Zayid. 49.Sura 6:109.Zayid. 50.Sura 7:73.Zayid. 51.Sura 41:53.Yusuf Ali. 52.Sura 55:33-34.Yusuf Ali. 53.Sura 29:22.Zayid. 54.Sura 16:8.Asad. 55.Note 6 on Sura 16:8.Asad.
Man's position among creation 56.Sura 17:70.Pickthall. 57.Note 105 on Sura 17:70.Usmani. 58.Sura 95:4-5.Pickthall.
Islam and the geocentric universe 59.Sura 40:57.Yusuf Ali. 60.Note 4431 on Sura 40:57.Yusuf Ali. 61.Sura 16:36.Yusuf Ali. 62.Sura 6:130.Zayid. 63.Sura 45:36.Pickthall. 64.Sura 43:4.Zayid. 65.Ref:Mahmood,Bashir-ud-din.Doomsday and Life After Death.Chapter 18, 65.Sub-heading:The Quran in Other Worlds.Ta-Ha Publishers. 66.Sura 1:1.Pickthall. 67.Sura 2:30.Yusuf Ali. 68.Sura 2:34.Yusuf Ali. 69.Sura 95:4.Yusuf Ali. 70.Sura 24:41.Yusuf Ali.
Conclusion - a "secret" waiting to be told 71.Ref:Mahmood,Bashir-ud-din.Doomsday and Life After Death.Chapter 18, 71.Sub-heading:Life in Other Worlds. 72.Ref:Mahmood,Bashir-ud-din.Doomsday and Life After Death.Chapter 18, 72.Sub-heading:Life in Other Worlds. 73.Ibn-e-Abbas- a short biographical note 74.Maududi,Abul Ala.Tahfhim-ul-Quran. 75.Ice on the Moon: ----NASA Press Release:Ice on the Moon.76.Subterranean microbes: ----Wellsbury,Peter et al.Deep marine biosphere fuelled by increasing organic matter ----availability during burial and heating.Nature,388,573-576.(7 Aug 1997). ----Scientific American:Article:Microbes Deep Inside the Earth.October 1996. 77.Water on the Sun: ----Polyansky,Oleg L. et al.Water on the Sun:Line Assignments Based on Variational ----Calculations.Science,Vol.277,pages 346-348;July 18,1997. ----Science magazine
Other Online Sources on Aliens in the Quran: 78.Aliens- an article on aliens in Islam. 79.Extra-terrestrial Life: Religious & Scientific Findings- an article on aliens in the Quran. 80.The Quran and Extraterrestrial Life- another article on aliens in the Quran. 81.Does Islam believe in extra-terrestrial life?- this question is answered in a seven minute audio file.
Note: Muslim and Non-Muslim visitors to the web sites AskIslam.com and AlIslam.org, on which Links 83 and 84 above lead, respectively, must take note that both these sites belong to the Ahmadiyya/Qadiani community. The overwhelming majority of Muslims do not recognize them as Muslims. Therefore, visitors who decide to roam around in these sites must be cautious that some material on these sites may not reflect the beliefs and views of mainstream Islam. However, as the contents of the links given above do not contain any such material of a conflicting nature, I have retained them.
Other Online Sources Mentioning Aliens in Islam: 82.ET and God- an article by Professor Paul Davies. One paragraph refers to aliens in the Quran and 83.Islam.
Free Online Video on Islam & Science: 83.The Quran and Space Sciences- by Zahir Abbas- watch this 30 minutes movie online for free,78. using Real Player! The movie also discusses aliens in the Quran.
Free Online Books on Islam & Science: 84.The Bible, The Quran and Science- by Maurice Bucaille- read the entire book online! 85.Harun Yahya.com- read numerous books by the author,all free! Site also contains free videos!
Other Links on Islam and Science: 86.Islam and Science- a list of sites to visit 87.Science in Islam- contains links to articles on science and Islam 88.Twin Sisters- an article on science and Islam with links to other articles on science and Islam. 89.Islam- The Modern Religion- contains information on science and other Islamic topics 90.The Quran and Science- contains articles on Islam and evolution, anthropology, relativity and90. other interesting topics 91.It is the Truth- a site containing information on some of the scientific topics discussed in the 91.Quran.
General Islamic Sites: 92.Islam-QA:Islam Questions and Answers- contains answers to many questions asked 92.about Islam. 93.Islam Online.net- contains news,review articles, forums and Islamic rulings. 94.IslamiCity- contains news, articles, audiovisual material and much more. 95.Islamic Interlink- the directory of Islam on the internet. A search engine.
Islamic Clubs on Yahoo!: 96.Scientific Community for Muslims- discuss Science and Islam online 97.Islamic Community
Aliens: 98.Alien-Ufos.com- includes photographs and pictures, conspiracy theories, links, and forums about 98.UFOs, extraterrestrials, aliens, flying saucers, and other paranormal activity. 99.Unexplainable.net- contains articles and news updates on UFOs and other paranormal 98.phenomena.
Other Links: 100.Planet Quest - the search for another earth- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory web site keeps 100.you up to date with the news.
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Launched by Samir Khalid Munir (exobiologist@aliens-in-quran.com) on 29th March 1999 (10th Zul Hijjah,1419).
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Islamic Society of North America's Louay Safi brainwashing Muslims to be Nationalists first and cooperate with zionists

ISNA Executive Director spoke on Tuesday, January 30, at George Washington University on the question of the relationship between religious commitments and the moral obligations of citizens. The talk was part of the Islamic Awareness Week organized by the Muslim Student Association.
Dr. Louay Safi examined the basic values relevant to loyalty to a multi-religious society and concluded that Islam places a moral responsibility on a person to be committed to the general wellbeing and common good of the larger society to which he or she belongs, regardless of the ethnic and religious affiliation of that society. He pointed out that the Muslim highest moral commitment is not to a specific religious or ethnic community, but to the principles of good, right, and justice which form the general foundation of loyalty for Muslims.
Taking historical Muslim experience as the background of his discussion, and using the example of the Medina society which was founded by Prophet Muhammad, Dr. Safi argued that the Prophet of Islam based the fist political society on the universal principles of equal dignity, freedom of religion and movement, and mutual help and support among all segments of the Medina society, many of whom were followers of Judaism. He illustrated how the Covenant of Medina placed mutual help among the members of Medina society over and above any other considerations. Dr. Safi stressed that Muslims' commitment to the covenants they entered into with people of other faiths overrides religious solidarity.
Louay Safi further argued that American Muslims have displayed a great commitment to the constitutional principles of freedom of religion, equality of citizens, freedom of speech and assembly, and the due process of the law. These after all , he insisted, are principles intrinsic to Islam's concerns with free choice and open and pluralistic society. The talk was followed with a life discussion with members of the audience.

Islamic Society of North America's Louay Safi teaching American Nationalism and Cooperation with Zionists

Al Qaeda declares war on Musharraf

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden called on Pakistanis to rebel against President Pervez Musharraf in a new recording released on Thursday, saying his military's siege of a militant mosque stronghold makes him an infidel.
The storming of the Red Mosque in Islamabad in July "demonstrated Musharraf's insistence on continuing his loyalty, submissiveness and aid to America against the Muslims ... and makes armed rebellion against him and removing him obligatory," bin Laden said in the message.
"So when the capability is there, it is obligatory to rebel against the apostate ruler, as is the case now," he said, according to a transcript released by Laura Mansfield, a U.S. terrorism expert who monitors militant message traffic.
Bin Laden's voice was heard over a video showing previously released footage of the terror leader. It was posted Thursday on Islamic militant Web sites.
Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad, a Pakistani army spokesman, said the army will continue its fight against terrorism, regardless of any threats it faces.
"We have the aim and objective, as our national duty, to eliminate terrorists and eradicate extremism. The Pakistan army will continue to carry out its role against terrorists wherever they are found, whether in the tribal areas (of northwest Pakistan) or elsewhere."
"Such threats issued through videos or in any other way cannot deter us from fulfilling our national duty," he said.
Bin Laden's new message came as al Qaeda released a video in which his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, boasted that the U.S. was being defeated in Afghanistan, Iraq and other fronts.
The messages are part of a stepped-up propaganda campaign by al Qaida around the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Earlier this month, bin Laden released two messages -- including his first new appearance in a video in nearly three years.
The sophisticated 80-minute video of Al-Zawahri released Thursday was in the style of a documentary, intersplicing his speech with scenes of the Sept. 11 attacks, interviews with experts and officials taken from Western and Arab television stations, and old footage and audio of bin Laden.
Al-Zawahri began by also condemning the Pakistani military's assault on the Red Mosque, and he paid tribute to one of the militants' leaders, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was killed in the fighting.
The siege "revealed the extent of the despicableness, lowliness and treason of Musharraf and his forces, who don't deserve the honor of defending Pakistan, because Pakistan is a Muslim land, whereas the forces of Musharraf are hunting dogs under (President) Bush's crucifix," al-Zawahri said.
"Let the Pakistani army know that the killing of Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his male and female students ... has soaked the history of the Pakistan army in shame and despicableness which can only washed away by retaliation," he said.
Bin Laden and al-Zawahri are thought to be hiding in the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, where many analysts believe they have rebuilt al-Qaida's core leadership.
Al-Zawahri called for attacks on French and Spanish interests in North Africa and on U.N. and African peacekeepers expected to deploy in Sudan's Darfur region.
The video also included footage of al Qaeda's leader in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, meeting with a senior Taliban commander. In contrast to past videos that showed al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in rough desert terrain, Abu al-Yazeed and the commander were shown sitting in a field surrounded by trees as a jihad anthem played, extolling the virgins that will meet martyrs in paradise.
Abu al-Yazeed said al-Qaeda's ties with the Taliban were strengthening. The Taliban commander, Dadullah Mansoor, said: "We shall target the infidels in Afghanistan and outside Afghanistan: inside all the infidel countries oppressing the Muslims. And we shall focus our attacks, Allah willing, on the coalition forces in Afghanistan."
Another clip showed Abu Musab Abdulwadood, the leader of Algeria's main Islamic insurgency movement, addressing bin Laden and vowing that "our swords are unsheathed."
Al-Zawahri called on supporters in North Africa to "cleanse the Maghrib (western region) of Islam of the children of France and Spain. ... Stand with your sons the mujahedeen against the Crusaders and their children."
The video also included what IntelCenter said appeared to be old, but previously unreleased footage of bin Laden. The images show the terror leader, with a beard streaked with gray and a white cloth draped over his head, in front of a map showing the Middle East and parts of Asia.
He condemns Arab Gulf governments that have allied themselves with the United States, saying they have "sold the Islamic nation, colluded with the enemies of Islam and backed the infidels. And this is the greater form of being an infidel ... But Allah permitting, they shall leave the Gulf under the blows of the mujahedeen," bin Laden said.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Bush is Obedient to Satan

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The nuclear issue in Iran is "now closed," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an address Tuesday loaded with broadsides against "selfish and incompetent" powers that have "obedience to Satan."
An agreement reached last month between his country and the International Atomic Energy Agency over its disputed nuclear program has, in the Iranian view, settled the matter, he said. The IAEA is the world's central nuclear technology governing body.
"Iran decided to pursue the issue through its appropriate, legal path, one that runs through the IAEA, and to disregard unlawful and political impositions by the arrogant powers," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
"I officially announce that in our opinion, the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed and has turned into an ordinary agency matter."
