Jinni, plural jinn, also called genie, Arabic jinni, in Arabic mythology, a spirit inhabiting the earth but unseen by humans, capable of assuming various forms and exercising extraordinary powers. Belief in jinn was common in pre-Islamic Arabia, where they were thought to inspire poets and soothsayers. Their existence was affirmed in the Quran, and they are conceptualized in Islam as creatures parallel to human beings who are capable of choosing between good and evil and must thus face eventual salvation or damnation. They are beings of smokeless flame by nature, in the same manner in which humans are said to be made of earth, and they cannot be seen by human beings. Jinn are creatures made by Allah that cannot be seen by the human eye. They were created before the first of mankind. Allah has given the knowledge to understand them through the Quran and the sunnah. In folklore, they are sometimes referred to as genies, but they are very real.
Quranic Verse
وَ مَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَ الْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِیَعْبُدُوْنِ(۵۶)
And I have created Jinn and human beings, only for this; that they should worship Me.
وَ الْجَآنَّ خَلَقْنٰهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ مِنْ نَّارِ السَّمُوْمِ(۲۷)
And created Jinn before him, from smokeless fire
Iblees and Adam : A Tale of Creation
According to the Quran, Allah created them from a smokeless flame of fire. This flame is different from the usual fire that humans utilize in their regular living. It’s similar to how Allah created humans from dirt, but we are not the same as the dirt on the ground, but share the same properties. The materials that Allah used are a different type of fire or dirt that only he has access to.
This idea of being created from different materials can be seen in the history between Iblees the jinn and Adam the human. When Allah first made Adam and breathed life into him, Allah asked all present to prostrate before Adam. Everyone prostrated except Iblees. He believed that he was better than Adam because he was made of fire while Adam was made out of Earth.
Except for Iblees; he refused to be with those who prostrated. [Allah] said, “O Iblees, what is [the matter] with you that you are not with those who prostrate?” He said, “Never would I prostrate to a human whom You created out of clay from an altered black mud.
This earned him the wrath of Allah and he was cursed till the end of time. He now has the title of Shaytan, the one whose primary goal is to lead mankind astray. Allah gave him extra abilities and power to test mankind with.
And indeed, upon you is the curse until the Day of Recompense.
Iblees said:
My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them [i.e., mankind] on earth, and I will mislead them all.