REVEALING THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE HIDDEN WORLD OF JINN

A reference guide to Jinn, the supernatural beings central to Islamic cosmology.

Invisible to humans, Jinn, sometimes called genies or djinn, loom large in Islamic theology. According to the Quran, they are creatures Allah formed from fire, unlike humans, who were constructed from clay. According to Ahmad, Jinn frequently interact with humans, but rarely in positive ways. He says that while some jinn are devout Muslims, others are evil demons, including the most evil Jinn of all: Iblis, known in the West as Satan. Evil Jinn–which appear in a variety of forms, including ghosts, vampires and demons–delight in causing problems for humans. Ahmad claims that some wicked Jinn even fall in love with humans and use deceptive tactics to have sex with them with predictably disastrous results (for the humans anyway). Not all Jinn are evil, however, and this book includes a chapter about the various ways good Jinn can aid humans. The author draws primarily from the Quran and other sacred Islamic sources to present this overview. To the average non-Muslim reader, the most interesting sections are bound to be the collected Jinn stories that Ahmad has culled from the Quran, but these readers are likely to find his more conjectural musings somewhat suspicious. Less skeptical readers interested in the supernatural will appreciate the author’s efforts to tie Jinn to more traditional Western-oriented paranormal topics, including UFOs and the Bermuda Triangle. Doubters–a group that probably includes most potential readers–will raise an incredulous eyebrow toward these “unseen beings,” but they’re still likely to appreciate this look at unorthodox religious views from another culture’s perspective. Although this book does feel repetitive at times, it’s at least well written and often entertaining.

An exhaustive resource for believers, a fun diversion for others.