Under the deal brokered in August, the Iranian government agreed to a timetable for resolving outstanding issues with the IAEA over its nuclear program, which the Iranians have said is solely for peaceful power generation. The deal received a tepid reception from the United States and other Western countries that fear Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Ahmadinejad said Tuesday the IAEA has taken the "correct approach," as opposed to the U.N. Security Council, which has been "influenced by some bullying powers and failed to uphold justice and protect the rights of the Iranian people." See some of Ahmadinejad's controversial remarks »
The Security Council has repeatedly demanded that Iran suspend enrichment of uranium and has imposed limited sanctions on Tehran for refusing to comply.
Ahmadinejad charged in his speech that the Security Council "ranks first" among ineffective international bodies because it is influenced by "monopolistic powers."
A senior State Department official in Washington, however, said it was "safe to say he is the only one who thinks the file on Iran's nuclear weapons program is closed."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Iran "knows what the international community is demanding regarding its enrichment and reprocessing programs, and we are going to work with our allies to ensure they do. We believe this can be solved diplomatically."
The outspoken Ahmadinejad also offered veiled but unmistakable criticism of the United States -- not mentioning Iran's long-time adversary by name, but offering blunt critiques of the Iraq war and Washington's larger war on terrorism.
"Human rights are being extensively violated by certain powers," he said in his U.N. address. "Setting up secret prisons, abducting persons, trials and secret punishments without any regard to due process, extensive tappings of telephone conversations, intercepting private mail and frequent summons to police and security centers have become commonplace and prevalent." Watch what Iran's president had to say about human rights »
Ahmadinejad also said Iraq "was occupied under the pretext of overthrowing a dictator and the existence of weapons of mass destruction."
"The Iraqi dictator, who had been supported by the same occupiers, was disposed of, and no weapons of mass destruction were discovered," Ahmadinejad said. "But the occupation continues under different excuses."
Ahmadinejad repeatedly criticized unnamed "powers" that he charged were responsible for insecurity, division and moral decline across the world. "Is it not high time for these powers to return from the path of arrogance and obedience to Satan to the path of faith in God?" said Ahmadinejad, who also invited "all independent, justice-seeking and peace-loving nations" to join Iran in a "coalition for peace."
The Iranian leader did make one specific reference to the United States, saying "the rights and dignity of the American people are also being sacrificed for the selfish desires of those holding power."
U.S. diplomats, however, were not on hand to listen to Ahmadinejad's analysis. The chairs where the American delegation sits were unoccupied, except for one woman taking notes.
Ahmadinejad's visit to the United States has generated controversy and sparked demonstrations. Eighteen protesters were arrested Tuesday outside U.N. headquarters.
One day earlier, the firebrand Iranian leader spoke at Columbia University and challenged the audience to look into "who was truly involved" in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Hundreds gathered to protest Ahmadinejad's appearance, incensed that a leader who has publicly denied the Holocaust and called for the destruction of the state of Israel was given a prestigious forum to espouse his beliefs

Bush Exercising his right to Arrest Protestors

Anti-Bush Protesters Arrested Near UN
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 5:29 PM EDT
The Associated PressBy KAREN MATTHEWS Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — About a dozen war protesters were arrested Tuesday morning during a peaceful demonstration against President Bush's speech before the U.N. General Assembly.
They were among about 400 protesters opposing the Bush administration's war in Iraq and its incarceration in Guantanamo Bay of more than 300 men on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaida or the Taliban. Many in the crowd wore orange jumpsuits in solidarity with the Guantanamo detainees.
Police took the arrested demonstrators into custody by police after they knelt on the sidewalk in an act of civil disobedience at the rally near the United Nations. One of them, 58-year-old Bill Ofenloch, said they were trying to serve an "arrest warrant" on Bush for "high crimes against humanity."
Members of the anti-war group Code Pink performed a bit of street theater where a person wearing a Bush mask was arrested.
"What do we say?" shouted Code Pink's Medea Benjamin. "Arrest the criminal!"
The crowd picked up the chant. Once the arrests were made, the rest of the group began marching downtown. The demonstrators, in orderly fashion, walked along the sidewalks because they lacked a permit for a street march.
In his speech, Bush announced sanctions against the military dictatorship in Myanmar, accusing it of imposing "a 19-year reign of fear" that denies basic freedoms of speech, assembly and worship.
A White House spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the protest.

Blind Faith or Reason

Blind Faith or Reason
By Abdullah Hashem

God has been portrayed in many religions including Christianity and Islam as a God of faith. Faith is arguably the main virtue stressed in Christianity and Islam by many Christian and Muslim scholars, writers and leaders. When something doesn’t make sense or when you do not understand God’s plan you should blindly accept because faith equals blind acceptance according to many of the teachings and writings of these religious scholars however when you examine God in the Bible and Qu’ran you will see that God does not require blind faith but rather requires faith by reason. God does not want or expect humans to believe blindly but rather he created us with reason and a mind to use it and that is why we are a special creation and unlike so many of God’s other creations. Not only did he give us a mind to reason with but he also requires us to use it. None of the prophets sent by God in the Bible or the Qu’ran were blind believers. They all spoke to God, received revelations from God and were instructed by God to commit certain acts or carry out certain missions. Not one of the prophets described in the Bible or the Qu’ran had traveled around preaching the word of God on their own or based on their own understandings of previous texts by faith alone but rather by receiving teachings from God and often challenging God on his teachings, instructions or decisions.
In Genesis 1:26 God states “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea…..and over all the earth.” A popular interpretation of this verse in Christianity is that God made man to look like him physically. Why would God need to create a creature that looked like him? God clearly hates anything that takes his place of glory and worship as he demonstrates throughout the Bible and the Qu’ran when he repeatedly destroys cities with idol worshippers and repeatedly forbids the worship of anything in his place or anything of his likeness? He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24.) It would seem that he would not create man in his likeness for the simple fact that he would not want another God, or another creature that looked like God; that would take away God’s unique look or form. Rather it would make sense that he might create humans in his likeness by a specific trait. The important likeness that was given to humans by God was reason. These are traits of God as he has reason but having the trait of reason does not mean that a person would ultimately become God or even be like God as people reason in different ways and make different choices based on their reasoning. However having the trait of reason that God has ultimately gave humans dominion over all other creations on Earth and it makes sense why humans would have dominion over all the rest of God’s creations, because none of God’s other creations have reason. They make choices to survive and not because of any sort of reasoning.
God’s first test of Adam or instruction to Adam, his first human creation as told in the Qu’ran 2:35-2:36 and in Genesis 2:16-2:17 was not a test of Adam’s faith as Adam already knew God existed but it was a test of reason. God warned Adam in both the Qu’ran and Genesis about the consequences of eating from the forbidden tree and then he left Adam with a choice that he had to make using his reason. The choice was to disobey God and eat from the tree knowing the consequences in order to become like Gods as the serpent tells Eve in Genesis 3:5. God wanted to watch the outcome of human choice and see how humans would use their reason. It was never to test whether Adam believed in God. The consequences of this choice was now that humanity would fall to Earth and all of Adam and Eve’s descendants would have to use their reason to make the right choices and save themselves from hell. This is described in the Qu’ran in versus 2:38-2:39 where God tells Adam that humans shall dwell on Earth and whoever chooses to follow God’s ways shall see paradise and whoever doesn’t shall receive hell. It’s important to stress that God does not say he who has faith in me or believes in my existence shall enter heaven but rather he says “Whoever follows my guidance.” You can’t have faith in guidance but rather you must choose to follow God’s guidance by your reasoning and realizing that God’s guidance makes sense and is best for you. Once again it does not seem that God would want blind followers but rather those who use their reason to realize God exists.
Throughout the Bible and the Qu’ran God gives us signs of his existence and his creation. He does this so that we may read his messages or texts and come to the conclusion that God exists through using our reason. Then and only then can we truly appreciate God’s might and glory. Blind faith does not give God the satisfaction or credit he deserves. A person who blindly believes in God without any reason believes because he was told to believe and might live his life according to God’s laws but will never truly appreciate God fully unless he uses his reason to reach God. That is why God has hidden many scientific facts throughout the Qu’ran and the Bible. In Job 26:7 for example when Job is talking about God he says “He hangeth the earth upon nothing.” As everyone knows now the Earth is not attached or held up by anything. It floats freely in space rotating around the sun however back when the Bible was written this knowledge obviously didn’t exist. I think this was a perfect way to show how God intends for us to find him by reason. An individual through using his reason might come to the conclusion that because this scientific fact was available in the Bible way before we discovered it as a fact there must be a God and the Bible is proof of it. The same type of scientific proof or signs are revealed in the Qu’ran for example in the Quran 10:61 “Not even an atom's weight eludes your Lord, either on earth or in heaven. Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is not in a Clear Book.” This verse talks about Atoms and smaller particles than atoms which are believed now to be protons and neurons which compromise the Atom. The Atom and its smaller particles were not discovered until this last century. A person who believes blindly will not care so much about these signs as he believes anyway just because he was told to unlike a person who uses his reason to seek these signs and then is mind blown and truly appreciates God’s might and wisdom. He sees that not only is God real but he also sees proof of God’s ability. It gets a person who uses reason to think about how complicated the structure of matter is and how God created it all and designed it all. You may seek a complete list of these scientific proofs of the Qu’ran and the Bible by reading the E-Text of the book Miracles of the Qu’ran by Harun Yahya at http://harunyahya.com/miracles_of_the_quran_01.php and by reading Science and the Bible by Henry Madison Morris.
If God expected or required humans to accept him by faith blindly surely he would punish those who would challenge his existence or his messages. However this does not happen when God is challenged numerous times throughout the Bible and the Qu’ran. A perfect example of this is in Genesis 18:25 where God decides to destroy Sodom and Abraham challenges God saying “That be far from thee to do after this manner, slay the righteous with the wicked…Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” Why does Abraham challenge God? Abraham comes to the conclusion through reason that a just God would never destroy an entire city, giving the righteous and the wicked the same punishment. If God has prophets so that they may guide humanity and be an example to humanity for what is right then why would God allow Abraham to challenge him and why would this part of the story be included in the Bible so that humanity may see Abraham challenging God? If Abraham believed blindly in God he would not have asked or challenged God because he would just know that God is right. However blind faith is not enough for Abraham and he uses his reason and challenges God. What’s more striking about this story is that God does not get angry at Abraham for this challenge. He accepts it and even negotiates with Abraham. He does not see Abraham’s question or challenge as a sign of Abraham losing faith in God but rather as an opportunity for him to engage Abraham in a negotiation on the outcome of Sodom. God didn’t have to accept Abraham’s challenge or even negotiate with him but it seems like God took the opportunity to negotiate with Abraham and get him using his reason even more and thinking about the situation.
God accepts Mohammed’s challenge in Islam in Mohammed’s ascension to heaven as alluded to in the Qu’ran 17:1. Mohammed ascends to heaven where God tells him to tell his people to pray fifty times a day. Mohammed leaves God’s presence and encounters Moses who asks Mohammed about what God instructed him to do. Moses then tells Mohammed that fifty prayers a day is too much and his people would never be able to complete it. Mohammed to returns to God several time each time reducing the number of daily prayers more and more until he reaches five. God never gets angry at Mohammed for challenging his commands but rather just as he did with Abraham accepts Mohammed’s challenge and negotiates with him repeatedly. Through the above two stories and there are many others throughout the Bible and Qu’ran, it seems like God will give out harsh commands or come to harsh decisions to get us to think and use our reason. If God is all mighty and all knowing he obviously knew that Abraham and Mohammed were going to challenge him so if he wanted us to accept faith blindly and never challenge it or use our reason to come to conclusions why would he have picked those two prophets to be examples for humanity? Why would he emphasize these stories in the Bible and Qu’ran? The only answer is to show humans that it is ok to challenge and it is a good thing to use reason to come to conclusions and seek truths. Reason is the only thing that will keep a person from knowing total and complete truth. People can join any religion, cult, belief or organization even though it might not be truth by blind faith but with reason a person will know and discover eventually the truth.
