We believe that Allah created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire. In the Qur’an, He says: {And the jinn We created before that, from smokeless fire.} [Surat al-Hijr: 27] He also says: {And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.} [Surat ar-Rahmān: 15] And the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created from what has been described to you." [Narrated by Muslim (2996)]
We believe that Allah, the Exalted, created the jinn and humankind to worship Him. He says: {I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.} [Surat adh-Dhāriyāt: 56] The jinn may include warners among themselves, but not messengers. Allah Almighty says: {And [remember] when We sent to you a group of jinn to listen to the Qur’an. When they heard it, they said [to one another]: "Listen attentively." Then when it was over, they returned to their people as warners.} [Surat al-Ahqāf: 29] Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The messengers are from humankind, and the jinn have warners." [Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (3/340)]
As for the verse that says: {O assembly of jinn and humans, did there not come to you messengers from among you, reciting to you My verses and warning you of meeting this Day of yours?} [Surat al-An‘ām: 130] This means: from you as a whole, not from each party of you. This is similar to the verse that says: {And He has placed the moon therein as a light.} And the verse that reads: {Yet they rejected him and hamstrung her}, even though it is only one of them who did so.
We believe that the jinn had been created before Adam. Hence, Allah Almighty says: {And the jinn We created before that, from smokeless fire.} [Surat al-Hijr: 27] The chief of the devils is Satan - may Allah protect us from him. Allah created him from fire, like the other jinn and devils. Speaking about Satan, Allah, Exalted be He, says: {He said: "I am better than him; You created me from fire and created him from clay."} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 12] And that Satan had been one of the jinn. Allah Almighty says: {And [remember] when We said to the angels: "Prostrate before Adam," so they all prostrated except Satan, who was one of the jinn, but he disobeyed the command of his Lord.} [Surat al-Kahf: 50]
It was Satan who tempted Adam and Eve and caused them to be driven out of Paradise. He whispered to them and swore that he was giving them sincere advice. He deluded them with deception. They complied, and ate from the tree. Allah Almighty says: {O Adam, dwell in Paradise, you and your wife, and eat from wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree, or else you will both be among the wrongdoers. Then Satan whispered to them in order to expose what was hidden from them of their private parts. He said: "Your Lord has only forbidden to you this tree to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals." And he swore to them: "I am indeed your sincere adviser." So he deluded them both with deception. When they tasted the tree, their private parts became visible to them, so they began to put together leaves of the Garden to cover themselves. Their Lord called them: "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is your sworn enemy?" They said: "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves; if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 19-23]
We believe that Satan arrogantly disdained to prostrate, and so Allah got angry at him, cursed him, and expelled him from the Paradise of eternity; that he asked Allah to give him respite till the Day of Judgment, which Allah granted him; and that he swore by the might of Allah that he would tempt all the children of Adam, except the chosen servants of Allah. Informing us about Satan's plotting, Allah Almighty says: {[Remember] when your Lord said to the angels: "I am going to create a human being from clay. When I completed his creation and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down in prostration to him." Then the angels fell down in prostration all together, except Satan, who was arrogant and became one of the disbelievers. He said: "O Satan, what prevented you from prostrating to whom I created with My two Hands? Did you just become proud or have you always been arrogant?" He said: "I am better than him: You created me from fire and created him from clay." He said: "Then get out of here, for you are accursed, and My curse will be upon you until the Day of Judgment." He said: "My Lord, then give me respite until the Day of their resurrection." He said: "You are given respite, until the Day of the appointed time." He said: "By Your Might, I will surely mislead them all, except Your chosen slaves among them."} [Surat Sād: 71-83] In other verses, Allah Almighty says: {He [Satan] said: "Since You have led me astray, I will certainly lie in wait for them on Your straight path. Then I will come against them from their front and from their back, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them grateful."} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 16-17]
