Surah Al-Jinn, Ayah 12

The Jinns testify that among Them there are Believers, Disbelievers, Misguided and Guided

Allah says that the Jinns said about themselves,

وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الصَّـلِحُونَ وَمِنَّا دُونَ ذَلِكَ

(There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary;) meaning, other than that.

كُنَّا طَرَآئِقَ قِدَداً

(We are groups having different ways.) meaning, on numerous differing paths and having different thoughts and opinions. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others have said,

كُنَّا طَرَآئِقَ قِدَداً

(We are groups having different ways.) "This means among us are believers and among us are disbelievers." Ahmad bin Sulayman An-Najjad reported in his (book of) Amali that he heard Al-A`mash saying, "A Jinn came to us, so I said to him, `What is the most beloved food to your kind' He replied, `Rice.' So we brought them some rice and I saw the morsels being lifted but I did not see a hand lifting it. So I asked him, `Do you have these desires (religious innovations) among your kind as we have among ours' He replied, `Yes.' Then I said, `Who are the Rafidah among you' He said, `They are the worst of us."' I presented this chain of narration to our Shaykh, Al-Hafiz Abi Al-Hajjaj Al-Mizzi and he said its chain is authentic to Al-A`mash.

وَأَنَّا لَا نَدْرِ‌ي أَشَرٌّ‌ أُرِ‌يدَ بِمَن فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ أَمْ أَرَ‌ادَ بِهِمْ رَ‌بُّهُمْ رَ‌شَدًا (and that we do not know whether it is a bad end that is intended for those on earth, or their Lord has intended for them a right thing,....72:10). The Jinn and devils were barred from having access to heavenly news. In this case it would be a punishment for the inhabitants of the earth. However, if Allah intends them to be rightly guided, He has barred the Jinn and Shaitan from having access to the heaven, so that they do not interfere with Divine revelation. Therefore, they expressed their reservations about this to the effect that they had no idea as to whether it was a bad end that was intended for the inhabitants of the earth or whether Allah intended them to be rightly guided.

In this world, in addition to human beings and angels, there is another set of creatures known as jinn. Human beings cannot see them but, in the Quran, they have been mentioned at several places. These verses show that among the jinn also there are guided and misguided types. Just as there are foolish leaders who misguide the common people, similarly there are foolish leaders among the jinn, who go on misguiding them with deceitful utterances. So far as the angels are concerned, they are not being put to the test, and thus do not have free will. They simply follow the commands given by God.