As said in the Matthew 7:7 “Seek and ye shall find” and in the Quran 33:29 "But if you are seeking God and His messenger, and the abode of the Hereafter, then God has prepared for the righteous among you a great recompense." As just shown God says seek and you will find me or seek me and ye shall be rewarded. How may one seek God? How may one seek anything? Not by blind faith but rather you seek anything by reasoning things out. Reasoning is the virtue that should be stressed in Christianity and Islam rather than just faith. If you have reason behind your faith, your faith will be strong, if you don’t have any reason behind your faith, your faith will collapse.

Interview with an Exorcist

Interview NO. 1Location: Cairo,EgyptDate 9/8/88
Name Shaykh Muhammad Taahir ` Abdul- MuhsinDate of Birth: 1952Place of Birth: CairoEducation: BA in Islamic Studies from al-Azhar University,specializing in qiraa’ aat, 1978. Lectures occasionally at al –Azahr.
Q. When did you begin practicing exorcism?A. I began about nine or ten years ago.
Q. What caused you to begin?A. I read Ibn Taymeeyah’s book on the jinn and when my friend inTaaalibiyyah described his wife’s state, I realized that it was acase of possession and proceeded to treat her.
Q. What are the signs which indicate that a person is possessed?A. Some of the signs are that a person mentions that he is uneasy,he finds himself getting up and sitting down frequently, he speaksunintelligible, etc. This is called demonic possession (sara ` al-jinn).
Q. What is the first thing you do when a possessed person is broughtto you?A. In the beginning, we ask the possessed if he has been treated bya physician. If he has already been treated by a doctor, we canaddress the jinnee, saying ” Fear Allah!” I speak to it in the sameway that I speak to a human. If he is in a state of convulsion, Ispeak directly to the jinnee. Otherwise, I recite over him someQur’anic verses. Sometimes it will manifest itself during therecitation and at other times it will hide.
Q. How do you distinguish between one who is possessed and one whois sick?A. The state of the possessed is unstable, and they usually do notcome to me until after they have visited a physician or apsychiatrist. Patients usually won’t come until after they havetried all other methods. In that way, we know that he is likely tobe possessed or possibly under a magical spell.
Q. How do you distinguish between the effects of magic and demonicpossession?A. In the case of possession the jinn will speak immediately, yetfor a patient under a magical spell the jinn will not talk. The oneunder a magic spell will require recitation for a long time, and hewill need to take Arabic folk medicine. This encouraged, accordingto the statement of the statement of the Prophet (PBPH) collected byMuslim. “Whoever is able to help his brother should do so.” When theProphet (PBPH) prohibited incantations, someone stated, “O Messengerof Allah, we have some incantations against magic and scorpions.” Hesaid to them, “Read your incantations to me.” When they did so, heprohibited those containing idolatry and confirmed those which didnot. He then said, “Whoever is able to help his brother, let him doso.” He meant by that, for example, canceling the effects of magicfrom one bewitched, which may make him unable to go to his wife. Hetakes a double edged ax, heats it on a fire until it becomes red,then he passes it over her. This does not have shirk in it. It isArabic medicine. Such things are mentioned in Fat-h al-Baaree.There are two ways of treating magic- one way isaccording to divine law (sharee’ah) and another is not. The legalway removes it completely while the illegal method only removes ittemporarily. Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that if the effects of thespell have been present for a long time, it must be broken by Arabicmedicinal methods. On the other hand, if it is recent, it may beremoved by Qur’anic verses and prophetic methods.
Q. Based upon your communication with possessing jinn, what are themain reasons why jinn possess humans?
A. The reasons are as follows:1. Walking around the house naked.2. Being isolated and unprotected by the prophetic morning andevening prayers.3. Entering the toilet without fortifying prayers because thetoilets are among the dwelling places of the jinn.4. Pouring hot water on the jinnee without mentioning Allah’sname.5. Going without making the fortifying prayers to the areas ofthe jinn, like mountain tops and garbage dumps, hurting them byurinating on them or stepping on them- The jinn may then ignorantlyhurt the person much more than he deserves. In such cases thetreatment involves addressing the jinnee and telling it that thepatient had accidentally- and not intentionally –hurt it. If it washarmed in the patient’s home, it should be told that it had no rightto be there in the first place, for jinnee should be not allowed tolive in the homes of humans. Thus, the jinnee should be told that itis in the wrong. They actually reply. Some times they will say, “Ilove him.” Other times they may threaten those in their presence bysaying, “I will leave and hurt him.” In such cases, the exorcistmust have strong faith and believe in the oneness of Allah and sayto the jinnee, “You are certainly not able to do anything at allbecause the only one who can benefit or harm is Allah.” At thatpoint, the jinnee will become fearful and cause the person to shake.
Q. Who are most affected by jinn, men or women?A. Woman is more affected because the jinn love beautiful women.They may even have intercourse with them. A cause of possession waspresented to me in which a Christian woman said that she feelssomething come upon her and she struggles with it but it overcomesher. I told her, “Accept Islam and I will- by the grace of Allah-remove it from you.” She refused, so I left her. Consensualintercourse can take place between them, but this would be a majorsin because Allah has created that which is suitable for eachspecies. Thus, it is not allowable for humans to marry from theanimal world.
Q. Do male jinn possess women and female jinn’s possess men, or isit possible that male jinn possess males and vice-versa?A. In reference to those jinn who possess because of love, theirlove for humans is based upon desire. Therefore, male jinn lovewomen, and female jinn love men. However, there is no genderpreference when humans accidentally cause harm to jinn. For example,we saw a man from Upper Egypt who knew nothing of the Qu’aan andSunnah, but in his possessed state he would recite the Qur’aan likea trained reciter. When the jinnee was removed, we discovered thatit used to worship in a cave. The man, who was a stonemason, wentinto that cave and urinated and defecated in it, so the jinnee hurthim. We told the jinnee, “You are a Muslim who has memorized theQur’aan, and spoiling this man’s mind and body is satanic.” Thejinnee complied by leaving.
Q. From your experience, if a jinnee speaks, does he use the voiceof the possessed person or does the voice change?A. The voice is often different. If it is a female jinnee, it speakswith a female voice, and male jinnee with a male voice.
Q. Can a disbelieving jinnee enter a Muslim?A. Usually a disbelieving jinnee enters a Muslim. The conditions ofthe jinn are like that of humans. Some are Muslims and others arenot. Some are righteous and others are not. However, it is possiblefor Muslim jinnee to harm a Muslim human.
Q. Whenever you address the jinn and invite them to Islam, do theyaccept it?A. Yes I present Islam to them and they usually accept. I remindthem of the next life and that they will have to return to Allah.They often comply immediately. Sometimes they listen to a great dealof religious admonition, yet do not respond. The ease or difficultyof their removal varies from one person to another. By using methodsinvolving kufr, the jinn will respond but they won’t leavepermanently. If the exorcist possesses strong faith, the jinnee willrespond and leave. However, if he does not, the possession of theperson will continue, in the kufr methods, the jinn are called upusing lawful means, like making oaths containing shirk and kufr. Forexample, they say, “I swear by your seven most mighty.” In such acase shirk is involved, and assuredly the jinn will answer him andask him what the wishes because he has exalted them. He will thenask the jinn to leave, but the jinn will ask him to do some thingsin return. Shaykh Ibn Taymeeyah said that one should not do anythingthat the jinn request. If he tells you to drink water of sacrificean animal for him, it should not be done. If he says that he willleave for one reason or another, tell him that he must leave inobedience to Allah and his Messenger.
Q. From your experience, how do jinn benefit from possessing humans?A. It is from love or just desire. For example if an ignorant manwalking down the street is accidentally hurt by an intelligentperson, the ignorant man decides to punish the intelligent one. Whatbenefits does he get from that? It is just ignorance. There areprophetic traditions which indicate that the jinn may take the formof vermin, like snakes and rats. One may kill a vermin withoutmentioning Allah’s name and it may have been one of them. Because ofthis, the jinn may afflict him with some punishment.
Q. How does a jinnee enter a human?A. The Prophet (PBUH) said that the devil flows in the blood streamsof Adam’s descendants. Sometimes it may have fun with thesuperstitious by saying that it will leave though the eye of thepossessed and gouge it out or that it will leave by his leg,paralyzing it. Consequently, the true believer should not acceptsuch statements but tell it to lave as it came. Sometimes the jinnwill only leave if they are flogged.
Q. Have you found any jinn who spoke in a different language thanthe one possessed?A. Yes We found a jinnee in an Egyptian woman who spoke Urdu. He wasoriginally from Pakistan. He said that he was on hajj and fell inlove with her and returned with her to Egypt. His name was strange,incomprehensible. He said that he lived in an abandoned apartmentand that he had over ten thousand children and grandchildren. Somepeople may hear this and ask, “How could ten thousand live in oneapartment?” However, we already pointed out that they may take formof the vermin, like ants.
I also helped a Saudi married to an Egyptian woman whoused to curse at her husband in different languages, like Englishand French. I communicated with the jinnee in Arabic, and it lefther after promising to do so.Sometimes exorcists fall into shirk as a result of ajinnee. For example, when an exorcist orders a jinnee to leave aperson by that permission of Allah, but the jinnee swears that itwill only leave by other than Allah (e.g., swearing to leave by a so-calledSaint) and the exorcist agrees to its stipulation, and this isshirk. If the exorcist strictly believes in the oneness of Allah, hewill say to it, “No. You are a liar and a pagan. You are not allowedto swear by other than Allah. You must swear by Allah, saying `Ipromise Allah to leave the person and protect her from others asmuch as possible. By the One who split the sea for Moses and madethe winds blow Solomon, I will leave her and will not returnagain.’” And it will actually leave.
Q. When you address the jinn, do you find that they have names likehumans?A. Yes. They sometimes name themselves with human nameslike `Abdul `Azeez. At other times they have non-human names andincomprehensible titles.
Q. Having any of your children been affected by possession after youbegan treating possessed people?A. No, may Allah be praised. My children recite from the Qur’aan thetwo chapters of protection ( mu `awwithataan) and the openingchapter (al-Faatihah). The Qur’aan is a cure for all physical andspiritual ailments. If the people ask how disease can be resisted,the response is that resistance is granted by the Lord of the earthand the sky. The proof of this is that the companions of the Prophet(PBUH) treated scorpion stings with the recitation of al-Faatihah.The sting was a physical ailment and the recitation of al-Faatihahwas a spiritual healing. Ibn al – Qayyim also used as proof theAlmighty’s statement:“We revealed in the Qur’aan what is a healing and mercy from thebelievers.” 633 Qur’aan, 17: 82.
This is in reference to all forms of ailment, physical or spiritual.In several known cases when the possessed reached the door of aparticular house, the jinnee screamed out, “I will never enter thisplace because the Qur’aan is read in it.” The Prophet (PBUH)said, “If Soorah al- Baqarah is read in a house, the devil will notcome near it for three days.