The jinn are accountable and required to follow the religion, and they have the ability to hear and understand the revelation from the messengers and warners. Hence, when they heard the Qur’an, they said the following: {And [remember] when We sent to you a group of jinn to listen to the Qur’an. When they heard it, they said [to one another]: "Listen attentively." Then when it was over, they returned to their people as warners. They said: "O our people, we have heard a scripture that has been sent down after Moses, confirming what came before it; it guides to the truth and to a straight path."} [Surat al-Ahqāf: 29-30]
We know that there are righteous jinn and those who are otherwise. Those who believe among them will enter Paradise, and those who disbelieve will go to Hellfire. Allah Almighty says: {Among us are some who are righteous and some who are otherwise, for we follow divergent ways.} [Surat al-Jinn: 11] Then, He says: {"Among us are some who are Muslims and some who are deviant. Those who accepted Islam have sought the true guidance, but those who are deviant, they will be fuel for Hell."} [Surat al-Jinn: 14-15]
Telling about how the angels will blame the wicked among humans and jinn on the Day of Judgment, Allah Almighty says: {"O assembly of jinn and humans, did there not come to you messengers from among you, reciting to you My verses and warning you of the Meeting this Day of yours?"} [Surat al-An‘ām: 130] He also says: {He will say: "Enter the Fire along with nations of jinn and humans who have passed on before you."} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 38]
Allah, the Exalted, points out that the reason for their entry into Hellfire is that they did not listen to guidance with the intent to accept it. He says: {We have surely created for Hell many jinn and humans. They have hearts with which they do not understand, eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear.} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 179] This verse indicates that the jinn have hearts, ears, and eyes. The devils also have voices with which they entice people. Allah Almighty says: {Entice with your voice whoever of them you can; mobilize against them your cavalry and infantry.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 64]
Allah, Exalted be He, warns people not to be seduced by Satan as he seduced their father. In the Qur'an, He says: {O children of Adam, do not let Satan seduce you as he caused your parents to be expelled from the Garden, stripping them of their garments and making their private parts visible to them. He and his offspring see you from where you cannot see them. We have made the devils allies to those who disbelieve.} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 27]
We believe that although the devil knows that he cannot seduce the chosen servants of Allah, he still tries to seduce them, along with his soldiers, and spoil their worship. Our Lord says: {Similarly did We make for every prophet enemies, devils from among men and jinn, whispering to one another alluring words of delusion. If Allah had willed, they would not have done so. So leave them to their fabrications.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 112] And the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "An ifrit of the jinn escaped yesterday to interrupt my prayer, but Allah gave me power over him; so I seized him and intended to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque in order that you might all look at him; but I remembered the supplication of my brother Sulaymān (Solomon) 'My Lord, give me such a kingdom as will not be fitting for anyone after me'; so I made him clear out.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (461) and Muslim (541)] Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is none of you who does not have his partner from among the jinn and his partner from among the angels put in charge of him." They said: "Does this also apply to you, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "It applies to me, but Allah has helped me against him and he has accepted Islam; so he commands me to do only what is good." [Narrated by Muslim (2814)]
Sabrah ibn Abi Fākih (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The devil sits in the paths of the son of Adam. He sits waiting for him on the path to Islam, and he says: 'Will you accept Islam, and leave your religion, and the religion of your forefathers?' But he disobeys him and accepts Islam. Then, he sits waiting for him on the path to emigration, and he says: 'Will you emigrate and leave behind your land and sky? The one who emigrates is like a horse tethered to a peg.' But he disobeys him and emigrates. Then, he sits, waiting for him on the path to Jihad, and he says: 'Will you fight in Jihad when it will cost you your life and your wealth? You will fight and be killed, and your wife will remarry, and your wealth will be divided.' But he disobeys him and fights in Jihad.' Whoever does that has a right upon Allah Almighty that He admits him to Paradise. Whoever is killed has a right upon Allah Almighty that He admits him to Paradise. And if he drowns, he has a right upon Allah that He admits him to Paradise, or if he is thrown by his mount and his neck is broken, he has a right upon Allah that He admits him to Paradise." [Narrated by An-Nasā’i (3134), and in Al-Kubra (4327), Ibn Abi Shaybah (19675), Ahmad (15958), and Ibn Hibbān (4593)]
