Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) Paperback – January 20, 2017

ANYONE who is interested in knowing more about the jinn/djinn, whether paranormal writers doing research, or the simply curious, or academic readers, would find this book to be of great value.The author is erudite and manages to assimble a fount of Jinn lore not obtainable elsewhere in English. If a non-Muslim or non-Arab wanted a book explaining beliefs and folklore about the Jinn this would be the book to get (along with Robert Lebling's Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar)The book is well put together, nicely typeset, and printed on good quality paper. The binding is excellent. As to the contents it is a very good, well researched, and sensitive Academic look at the Jinn/djinn. It is culturally sympathetic, Professor El-Zein is an Arab, but her very erudite work manages a responsible academic distance from the subject matter, yet maintains cultural sympathies.The magic of the jinn come out in the folklore and stories referenced in this collection, and her prose retains a faint touch of the poetic. However this is, at heart, an academic work. It manages not to be dry at all, however, and is elegantly written.It would make a good textbook, and certainly is more valuable reading for anyone interested in the Paranormal than many other books on the market. Try it out.

What I found best about this book was the description of Jinns from the own Arabic culture but still drawing parallels to the Western lore. The author has done plenty of research and the result is amazing. I was really impressed and enjoyed reading the book. The only thing missing was a guide or ritual to actually contact Jinn. But maybe if the time is ripe the Jinn will contact me....

I ordered this book as part of research for a novella, and couldn't be more pleased! It covers aspects of djinn history and lore missing from many Western books. Very helpful to me as a writer, and also interesting in its own right.

This is a great introduction to the topic but I was disappointed to see citations of the likes of Rupert Sheldrake as if they were authorities.

Similar to the European fairies, Indian and Persian Devas and paris, are the Jinn. Legendary creatures made of wind and smokeless fire. They inhabit an invisible world between the realm of angels and the realm of man. They interact directly with our world but are banned from entering the realm of angels. Men who seek to find them usually travel to desolate out of the way places in the desert.The angels are made with bodies of light, ours of clay. The Jinn used to be able to enter the realm of angels and bring back the news from heaven to mankind's ears. With the advent of Islam the Jinn were banned from entering heaven. Their leader Iblis who may have been a lower level angel or high ranking Jinn, depending on the source refused to bow down to Adam so he was expelled to the planet earth.Now Jinn are not necessarily evil, they have a choice. They can come in any religion or none at all. Both Jinn and man will be judged for their deeds in judgment day. Yes there are Muslim Jinn. Some are good to people and other are bad.What follows is a scholarly examination of the Jinn concept in Arabia. Sources are pulled from pre Islamic works, Orthodox Islam and popular Muslim folklore. The concept of Jinn is compared to similar phenomena in other cultures, covering a range from Arabic, Persian, Greek, Roman, Indian and European folklore.Covered first if the cosmology of the Islamic heaven, briefly touched upon previously. The Muslim cosmology believes in seven earths each one differing from the other and each Earth contains worlds and universes. The consonants JN mean hidden or invisible . Such a concept could apply to angels, demons and other unseen being. It was thought that prior to the revelation of the Koran that the Jinn roamed the Earth and Heaven and in certain instances were thought of as Gods. The female Deities had wings and were treated much like angels or consorts to male gods. Some believe that the old Gods were in fact Jinn. After all they were unseen.Jinn can take many forms and sometimes they just keep on changing. The Gods in the Ancient world could also shape shift and be tricky. The Egyptian gods were part animal part features of humans. Some animals like the dear were holy to the Jinn. They liked deer. Snakes were considered both good and evil and in some instances were reviled and in others worshipped.In strict Islam the Jinn were prohibited from marrying humans yet coupling did happen. Usually the mission was to create a hybrid offspring. In folklore it happened with the hybrid having special powers. The book posits several examples. The Jinn lore is very similar to faerie lore from Europe.The book goes on to discuss how Jinn inspire poets and the different types of Jinn. This is an good beginning primer for those interested in the lore of the Jinn.

I bought this book for some research. It’s very informative! Written well. Highly recommend even for the non religious person who is interested in world religions.

An academic, well written, informative book, detailing jinn from middle eastern mythos, their relationship to the Quran, and the similarities they share with beings of other other legends from around the world.

A must have in every occult library. Very intersting book.