Q. During an exorcism have you ever found more than one jinnee in aperson>A. Yes, more than one jinnee may cause harm to a person’s body, asIbn Taymeeyah confirmed. They will also have different voices.
Q. Could you describe the steps that you use for treatment?A. First I ask the person being treated his name and the may say,for example, Ahmad or Muhammad. During my recitation I ask again forhis name and he may say, for example, George. Therefore I know thatit is a jinnee. I ask if it is a Muslim and so on.
Q. If you communicate with the jinnee and it refuses to leave, whatdo you do?A. I recite many verses of Qur’aan over him. And if it still refusesto leave, then say, “I will drive you out with severe beating.” Itbecomes fearful because humans are stronger than jinn. I saw a casein which a jinnee was in love with a woman, and I said to it, “Iwill read a lot of Qur’aan over you.” It replied that it loved theQur’aan. I asked how it could love the Qur’aan and at the same timebe passionately in love with the woman. I brought a stick and hither on the neck with it, yet the possessed woman did not feelanything. Only in cases of possession should beating be used.
Q. Do you tie the toes of the person?A. There are many different methods which do not contain shirk orkufr which may be used.
Q. Do you recite over water and make the possessed person drink it?Or do you use oil?A. Yes, sometimes I have, as long as there is no shirk involved. Ihave used the mushrah method of stone grinding seven lotus leaving,placing this in a container of water and reciting the kawaafir(Soorah al- Kaafiroon [ 109], Soorah al-Ikhlaas [112], verse 255 ofthe second chapter and al- Faatihah) over it. The patient thendrinks three mouth fulls of this and bathes with the remainder. Itis a good and effective method.When the possessed person comes, I recite versesover him, such as the four verses of Soorah al-Baqarah, ”wailaahukum ilaahun waahid…, ” 635 verse 255 of al – Baqarah; thelast verses of Aal `Imraan (3); Surah al- A ` raaf from theAlmighty’s statement: “inna rabbakumullaah allathee khalaqas-samaawaati wal-arda fee sittati ayyaamin thummastawaa `alal-arshyughshil-laylan-nahaar…” 636 for about four verses until Hisstatement: ” innahoo laa yuhibbul- mu’tadeen wa laa tufsidoo fil-ardi ba’da islaahiha wad’oohukhawfan wa tama’an inna rahmatal-laahiqareebun minal-muhsieen”, 637 also ” laqad jaa’ akum rasoolun minanfusikum”, 638 Soorah al-Muminoon (23); Soorah as-Saaffaat (37);the ending of Soorah al-Hashr (59): and Soorah al- Kaafiroon (109).639 This is called the small dose (jur’ah sughraa). Those possessedalways are affected by it and the jinnee usually comes out afterthis recitation. If the jinnee does not come out or manifest itself,I know that the person is not possessed. However, instead, he may bebewitched. Sometimes the jinnee will manifest itself while I addressit after the recitation. Some cases may be delusion and thereforeare called delusionary magic (sihr al-awhamm). Sometimes the personmay have ailments due to bad character.About 50 percent of the cases are brought to meare demonic possession or magic and the rest common sicknesses.Once a woman came to me and I recited upon her, and the jinnee wasburned up. It is possible for them to be burned. On another occasiona Saudi man came to me who had been bewitched by menstrual blood andsperm. He was screaming like a calf being slaughtered.
After posting part one last week, here is the 2nd interview in the exorcism series:
Interview NO. 2Location:CairoDate: 9/8/88
Name: ` Abdul – Khaaaliq al- AttaarDate Of Birth: 1920Education: Law degree from Cairo University, 1950. Memorizedcomplete Qur’aan and studied sharee’ah at the College of Law.
Q. When and why did you begin to practice exorcism?A. About forty years ago one of my sons was afflicted by the jinn-although I did not know it at the time-and his sickness became amajor problem for me. I went to many psychiatrists, psychologists,neurologists, brain specialists and a varitiey of medical doctorsfor treatment. But after every visit to the medical specialists hissickness became worse. Around that time I happened to be reading IbnQayyim al- Jawziyyah’s book, Zaad al Ma’aad. In a chapter on thetreatment of the possessed, I noticed that the symptoms ofpossession were the same as those shown by my son. The prescribedtreatment mentioned in the chapter was the recitation of someQur’anic verses and prophetic supplications. So I recited over myson and he began to get better. His condition improved the more Irecited until he became completely well-by the permission of Allah.From that moment I felt a great desire to increase my knowledge ofthis science. Day and night I began to research the topic of theworld of jinn, the devils and the angels. I read many good books andmany terrible ones. However-by the grace of Allah- whenever I cameacross new information, I would not adopt it until after I hadchecked its authenticity based upon the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Whatwas confirmed, I accepted and what was not, I rejected. The correctinformation I recorded in my own notebooks until I had gathered manysuch notebooks and a large quantity of material. I then readextensively the writings of Imaam Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allah bepleased with him) and his student Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim. Then I beganto organize the information in chapters which lead-by the mercy ofAllah-to my writing 30 books in the form of manuscripts aboutQur’anic medicine (at-Tibb al-Qur’aanee) and prophetic medicine (at-Tibb an- Naawee). These books are ready for publication; however,due to my limited resources, I have been unable to publish any ofthem to date.
Q. What percentage of the cases you meet are actual cases of demonicpossession?A. When I visit someone is brought to me who believes that he isaffected by magic, evil eye or the jinn, my first session is anexamination (fahs) and giving advice. The method of examination isquite simple. Anyone afflicted by magic, evil eye or jinn attackmust show some symptoms of the affliction, which I call, ” Symptomsof satanic bonding.” The symptoms have peculiarities like thesymptoms of any other sickness, such as influenza or rheumatism.During the examination I, therefore, ask about the symptoms, whichmay appear in both the waking state as well as during sleep.Symptoms during sleep include nightmares, sleeplessness, brokensleep, uneasiness the grinding of teeth, and dreams of Satan in theform of carnivorous animals. Then I ask about symptoms while awake,such as feelings of anxiety, forgetfulness, hopelessness, lethargyand immobility.Included among the signs are being easily angered, crying, andstaring aimlessly or avoiding the eyes of others. If the patientdisplays such symptoms during his waking and sleeping states, Irecite upon him some Qur’anic verses. If he is possessed, the jinneemay begin at this point to talk either with the voice of the personor with another voice. Sometimes it will use foul language, cursethose present or strike and kick.It may reveal why it possessed the person and when it did so. It mayalso reveal if there are others present. Psychiatrists diagnosisthis as schizophrenia or dual personality. If a jinnee speaksthrough a human telling its name, religion and condition, they callit dual personality. If the jinnee does not speak but the person’spersonality goes through a major change, they call it schizophrenia.
Q. Are their other signs, like bad smells or an unnatural smile,that are common to those possessed?A. In reality, when a jinnee bonds with a human, there areinnumerable signs. Among them are laughter and crying for no reason.These symptoms are well-known to the medical profession and areexplained as a result of over activity or under activity of certainglands. We know in spiritual medicine that this is due to demonsplaying with the glands, causing them to over-secrete or to decreasetheir secretions, therefore causing changes in personality and swiftmoods shifts. The processed person may also exhibit super naturalstrength.
Q. What is the percentage of real cases of possession among yourpatients?A. My shaykh and mentor, Imaaam Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allah have mercyupon him), who died more than 700 years ago, said in al-Fataawaaathe following, excellent statement, “If the veil were removed fromthe people of this time [ Ibn Taymeeyah’s time, over 700 years ago],we would find most of the people of this time are possessed bydemons.” If that was said 700 years ago, what can we say about thisage in which filth is widespread and the means of demonic possessionare abundant. This is a time of sport and play, disobedience andcorruption. The percentage of those possessions is very startling –may Allah protect us all. Those spared demonic influence are veryfew, while those under attack are many. Allah, the Almighty said inSoorah an- Nisaa’.
“… rebellious devil, cursed by Allah, said, ` I will surely take adefinite portion of Your servants and mislead them. I will create inthem false desires and order them to slit the ears of cattle and todeface the creation of Allah….’
They are many. And Almighty Allah’s statement:
“And Satan proved his idea true on them, and they all followed himexcept a group of those who believed.
So in reality, the percentage of those under satanic influence inthe world today is extremely high. And there are a number of realsickness, which the medical profession, past and present, in theEast and in the West, has been unable to cure, and the curelies onlyin the Noble Qur’aan. The medical profession readily admits it hasnot advanced over the years in its ability to cure problems such asepilepsy, bewitchment, and schizophrenia. In reality, those touchedby Satan are so many and their percentage is rapidly increasing.Yet, those involved in treating them according to the Qur’aan andthe Sunnah are so few that one cannot but fear for the future ofmankind if a solution is not found. By Allah’s blessing, I amworking on passing on knowledge of this science to many youngpeople. But resources to do this effectively are very limited.
Q. From your own experience, what are the main reasons why peopleare possessed?A. I have written a chapter in my book, Iqtiraan ash-Shaytaan bi alInsaana, (Qur’aan, 4:118-119,) specifically for this question. Thereare exactly six reasons: 1) extreme fear, 2) extreme anger, 3)extreme jealousy, 4) devotion to lust, 5) human aggression againstdevils, and 6) love of demons for humans. Human aggression could bein the form of pouring hot water on the places where devils resideor urinating in holes or cracks in the ground. The Prophet (PBUP)prohibited us from urinating in the holes and cracks in the earthbecause they are places where jinn reside. The love of demons forhumans is very, very common. When male jinn possess human’s femalesand we communicate with them, they often readily admit that they arein love with them. And when female jinn possess men, they oftenexpress the same.
Q. What is the percentage of females among your patients?A. They are about 70 percent of the cases. Percentage of possessionamong women is greater than it is among men. And this percentage isconsistent with the texts of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. On oneoccasion, the Prophet (PBUH) visited a group of women andsaid, “Give in charity, because I was shown that you made up most ofthe inhabitants of the Fire.” When he asked why, he replied, “Youdeny the good your husbands do when ever he makes a singlemistake.” (See Shaih Al- Bukhari, vol. 7, pp. 95-6, no. 125, andSahih Muslim, Vol. 2, pp. 431-2, no. 1982.