If the devil does not lose hope for gaining power over the prophets (peace be upon them), he must be more determined with other people. Abu al-‘Alā’ related that ‘Uthmān ibn Abi al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, Satan intervenes between me and my prayer and my recitation of the Qur’an and he confounds me." Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That is the devil known as Khinzab. When you perceive his effect, seek refuge with Allah from him and spit three times to your left." He said: "I did that and Allah dispelled him from me." [Narrated by Muslim (2203)]
In another Hadīth, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the devil flows in a man like his blood." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (2038, 7171)] Ibn Battah (may Allah have mercy upon him) set a chapter about this meaning in his book Al-Ibānah; it reads: "Chapter on the belief that the devil is a created being who has power against the children of Adam and flows in them like blood, except those protected by Allah from him. Those who deny that are among the ruined sects." [Al-Ibānah Al-Kubra, by Ibn Battah (4/61)]
We know that the children of Adam receive thoughts from the angels and others from the devils. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) demonstrated to us how to evade the thoughts from the devils. ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The devil draws near to man, and so does the angel. The devil’s approach consists of promise of what is evil and denial of what is true; whereas the angel’s approach consists of promise of what is good and confirmation of what is true. When anyone experiences the latter, let him know that it comes from Allah and let him praise Allah; but if he experiences the other, let him seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil." Then, he recited {Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit shameful acts.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 268] [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi (2988), Ibn al-Mubārak in Az-Zuhd (1435), Ahmad in Az-Zuhd (854), and Abu Dāwūd in Az-Zuhd (164)]
We believe that Allah protects His believing servants from the plots of the devil, as long as they ask for His forgiveness. A Hadīth in the Musnad Collection reads: "The devil said: 'By Your might, my Lord, I will continue to lead Your servants astray as long as their souls are in their bodies.' The Lord said: 'By My might and Majesty, I will continue to pardon them as long as they ask for My forgiveness.'" [Narrated by Ahmad (11237), ‘Abd ibn Humayd (932), Abu Ya‘la (1273, 1399), At-Tabarāni in Al-Awsat (8788) and in Ad-Du‘ā’ (1779)]
We know that the devil can appear in a human form or in any other form as permitted by Allah Almighty. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) put me in charge of the Zakah of Ramadan. Someone came to me and started scooping some of the foodstuff with both hands. I caught him and told him that I will take him to the Messenger of Allah. Then, Abu Hurayrah told the whole narration and added: He (i.e. the thief) said: "Whenever you go to your bed, recite the Verse of the Kursi, for then a guardian from Allah will be guarding you, and Satan will not approach you till dawn." Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He told you the truth, though he is a frequent liar; that was a devil." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri as mu‘allaq (3275, 5010) from his shaykh ‘Uthman ibn al-Haytham in both places]
People in jāhiliyyah, due to their extreme ignorance, would turn to the leaders of jinn for help, which would only increase their fear and burden. Allah Almighty tells us about that, saying: {And there were some men who used to seek refuge with some jinn, but they only increased them in burden.} [Surat al-Jinn: 6]
We believe that idol worshipers do actually worship the jinn. In the Qur'an, Allah Almighty says: {On the Day when He gathers them all together, then He will say to the angels: "Was it you that they used to worship?" They will say: “Glory be to You! You are our Protector, not they. Rather they used to worship the jinn; most of them believed in them."} [Surat Saba’: 40-41]
We know that the devil allures man into disbelief and then forsakes him. Allah Almighty says: {They are like Satan when he says to man, 'Disbelieve,' then when he disbelieves, he says: "I have nothing to do with you. I surely fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds."} [Surat al-Hashr: 16] Also, he allures him into magic and teaches him to practice it. Allah, Exalted be He, says: {But the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 102]
And we know that Satan will forsake his allies in the Hereafter and blame them for following him. Allah Almighty informs that Satan will stand and speak to people in Hellfire. He says: {Satan will say when the matter is finally decided: "Allah gave you a true promise; I also gave you promise, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot rescue you, nor can you rescue me. I deny your previous association of me with Allah. Indeed, for the wrongdoers there will be a painful punishment."} [Surat Ibrāhīm: 22]