Q. You mentioned about male possessing human females and female jinnpossessing men. Is this always the case?A. The Prophet (PBUH) used to seek refuge in Allah from what appearsat night and is hidden during the day, and what is hidden at nightand appears during the day. (`oothu billaahi tabaraka wa ta ` aalaamin sharri maa yathharu bil-layli wa yamkunu bin-nahaaari wa minsharri ma yathharu bin- nahaari wa yakmunu bil-layl. And he alsoused to seek refuge in Allah from every [evil] which announcesitself and every [evil] hides. (Aoothhu billaahi min sharri kullimu’lin wa musirr. That which appears at night is that which speaksand that which is hidden is that which does not. Thus, the speakingor not speaking of a jinnee through the voice of the possessed isfound in the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) treated those possessed,the jinnee did not speak with him or respond to him. The Prophet(PBUH) struck the possessed person and said, “Get out, O enemy ofAllah, for I am the Messenger of Allah!” And the jinnee did notreply to the Prophet (PBUH). But in the case of the jinnee who wassearching through food and was caught by Aboo Hurayrah, it spokewith him. Also, the jinnee who possessed ` Abdullaah ibn Mas’oodcommunicated with him. Likewise, the jinnee who was beaten by `Umarbin al- Khattaab spoke with him. Another example is the femalejinnee who spoke to Imam Ibn Taymeeyah in the presence of hisstudent, Ibn al –Qayyim, saying, ” I love him.” It then said, “Iwant to make hajj with him.” And Ibn Tameeyah replied, “But he doesnot want to make hajj with you.” It said, ” Then I will leave himfor your sake.” Ibn Taymeeyah said, “No leave him in obedience toAllah’s command.” This incident can be found in Ibn al-Qayyim’sbook., Zaad al-Ma’aad in the chapter on prophetic guidance fortreating the possessed. Likewise, during reign of ` Abbaaseecaliph, Mutawakkil, the caliph informed Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal thatone of his slave girls was possessed. Imaam Ahamd sent one of hisstudents with a pair of his wooden slippers and told him to tell thejinnee, “It is not permissible for you to inhabit this woman’s body,and Ahmad commands you to leave this woman’s body, and Ahmadcommands you to leave this woman’s body.” Al- Mutawakkil and otherspresent heard the woman speak in a gruff, male voice,saying “Ahmad’s command is welcome. For Ahmad is one who has obeyedAllah, and Allah has made everything obedient to him. If Ahmadordered us to leave `Iraaq, we would leave.” Today in many cases thejinn do speak, but in many other cases they do not.
Q. Is possession a swift process or does it take along time, likemonths or years?A. Medical doctors say that epilepsy is a sudden, unknown change inthe electric discharges of the brain. They say that there are morethan 40 million electrical connections in the human brain, and it islike a small electrical generating station. It produces electricityand distributes it throughout the other parts of the body. Accordingto doctors, and epileptic fit occurs when there is a sudden surge inthe electric discharge of the brain. This over loads the circuitand leads to dysfunction in the body parts and becomes manifest inshaking, stiffness in the body parts, drooling and foaming at themouth and staring lasting for a brief moments. When we see suchconditions, we call the athaan in the epileptic’s right ear and callthe iqaamah in the left ear and – by Allah’s will-he becomes curedand returns to his normal state. Although the medical profession,ancient and modern, does not know the cause of the sudden increasein the electrical discharges of the brain, the Prophet (PBUH)indicated a cause. In a hadeeth reported by Iban `Abbas (may Allahbe pleased with him), a black woman came to the Prophet (PBUH) andsaid, ” O Messenger of Allah, I am overcome with fits and take offmy clothes.” [and in another narration, “Verily, the evil jinneetakes off my clothes.” In this hadeeth the Prophet (PBUH) confirmedthat it is the devil who causes people to fall down in fits. It hasbeen demonstrated that the cause is demonic from the many cases inwhich we have called the athaan in the ears of those in epilepticfits, and consequently the fits ceased. For the Prophet (PBUH) hasstated, ” When Satan hears the athaan, he turns and flees.” This isin the case of complete possession ( sara ` kulle). There are othertypes of possession in which humans are affected, like migraineheadaches (sudaa ` nisfee), insomnia (araq), depression,introversion (intiwaa), or pains occurring in different parts of thebody at various times. The possessing demon who inhabits the humanbrain is able to vary cerebral electric discharges-by the will ofAllah and due to reasons known only Allah- and affect the body partswith a variety of ailments. For example, it may affect the man’stongue so that he cannot speak, his ears so that he cannot hear, hiseyes so that he cannot see, or his hands so they tremble and becomeparalyzed. These are all various types of possessions.
Q. Have you ever experienced the jinn speaking in languages otherthan that of the possessed person?A. I have found many cases in which the jinn speak in languages orother dialects common to other regions of the country.
Q. Do the jinn enter the human body from particular points, like themouth eyes or hand?A. There are three types of jinn. One type consists of animals, suchas dogs, snakes, donkeys, and mules. These give birth to offspringlike themselves. A dog-jinnee gives birth to a dog-jinnee and asnake-jinnee gives birth to a snake-jinnee. Another type flies inthe air, like the one mentioned in Soorah an-Namal: “An `ifreetamong the jinn said, `I will bring it to you before you can risefrom your position, for surely I am strong and trustworthy for thatpurpose.’” (Qur’aan,27:39.) This verse mans that the jinn see us,but we cannot see them. Air is with us everywhere. We sense it andare certain about its existence, but we cannot see it. The jinn arejust like aie which is meaning of Almighty Allah’s statement inSoorah ar-Rahmaan: “And He created the jinn from flame (maarij) offire.” (Qur’aan, 55:l5) Maarij is the hot air, which is above thefire. Thus, the jinnee, which enters the human body, is not of thetype, which has a material form, like that of a human, donkey ordog. This type has a fine, invisible, ethereal (hawaa’ee) body. Andit enters the body just like air does through the open orifices,like the mouth, the nose and the anus. Even the pres of the skinallow air to enter and thus become ports of entrance for the jinn.If we drink water in the summer, the water spreads throughout thebody and passes out through the pores in the skin. Air also entersand along with it the jinn of this kind. However, the jinn usuallylive in the toilet areas use for defecation, urination and bathing.This is based upon the Prophet’s statement,
“Surely, these hushoosh are inhabited.”
The hushoosh are the places used by humans to relieve and cleanthemselves. Thus, Muslims are enjoined to recite the followingsupplication before entering such places, “O Allah, I seek refuge inyou from the evil male and female jinn.” The jinn find it easiest toenter from the anus so this is the most common entrance. However,they also gain access from other orifices, including the eye.
Q. And how do they leave?A. From the same places that they enter.
Q. In which part of the human body do the jinn dwell?A. When the jinn enter the human body, they settle in the controlcenter of the body-brain. They concentrate in the brain and concealthe human mind, making the person lose consciousness in a waysimilar to hypnotism. Then they manifest themselves and take controlof the body through the brain. However, this does not mean that theyonly concentrate in the brain; they may concentrate in other bodyparts and organs, thereby leaving the brain.
Q. During exorcisms have you ever experienced any attempts by thejinn to possess you?A. I praise Allah and give thanks to Him in the way appropriate toHis glory. My shaykh, Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allah have mercy upon him)said in his book, al-Fataawaa, “Applying this knowledge of spiritualmedicine and/or Qur’anic medicine is compulsory upon whoever learnsit. Because it is equivalent to relieving the troubled, helping theoppressed, liberating the distressed and supporting the weak. It isamong the greatest branches of fighting in the path of Allah (jihaadfee sabeelillaah).” He also said, “Those who work in this field arefeared by the jinn because they know that they [i.e., the exorcists]do it as a means of pleasing Allah. Thus, Allah places in the soulof the jinnee a fear of the exorcist.” I have never experienced ajinnee attack while I was awake. However, if I go to sleep with outmaking protective supplications, the jinn hurt me during my sleepand make me restless. Whenever this happens, I awaken quickly andrecite the supplications of divine refuge (ta’awwuthaat) andprotection, and Allah protects me.
Q. Since you began exorcising people over 40 years ago, have any ofyour family members been possessed?A. I have not experienced it within my family. However, wheneverdevils fail in their attack on the human soul, they will try anexternal attack by setting his family against him, such as his wife,child, mother, father or leader. But such attacks are comparativelymild. If the exorcist has strong faith in Allah and is truthful andpious, external attacks will also fail. I would like to advise thosewho wish to work in this field to be careful. On one occasion when Iwas exorcising a jinnee by the name of Jibreel, who had beenseverely hurting a woman (and this was round the time that I beganexorcising), I said to it, “Jibreel, leave the woman and come intomy body. Give her a break. Perhaps Allah will give me the strengthand health to bear your presence.” Jibreel was silent for a moment,then he said, “From where will I enter you? From which part can I?”I took this as glad tidings from Allah that He was protecting me bysending angels who would ward off the evil of the jinn. For Allahhas made a type of angel which is specifically for the protection ofhumans, according to the text of the Qur’aan:
“Surely, every soul has a protector over it.” (Qur’aan, 86: 4.
“Each [person] has a succession of angels in front of him and behindhim, protecting him by Allah’s command.” (Qur’aan, 13:11)
“He is the Irresistible, high above His servants, and He sendsprotectors over you……”(Qur’aan, 6:61)
When ever Allah sees His servants being sincere and in constantworship, working in the service of mankind and Islam, He protectsthe servant from the evil jinn by sending angels to protect him. Ithank Allah for protecting me and all who work in this field.
Q. You mentioned earlier that your first session with a patient isan examination. If it leads to the conclusion that the patient ispossessed, what is your next step?A. I begin the treatment sessions (jalasaat at-`ilaaj). Thesesittings vary in length and number depending upon the case involved.The first of these sessions I call “purification of the heart” (”tat-heer al-qalb”). The idea being that the faith of the person I amabout to treat must be clear and pure. There should not be in hisfaith any paganism, evil, disbelief, hypocrisy or falsity. Itherefore clean the heart first so that when the verses of treatmentare read, they meet a pure heart. Otherwise, the verses will meet adefiled, sick heart not capable of treatment. This is comparable toplanting a seed in infertile ground, It will not grow, but not dueto any defect in the seed. The ground was not prepared forcultivation.The third sitting I have named “purification of thepsyche” (”tazkiyah an-nafs”), for Qallah has created man with aheart, mind, spirit/soul (rooh), psyche and a body. The treatmentsare aimed at the first four elements. The soul (nafs) is acombination of cravings (shahwah), instincts (ghareezah), emotions(`aatifah) and inclinations (naz’ah). So, we purify the sickpatient’s psyche. If he smokes, drinks, gambles, lusts after womenor is corrupt in anyway, we purify it so that the psyche can helpthe heart. I also try to purify the psyche of other sicknesses, likeanger, hatred, malice, jealousy, conceit, pride, arrogance,intemperance, greed and stinginess. This session is no lessimportant than the second, for it is by the way of the evil psychethat the possessing jinnee establishes itself. Consequently, thislevel of treatment may require two, three, or four sittings untilthe psyche of the patient is purified and contented. After thistreatment, the psyche does not whisper to itself and it will blockthe whisperings of devils.The fourth sitting concentrates on the mind, and I referto it as “cleaning the mind” (”tanqiyah al-`aql). In this session Iaddress how a person spends much of his time. If he reads uselessmaterials, like love stories, pornographic materials, detectivestories and newspaper articles, it only increase his remoteness fromAllah. I advise those who read such materials to give them up andreplace them with reading the Qur’aan and its exegesis, authenticbooks of hadeeth, and books of law. I also encourage them to readuseful books in other fields, like mathematics, philosophy, physics,engineering, etc.The final treatment can be one session or as many as sixto twelve sessions. I call it “removing the spirit” (”takhlees ar-rooh”). It consists of removing the evil sprit from its hold on thehuman spirit. This is in accordance with a hadeeth recorded in theMusnad of Ahmad in which a companion of the Prophet (PBUH) passed bya mad person and recited over him a legal ruqyah for six day,morning and evening. Also in the hadeeth of Aboo Sa’eed al –Khudree, Ibn Mas’sood and others, it is recorded that the legalruqyah should be repeated twice per day for six days. If it producesresults, fine. If it does not, it means that something is incompletefrom the previous steps. Therefore, I go back over all of thesessions and check the state of patient.These sessions are followed by the prescription ofprecautionary measures (tahaffuthaat). When a patient gets well,doctors usually advise him to avoid certain foods in order toprevent the reoccurrence of the sickness. I do the same. I advisethe patient to give up watching TV-especially useless programs, tobe consistent in performing his daily acts of worship, to get up atnight for voluntary prayer, to read certain Qur’anic verses daily,to repeat the declaration of faith a hundred times daily, to seekforgiveness from Allah, to pray fro the Prophet (PBUH).
Q. Do you use in your treatment physical techniques like tyingfingers or tying hair, burning incense, rubbing olive oil, salt orbeating?A. There are no authentic narrations to support the use of saltexcept in cases of scorpion stings. There is no basis fro usingeither it, or other such things to treat jinn-possession. Likewise,the uses of amulets (hijaab, ta’weeh and tameemah) which are wornaround different parts of the body are completely forbidden.Regarding beating, it is authentically reported that the Prophet(PBUH) utilized it, and Shaykh Ibn Taymeeyah also used a stick tobeat a patient possessed by a jinnee. However, I advise my youngbothers who are working in this field not to use beating at all,because the use of beating has guidelines and conditions. We do notbeat the possessed human, but the jinnee which has possessed thehuman. And this requires a high level of skill and discernment to beable to accurately know whom the exorcist is hitting. For if he fitsthe possessed person, it is prohibited in divine law, and it wouldonly increase the suffering in the patient. The details of this, Icannot go into right now, because it would require a very longsitting to explain exactly how to determine the appropriate time tohit. At any rate, I do advise the beginners in this field no to usebeating. And even the beating used by many is too far violent and isapplied to very dangerous areas of the body. It should only be onthe behind, the shoulders or the extremities of the hands and feet.As to hitting the face, eyes or head with sandals and sticks, it isforbidden. However, if the exorcist has had much experience andinsight, and he is absolutely certain that it is the jinnee, whichis present, he may do as the Prophet (PBUH) did.
Q. What is your opinion about recitation over oil and rubbing withit?A. These methods are not forbidden according to Islamic law. Theyare permissible and have some basis in the religion. Before going tosleep, the Prophet (PBUH) used to recite the quls in his palms, blowin them, and then wipe his hands over whatever his hands could reachof his body, beginning with his face. On the basis of this, thecompanion Ibn `Abbaas, and also Ibn Taymeeyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ahamdibn Hanbal and other Muslim scholars permitted the recitation ofQur’aan on pure olive oil. There are verses in Soorah an-Noor (24)and Soorah at-Teen (95) which indicate that olive oil is blessed.Qur’anic verses may also be read over other substances like musk,oil, saffron, rose water, or drinking water. Subsequently, thepatient drinks or bathes with these. However, one who bathes withsuch fluids must do so in a place where the fluids will not flowinto sewage pipes or other filthy places. The liquids used should becollected in special container and thrown on the roadside.
Q. During treatment do you have to seek assistance to hold thepatient down?A. Sometimes when a person is possessed, the jinnee causes him tomake unusual movements like punching, getting up and sitting down,and breaking things. I may need help in holding down his legs andarms, and then I begin to recite over him.
Q. Could you recount some of your more recent and usual cases?A. I have treated many patients and man y students have recorded ontape the conversations, actions words which are used in thesegatherings. Each case is on a 60-minute tape.
Q. Do disbelieving jinn possess Muslims?A. The world of the jinn is similar to the world of man. There areno rules in this matter. All possible permutations occur.
Q. Can more than one jinnee possess a person at the same time?A. Some have come. However, I inform them that I only treat with theQur’aan, I do not treat them. Most Christian Egyptians who have cometo me have welcomed treatment with the Qur’aan and have experiencedsuccessful cures-all praise belongs to Allah. And a number of themhave converted to Islam by the grace of Allah.
Q. How do jinn benefit from the possession?A. Allah has created the jinn to live in isolated areas, deserts,refuse dumps, graveyards, and animal pens. Jinn-animals eat fecesand jinn eat bones. The jinn are definitely on a level below humans,as a result of Allah’s favors, which He gives to whomsoever Hewishes. Allah said in Soorah al-Israa’:“We have honored the children of Adam, carried them on the land andon the sea, provided them with good things and greatly preferredthem over much of what we have created.” (Qur’aan 17:70.)
Consequently, jinn accompany humans in order to enjoy some of thatfavor with which Allah has honored men. They try to partake of thegood food, drink, clothes, sex and sleep. This good life tempts thejinn into attacking humans.
Q. Do jinn take pleasure by having sex with humans?A. There is a verse in Soorah al-An `aam in which our blessed,Almighty Lord said.
“Our Lord, some of us took pleasure one from the other, and we havereached the term which You appointed for us. (Qur’aan, 6:128.)
Actually, all the Qur’anic exegetes understand the pleasure takenhere to refer to the jinns misguidance of men and man’s worship ofthe jinn. They consider the taking of pleasure to only meanobedience and following. However, the Qur’aan should be interpretedfirst by its own verses. This verse should be understood along withthe Almighty’s statement in Soorah Muhammad:
” Those who disbelieve take pleasure and eat as animals do, and theFire will be their home.” (Qur’aan 47:12.)
Do animals follow jinn or do jinn misguide animals? No. The takingof pleasure here refers to the fulfillment of sexual desire. Thus,the “pleasure” mentioned in Soorah al-An’aam can also include sexualpleasure enjoyed by males and females. This is what happens when aman or woman has a wet dream. And I have dealt with many cases wheremale jinn were taking pleasure from women and female jinn weretaking pleasure from men.
Q. Do jinn possess believing Muslims who are conscientious in theirreligious practices?A. This only happens to those of weak faith. The jinn have no powerover the true believers. The Almighty said:
“You will have no authority over my servants, except those among themisguided will follow you.” (Qur’aan 15:42.)
“He [i.e., Satan] said, `By Your power, I will surely mislead themall, except Your sincere, chosen servants.” (Qur’aan 38:82-83.”
The true believers and sincere worshippers of Allah are protected byHim, so the devils cannot possess them. ON the other hand, thedevils play with the worshippers of Satan who disobey Allah in thesame way that children play football.
Q. If that be the case, how do you explain the hadeeth of the womanwho was overcome by the fits, yet the companions bore witness thatshe would be among the people of paradise?A. Sara ` is of two types: fits caused by jinn and those caused bybiological reasons which Ibn al-Qayyim called sara ` min al-akhlaat.Thus, seizures may be from jinn possession or they may be from achemical imbalance in the brain or the nervous system. Jinn –possession is treated most effectively by the Qur’aan, because it isa spirit treating another spirit. Demonic possession is like theloss of sight or hearing. It may be a test from Allah. The Prophet(PBUH) told the woman, “If you are patient, your reward is Paradise.”
Q. How do you explain a Christian priest’s successful exorcism ofpatients?A. The non-Muslim in this field works with the jinn. The jinn mayease the pain for a week or months in order that the patient put histrust in the disbelieving healer. If he were a Muslim patient, hisfaith would be lost. For only the Qur’aan is the word of Allah andonly it can heal the spirit. The Prophet (PBUH) said,
” Whoever visits a fortuneteller, his prayers will not be acceptedfor 40 days.”
And he also said:
“Whoever believes a fortuneteller is disbelieved in the religionthat Muhammad brought.
Q. How do you distinguish between someone who is suffering frombewitchment and one suffering from the evil eye?A. They are very similar, and they are both a product of the jinneeattaching itself within a person. The distinction comes in thetreatment. The longest lasting and more difficult to cure is frommagic spells and the easiest to treat are seizures (sara’). As tothe Prophet’s bewitchment, some scholars have declared it false eventhought he narrations are highly accurate, without any discrepancyin their chain of narrators or in their text. These scholars haveallowed their limited minds to determine the right and wrong in thereligion. This is an error on their part. There are different typesof magic: habal (dimwittedness), khabal (confusion) and abat(stupidity). These all affect the mind of the bewitched person. Threis another kind called sihr aljawaarih wal-a’daa’ (magic of thelimbs and the organs) which does not affect the mind but affectsones organs, like the hand or the genitals. The type which affectedthe Prophet (PBUH) was the second type in which his mind was notaffected at all. For him to be affected is not strange because hewas a human being and affected by many sicknesses. He was wounded,his incisor tooth was broken, he was cursed, made fun of, called afortuneteller, a magician and a madman. He was an example for us ofone who suffered as we do, but was patient and accepted his fate.The hadeeth about the Prophets bewitchment in al- Bukhaaree andMuslim reported by ` Aa’ ishah states that he used to think that hehad come to his wife when he did not. And in other books oftraditions it is mentioned that he would think he had done somethingwhich he had not. That was merely forgetfulness, which all theprophets were subject to, The Almighty said in Soorah Yoosuf:
“But Satan made him forget to remember his Lord, and he remained inprison for a few [more] years.” (Qur’aan 12:42.)
And in Soorah al-Aaam:
“And if Satan causes you to forget, do not remain tin the company ofthe transgressors after you have remembered.” (Qur’aan, 6:68.)
And in Soorah al-Khaf:
“None made me forget it except Satan, and amazingly it took its wayback to the sea.”(Qur’aan 18:63.)
The Prophet (PBUH) prayed a four unit prayer and concluded it withsalaams after the second unit. The companion, Thul-Yadayn said tohim, “Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget, O Messengerof Allah?” Prophet (PBUH) said, ” The prayer has not been shortenedand I did not forget.” The companion told him that he only prayedtwo units. The Prophet (PBUH) than asked the other companions ifwhat he said was correct, and they confirmed it. So the Prophet(PBUH) got up and prayed with them two more units of prayer.Consequently, forgetfulness can happen to prophets and this is notconsidered a mental disorder (habal) in any sense of the term.
Q. What do you recite over those suffering possession, magic and theevil eye?A. There are incantations called ruqyah al- masroo and ruqyah al-mareed. I have gathered the many narrations from the Prophet (PBUH)and placed them under these headings in a large, unpublished volume,which I have entitled Aasaa ` il Himaayah al – Insaan min Masaa’ ibash-Shaytaan. Time does not permit me to go through them at thispoint.
After posting part one and part two, here is the 3rd interview in the exorcism series:
INTERVIEW NO. 3Location: Cairo,EgyptDate:10/8/88
Name: Sa’eed MuhammadDate Of Birth: 1946Education: Diploma from the `Ibaad ad-Du’aa’ Institute
Q. When did you begin practicing exorcism?A. I begin practicing more than ten years ago.
Q. What caused you to begin?A. It began when the wife of my brother became afflicted withcontinual vaginal bleeding that the doctors were unable to treat. Asyou know, there is a prophetic tradition in which a woman came tothe Prophet (PBUH) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am a womanwhose blood flows continually.” He said to her, “It is due to ablow struck by the devil.” That is, the devil has some influence inthis area. Perhaps it was due to a fit (mass) or perhaps she wasbewitched, both of which are manifestations of the jinn in the body.There is a hadeeth saying that the devil flows in the bloodstream ofAdam’s descendants. Because of this, I recited over her al-Faatihah; the first five verses of Soorah al Baqarah; “wa ilaahukumilaahun waahid…., (Qur’aan 2:163) verse 255 of al-Baqarah; “shahidallaahu annahoo laa ilaaha illaa hoo……” from SoorahAal Imraan; (Qur’aan 3:18) ” rabbukumullaah….” From Soorah al-A’raaf (Qur’aan 7:54) “afahsibtum…” from Soorah al-Mu’minoon;(Qur’aan 23:115) the closing verses of Soorah al-Hashr, and threeverses from Soorah al-Jinn. The jinnee in her manifested itself andspoke to me. I realized that it was a male jinnee. It said that itcame to her when she cried in the dark because her husband hadtraveled. My brother’s complaint was that whenever her approachedhis wife, she would begin to bleed even thought it was not the timeof her menses. In the end, after my recitation, I found that thejinnee was not a Muslim. I invited him to Islam, and he accepted andthen left her.
Q. Was his voice different from your bother’s wife’s voice?A. Yes, it was the voice of a male.
Q. How old was the woman?A. She was 25 years old. It is the Qur’anic verses which can controlthe jinn, Muslim or on-Muslim. Some are rebellious and others areMuslim. Sometimes it may argue with the exorcist himself. We seethat the churches are filled with magic, for when we ask the jinnquestions, they say that they came from the church of George’sfamily. And the jinn are tough and try to destroy whoever is intheir presence.
Q. What percentage of the cases are true, demonic possession?A. Some are imaginary. Women often imagine that someone hasbewitched them or that the change of their husbands treatment is dueto a magic spell put upon their husbands.The first sign of real possession in a woman isthat her menses become irregular. She also feels a kind ofsuffocation which is quite different from psychological depressionor medical asphyxia. It comes to her at night in the form of anightmare, even if she is regular in her formal prayers and uses theprescribed daily supplications. At the end of her treatment shelistens to a tape of the verses which I mentioned earlier. When shelistens to the tape alone, she discovers her life changing. Shebecomes imbalanced at first. In the beginning, I greet the jinneewith salutations of peace. If it is a Muslim, it replies, and ifnot, it does not reply. I then begin to address it with any othergreetings, and it replies, informing me that it is not a Muslim.After speaking to it, it leaves the woman, freeing her from all ofthe afflicting pains, from headaches to infertility and othersymptoms which doctors are unable to cure.On one occasion during an argument between awoman and her husband, the wife lost her speech. Her tongue refusedto function, and she became very depressed. She saw a doctor who wasunable to determine the medical cause, so he sent her to me. Irecited over her the verses I mentioned earlier and called theathaan. At the end of the athaan, the woman began to speak again.She made the declaration of faith (shahaadah), and the jinnee lefther.
Q. From your experience, what are the reasons why jinn possesspeople?A. Jinn enter human bodies when man commits error. However, if helives according to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH)and uses the prescribed supplications and prayer shields(tahassunaat) which the Prophet (PBUH) taught us, he will not beafflicted by the jinn. The jinn may afflict one who is far fromsupplications, the Sunnah and Qura’nic recitation. Such anaffliction can be quite destructive. Sometimes when marital partnersargue for no reason, the husband will report that he saw his wifelooking quite unnatural, and she will say likewise about him. Thisis form of magical spell called “the reversal” (qalb) it existedduring the era of Moses and is still around today. The wife maybecome possessed or bewitched. When a jinnee enters a human body, itwishes the body to remain in its possession. It may practice evilwith the woman in her ear eating and drinking habits, in her sleep,etc. It may enter the toilet with her when she goes to reliveherself. If you ask her if she spends along time in the toiletrelieving herself, she will reply, “Yes I do although I do not needto spend all of that time in there.” This is because the jinn wanther in that state in order to see her exposed private parts.
Q. What are the other reasons?A. The jinn may fall in love with a woman. When we performintercourse, we are supposed to say, ” O Allah, remove the devilfrom us and form whatever offspring You provide us.” It may bededuced from this prayer that the devil may take part when a man hasintercourse with his wife. As Allah, Most Great and Glorious, saidto Satan in Soorah al-Israa’.
“Share in their wealth and children……” (Qur’aan 17:64)
Satan does not have power over the true servants of Allah who prayregularly and read the Qur’aan. When you enter a house, you may findmost of its occupants are afflicted with some sort of demonicpossession (mass). And when you ask the head of the household if heprays, he will say no. The house ruins and thus the devil enters.
Q. What is the percentage of possessed women in relationship to men?A. The greater majority are women, about 95 percent, because theylike to adorn themselves, display their beauty, and are disobedient.I have only encountered one possessed woman who was pious. Sheattended one of my lectures and after I recited the verses, we heardher scream. She was known to pray regularly and had memorized muchof the Qur’aan, so I asked her what was wrong with her, and shereplied in a man’s voice, “I am Alee.” I asked him, “Are you aMuslim?” and he replied yes.” “How did you enter her?” He said, ”She poured hot water outside and hurt me.” I told him, “Get out!”and he left. She was 28 years old.
Q. How did you know that she was possessed?A. She said that when she poured the hot water she felt as thoughthere was fire in her left leg. Some people sense the jinn’sentrance while others do not.
Q. From your experience, do male jinn enter woman and female jinnenter men?A. If a woman harms a female jinnee, it will enter her. Sometimes wehave found both male and female jinn inside of a single person.Sometimes, when you say to it, “Send out So-an-so,” it turns out tobe only one jinnee pretending to be different people.
Q. It is most common for a male jinn to affect a woman?A. Yes. It is the usual case for women to be possessed by male jinnand men by female jinn. I saw one case in which a man was possessedby a female jinnee who was a non Muslim. He used to have terriblefits whenever he recited the Qur’aan. I told her that he was goingto get married soon and she screamed. After great effort, she wasmade to leave.
Q. Are possessing jinn usually Muslims or non-Muslims?A. In reality, jinn may be both. But Muslim jinn only enter if theyare hurt, while non-Muslim jinn will enter whether hurt or not. Mostoften they are non-Muslims.
Q. Do the jinn settle in a particular portion of the human body?A. Usually they spread throughout the whole body. The Prophet (PBUH)said, “Certainly the devil flows in the veins of Adam’sdescendants.” And in another narration, “Satan circulates in Adamsdescendents like blood.” In some cases, I ask the jinnee tocongregate in one specific place.
Q. Have you experienced any attempt to posses you?A. The jinn have tribes and families. They are just like us. Theywill try to take revenge on the one who removes them. One time, theytired to affect my son Ahmad.



Interview With An Exorcist - Part 4
August 31st, 2005
After posting part one, part two and part three, here is the 4th interview in the exorcism series:
Interview No. 4.Location: Riyaadh, SaudiArabia Date2/4/88
Name: `Abdullaah Mushrif al- `AmreeDate of Birth: 1964 CEPlace of Birth: RiyaadhEducation: BA from Imama Ibn Sa’ood Islamic University in the fieldof Hadeeth.
Q. Exactly when did you begin to treat possessed people?A. I began reciting the qur’aan over the sick approximately twoyears ago.
Q. What made you decide to begin this/?A. I am not of those who haphazardly begin to treat people. I firstnoticed that this sickness was common. I was working as a member ofthe Morals Commission (Hay’at al-Amir bil-Ma’roof wan-Nahyi `an al-Munkar), following the statement of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH).
“Whoever sees evil should change it with his hand. If he is unable,he should change it with his tongue. And if he is unable to do [eventhat], he should hate it in his heart, and that is the lowest[level] or faith.”As a member of the Morals Commission, wearrested a number of people from a variety of backgrounds. Theseindividuals admitted exploiting the ignorant masses in the mostrepulsive and gross ways. They were using a variety of amulets andcharms, which all involved shirk. I was assigned as the imaam of amasjid. A lot of people came to me with different ailments so Irecited over them regularly. This was not connected with any specialtreatment. Any imaam of a masjid can read for people, however, thereare some conditions for recitation. One should have strong faith andfull trust in Allah. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “If you trust in Allahas He deserves to be trusted, the angels will shake you hands.” Ifound that people were greatly benefiting from these readings. Amongthe problems they faced was the effect of the evil eye. The Prophet(PBUH) said,
“The evil eye is real. It may put a man in the grave and a camel ina pot.”
Asmaa’, the daughter of Aboo Bakr, said to the Prophet (PBUH), “OMessenger of Allah, the Ja’far clan is affected by the evil eye.Should we do incantations for them?” He said, “Yes, for if there wasanything which could overcome destiny, it would be evil eye.” AndIbn Baaz mentioned that whoever denies the entrance of jinn intohumans has told a lie against the divine law (sharee’ah). There arevery clear proofs of this taking place. After being appointed thegovernor of Taa’if, `Uthman ibn Abeeal –Aas came to the Prophet(PBUH) and informed him that he was getting confused in his prayers.He explained that something was interfering with his ability toperform prayer and to recite the Qur’aan. The Prophet (PBUH)said, “Come here. That is a devil.” When he came close, the Prophet(PBUH) said, “Get out enemy of Allah, I am the Messenger of Allah.”So what was he telling to leave, sickness?.. And he also said, “Getout, enemy of Allah,” and we are prohibited from cursing sicknesses.After that, “Uthmaan ibn Abee al-`Aaas said that for the rest of hislife he was never again confused in his prayer. That was a devilcalled Khanzab. Also, when the Prophet (PBUH) was on a journey witha companion named AbooYa’laa. Shaddaad ibn Aws, a woman came to themwith her son, red over him, blew in his mouth and said, “Get out,enemy of Allah. The woman offered the Prophet (PBUH) two goats andsome fat. He told Aboo Ya’ laa to take the fat and one of the goatsand return the other. Allah has also said in the Qur’aan: “Those whoeat interest get up like one stumbling from Satan’s touch.”
Q. How long have you been imaam of the masjid.A. I have been the imaam for three years. After the first year ofexperience with people coming of readings and consequently gettingbetter, I began to research the subject of possession thoroughly. Igathered the classical reference works containing the information onthis, I studied causes of these sicknesses, methods of treating themand specific verses which should be recited during treatment. Praisebe to Allah, I was able to master this subject and began to treat afew people at a time. Eventually, my high success rate became knownand people came in droves. If people had not found any improvementafter my treatment, no one else would have come.
Q. Could you describe your methodology in curing the possessed?A. The fist thing to understand is that seizures (sara’) are of twokinds. The first types are seizures of the brain, which can only betreated in the hospital. The Qur’aan cannot cure it. An example ofthis is a case of the woman who came to the Prophet (PBUH) andinformed him that she was overcome by seizures during which shewould tear off her clothes. He told her. ” If you wish, I will prayto Allah on your behalf, or, if you wish you may be patient andParadise will be yours.” She asked him to pray on her behalf inorder for her to stop exposing herself, which he did. The secondtypes are seizures caused by the jinn –possession of humans.Sometimes it is due to the jinn’s love obsession with humans, desireto punish or merely scare them, and at other times due to magic orthe evil eye. The recitation of the Qur’aan over them once, twicethree times or more cures them.
Q. Do you use any particular verses?A. There are no special verses besides Aayah al-Kursee, al- Faatihahand the mu’awwithataan, which were all mentioned in very strongprophetic traditions. Otherwise, all of the Qur’aan is blessed.After recitation, I communicate with the jinnee, which will say, forexample. “I am in love with her.”
Q. Do you use any other supportive techniques along with yourrecitation?A. Yes. Some jinn will only leave if they are beaten. Continuousrecitation is sufficient to make some of them communicate; yetothers will only communicate if I grasp the neck here (i.e., on thejugular veins). Then they reveal the reason for their possession ofthe human, which is either out of love or caused by magic or theevil eye. The Prophet (PBUH) said that the evil eye is real andattended by the devil. I then order the possessing spirit to leaveafter telling it what it has done is oppression, which is forbiddenin the Qur’aan and Sunnah. I may quote that hadeeth qudsee in whichAllah said:
“O my servants, I have made oppression forbidden to Myself andprohibited it among you, so do not oppress each other.”
And also the Prophet’s statement:
“Oppression is darkness on the Day of Judgement.”If a man is possessed by a female jinnee out of love for him, I tellher that her possession is oppressing him.
Q. Do female, Muslim jinn sometimes possess people?A. Yes. Female jinn will possess Muslims and cause seizures. I tellthe jinnee that her possession is not an expression of love but oneof harm, and I ask her to depart and do not return. I have her swearby Allah not to possess male or female Muslims in the future. If sheis a disbelieving jinnee, I invite her to Islam. In fact, a numberof them have accepted Islam from me-all praise is due to Allah-around thirteen or fourteen Buddhists, Christians etc.
Q. Do female jinn always enter men and male jinn enter women?A. Yes. That is the most common occurrence. Although it is veryrare, a male jinnee may also possess a man, perhaps only in 10percent of the cases.
Q. If the jinnee speaks, does it speak with the man’s voice?A. Sometimes it speaks with the man’s voice and sometimes with afemale’s voice.About 60 percent of the time, the jinnee communicates with thepossessed person’s voice.
Q. I notice that you have with you bottles of water and olive oil.What is their purpose?A. I will explain this to you. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Eat olive oil and anoint yourselves with it; for verily, it is ablessed tree.” The olive treeis a blessed by which Allah swears in the Qur’aan. I recite someverses from the Qur’aan over the oil and the person rubs some of theoil on the part of their body, which gives him pain. In any case,everything is by experimentation, even medical knowledge. As to thewater, I also recite over it and they drink it. If the personexperiences gradual improvement-by the grace of Allah-fine, becausethe jinn cannot withstand contact with the Qur’aan. If the persondrinks the water and rubs the oil and finds himself becoming uneasyand irritated, it means that he is possessed by a jinnee. So, it isused to determine the nature of the illness, like a medicalexamination. This method has proven itself effective in the vastmajority of cases. There are other methods being used, but the bestis by using only the Qur’aan.
Q. Do others assist you by holding down patients?A. Yes. If the man is possessed by a female jinnee-and a femalejinnee is stronger than ten men-it will require at least ten men tohold him down. It happened in my home recently that I recited overone man who suddenly became incredibly powerful. He leaped up and ittook about ten men to hold him. I am usually assisted by thepatient’s relatives or friends. If I find that there is something inhim, I ask them to hold him steady so that he will not punch or kickme. Sometimes the jinnee will speak immediately, so I recite fewverses and it leaves right away. The jinn have different strengths,for some are very strong and yet others are quite weak.
Q. What is the purpose of depressing the jugular veins?A. Sometimes it is only when the human mind is unconscious that thejinn appear. I hold them lightly and not in a way which could leadto strangulation. This has happened at the hands of someinexperienced exorcists. The comparison is like the differencebetween the treatment by a qualified doctor and someone justbeginning their studies.
Q. Do you tie strings around the fingers around the fingers and toesduring the treatment?A. Sometimes there are cases when a man comes with is wife,informing me that she is possessed by a jinnee. When she is in mypresence the jinnee leaves immediately, but by the time he takes herback to his car, the jinnee returns. This type of jinnee is maarij,and the only way to hold him is by tying the strings. Therefore, Itell the husband that if the jinnee returns, he should tie stringaround her fingers and toes and bring her back to me. In this mannerit is caught and cannot escape.
Q. How are the fingers and toes tied?A. A string is tired around each finger and each toe separately. Thestring should both be very tight. On one occasion a possessed womanwas brought to me with their fingers and toes tied. I began recitingover her until the jinnee screamed and said, “I swear by Allah thatI will leave.” I said, “No. I will burn you with the Qur’aan, thewords of Almighty Allah. I will not let you go. You have becomeimprisoned by Allah and then by me.” It promised over and over againto leave and never to return again. At that point, I untied herfingers and it left through her fingers.
Q. Do they always leave by the fingers or could it be through thetoes?A. It could be either. Occasionally the jinn will seek permission toleave through the eyes or the head. I tell them no., leave fromhere, and they depart from where they are commanded.
Q. Are there any signs which let you know which part of the bodythey are leaving from?A. Yes. The arm or the leg will begin to shake, sometimesmoderately, and sometimes violently, until the movement graduallysubsides, indicating that the jinnee has left.
Q. When you use beating in your treatment, on what part of the bodydo you apply it?A. The patient should only be beaten when he has become unconcioiusand the jinnee has appeared. And even in such cases, it should notbe severe. It is preferable to hit the back or the shoulders, thepoint of the body where the jinnee seems to be residing or differentparts as it move. At times the patient may be conscious, and he canidentify the movement of the jinnee about his body.
Q. What percentage of your patients are men and women?A. I would first like to point out that people’s abandonment of theQur’aan and the sunnah is what has caused them to be afflicted bypossession. For example, when I encounter a person who says that hefeels depressed or bored with life and subsequently recite theQur’aan over him, I find a female jinee present. When I ask why shepossessed him, she replies, “He does not pray.” Allah spoke thetruth when he said:
“And whoever turns away from remembrance of the Most Merciful [i.e.,Allah], We appoint for him a devil as a companion.” (Qur’aan 43:36)
And the Almighty said:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance will have a wretchedlife, and We will gather him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.”(Qur’aan 20:124.)
So after the jinnee leaves, I advise the patient to fear Allah,establish his prayersAt there proper times, and read the Qur’aan regularly. By the willof Allah, it will never return. I tell him that if he does not dothese things or only does them for a while then stops, it mayreturn. Regarding the percentage of patients, it is about the same.However, I have about 5 percent more women patients than men due togeneral weakness of women in comparison to men.
Q. What benefit does a jinee get from possessing a human?A. In the case of a female jinnee possessing a man out of love, ithas intercourse with him n his dreams and takes pleasure in thisway. Sometimes it may take the form of a woman, but even then itwill have intercourse with him while he is sleeping. Most often thisoccurs during dreams. Otherwise, the jinnee just disturbs him basedupon the fact that it was sent by a magical spell or in revenge forsome harm done to it by the person.
Q. Is there a particular part of the body that the jinnee occupies?A. In the case of women it usually occupies their wombs, and in thecase of men it usually settles in their chests.
Q. Are there degrees of possession?A. Yes, there is a complete and final possession. When a jinneefirst enters the human body, it only has a partial hold. It takestime for it to completely possess the individual.
Q. From what parts of the body do they enter?A. They enter mainly from the feet.
Q. Have you encountered cases of more than one jinnee possessing asingle person?A. On many occasion during exorcisms it becomes evident that theperson has within him more than one jinnee. After expelling one, theperson still exhibits signs of possession.When I recite over them, another entity emerges and speaks in adifferent voice, using a different name.
Q. Does the qareen (the companion jinnee) assigned to every man frombirth possess, or is another jinnee?A. No. It is another jinnee. It is the qareen, which the Prophet(PBUH) said, flows into the bloodstream, but it is another jinn,which actually possesses.
Q. Does the Qureen harm its human companion?A. Sometimes its strong whispers swerve the human away fromperforming prayer, remembering Allah and helping the needy.
Q. During an exorcism have you ever experienced the jinn trying topossess you?A. No, never.
Q. Are all of the patients brought to you cases of true possession?A. No, but I recite over everyone. Illness due to biological causesmay be cured by recitation, depending upon the level of the person’sfaith. The companions of the Prophet (PBUH) used to recite al-Faatihah over those stung by scorpions, and they were cured. Whatabout a few microbes, which enter a person? He should seek help fromAllah believing that Allah has revealed within the Qur’aan a cure.He should rely upon it with sure faith and sincerity as Ibn al-Qayyim said, “If every sick person recited the Qur’aan over himselfwith certainty of faith and sincerity, no sick person would remain.Almighty Allah informs us;
“If We revealed this Qur’aan on a mountain, you would see it humblycrumbling out of fear of Allah. (Qur’aan, 59:21)
And he said:
“And We reveal within the Qur’aan healing and mercy for thebelievers. (Qur’aan 17:82)
And elsewhere:
“O mankind, there has come to you from your Lord a good advice andhealing for what is in your chests. (Qur’aan 10:57.)
Some of them have aliments, which cannot be diagnosed, in hospitals.For example, when one afflicted by the evil eye is checked in thehospital, they will not find anything wrong with him. Others havesicknesses, which can be treated medically. Not everyone over whom Ihave read has recovered. I recommended that those with physicalailments be treated in a hospital.
Q. Have truly insane people been brought to you for treatment?A. Yes, such people have been brought to me. I usually tell themthat if the hospital has diagnosed their ailment and identified itscause, there is no need to bring them to me. However, if thehospital is unable to identify the cause, I will try to treat them.Sometimes the jinn will cause a human to act in an insane manner.There was a young man who was admitted to Taa’ if PsychiatricHospital whom I treated, and he was cured. His condition was causedby jinn-possession. The jinn used to speak through his voice andcause him to make strange movements.
Q. What are the signs and symptoms of possession?A. I first ask the patients some questions. I ask if they experiencestates of depression, headaches, continual movements in the bodiesor disturbing dreams. If that is the case, they spend the night atmy house, and I ask them to inform me when the condition comes. Ithen recite over them. If I find them shaking or breathing strangelywhen I recite, I continue reciting until they scream and the jinneestarts communicating. I ask it why it came, and it reveals thereason, for example, magic, the evil eye, etc. I take from it asolemn oath to leave and not to return. The patients then find outall of their ailments are gone.
Q. Have you noticed any other symptoms like a strange way of smilingor a foul odor?A. Yes, particularly those afflicted by a magic spell give off avery bad odor. Other signs are continuous movements and pains, whichseem to travel around the body. When I recite, they scream, faint ortremble. Some patients do not do these things and are cured withjust recitation of the Qur’aan.
Q. What about that little boy who was just brought to you?A. That little boy has a problem with his leg. On Thursdays andFridays he is able to walk quite normally, but during the rest ofthe week he is unable to walk. He has pains here and here (i.e., histhighs and lower legs.)
Q. Could the cause be due to his dislike for school?A. No, he is not going to school at all. I think- and Allah knowsbest- that he may be afflicted by the evil eye.
Q. Could you describe a few recent cases of possession, which youhave successfully treated?A. There are many.
Case No. 1
There was a woman about 28 years old who used to be overcome byseizures from time to time over a period of two years. Sometimes shewould lose consciousness. Whenever she had fits, they took her tothe hospital, where she received injections, putting her in adrugged state. About a year ago, she had very intense seizure andher family brought her to me at 10 o’clock at night. They told methat the hospital only informed them that she had psychologicalproblems. When I recited over her it became obvious that she waspossessed, and the cause was from magic. The jinnee in her was aBuddhist. She did not respond immediately after recitation, butafter pressing her jugular veins, the jinnee presented himself andinformed us about the magician who put the spell on her and thecharm’s location.
Q. Do you believe everything that the jinn say?A. Not everything they say is to be believed unless it is confirmed.In this case we found the charm where the jinnee said it was locatedand we burned it. Since then she has not had any more seizures.
Case No 2.About six months ago, a man brought his wife and told me that sherefused to speak to him. She became agitated and depressed wheneverhe came near her. After reciting over her, the jinnee appeared andinformed us that her state was due to bewitchment and that the charmwas buried in her father’s grave. We went to the grave, dug it upand removed the charm, which was made with her hair and fingernailclippings, and then we burned it. After that she was cured-by thewill of Allah.