The Paranormal, Islam, and the Theory of Everything

April 18, 2019

Throughout history people have reported supernatural phenomena. Stories of ghosts, demons, and the like are present in virtually all cultures, transcending language and religion. Are all these supernatural experiences independent phenomena, or are they somehow related? In this article we will see that Islam provides a “theory of everything”, an all-encompassing, coherent explanation that ties all these seemingly unrelated phenomena together.

The world of the Paranormal

In modern times all such supernatural incidents are collectively labelled as ‘the paranormal’. The paranormal is defined as events that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. The list that follows details the most commonly reported occurrences of paranormal activity:

Ghosts

Believed to be spirits of people who have died and haunt the living. Ghosts are mentioned in the oldest literature that we know of. The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest known works of all, references them. In table 12 of the Epic of Gilgamesh we are told that Enkidu descends into the underworld and comes back to earth as a “shadow”, informing Gilgamesh about his experience of death and the afterlife. Related to the concept of ghosts is the practice of necromancy which involves communicating with the dead. Necromancy was popular throughout the ancient world. The oldest literary account of necromancy is found in Homer’s Odyssey, the second oldest surviving work of Western literature [1]. The rituals varied from the mundane to the grotesque. The necromancer might wear the deceased’s clothing, and some even went so far as to take part in the consumption of corpses.

Demons

Believed to be non-human forces of evil. The conflict between good and evil can be found in every culture, mythical tradition, and religion throughout history. These entities are believed to operate outside the boundaries of the physical world, tormenting and leading people astray. References to these entities can be found in the writings of the most ancient of civilisations. As far back as the third millennium BCE the ancient Mesopotamians had an elaborate demonology. Their writings listed different types of demons, together with their harmful effects, and rituals that one can adopt to protect oneself. They believed that the world was swarming with malevolent demons. These beings threatened to disrupt health, business, family, in fact every department of life, and a great part of practical religion was devoted to keeping them away. Related to the concept of demons is the practice of magic. Demons are believed to be the mechanism by which magic works, with magicians making devilish pacts in order for spells and curses to harm their intended targets. The Code of Hammurabi, one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world, mentions magic and the punishment for magicians who lay curses on others [2].

UFOs

Unidentified flying objects. Today they are popularly believed to be advanced technology such as alien spacecraft or secret government weapons. Although reports and even video footage of UFOs have increased substantially in recent times, they are not a modern phenomenon. There are reports of strange aerial objects going as far back as ancient Rome. If one rules out natural sky phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), there are still numerous reports in the ancient world of aerial objects that bear a striking resemblance to modern sightings of UFOs. Although the descriptions of these “objects in the sky” vary in morphology, consistent patterns have emerged. Some of the essential features of the ancient UFO phenomenon is their silence, as no sound was reported, and their hovering motion, including rapid disappearance [3].

Near-death experiences

An occurrence described by people who have been close to death, in which the person experiences leaving their body and watching themselves from above. From a medical perspective, when the heart ceases to function, you stop breathing, and the brain shuts down. This is when a person is considered to be dead and should no longer have any conscious awareness. Yet a small percentage of cardiac arrest victims who have been resuscitated claim to be able to accurately recall details about their circumstances while they were unconscious, such as their hospital room and the medical professionals who treated them.

Past-life recall

Feelings of oneself as another person in a previous life. People who claim to have these experiences say that they are inexplicably familiar with places and events relating to people of whom they have no prior knowledge. They may even have body defects such as birthmarks that correspond to physical features of the person whose life they remember. Reincarnation is usually put forward as the best explanation for this phenomenon. Buddhism is a world religion in which past-life recall plays a major factor in selecting its leader. When the current Dalai Lama dies, it is believed that he is able choose the body into which he is reincarnated. If a child is born and they are suspected to be the next Dalai Lama, there are a series of tests to ensure that they are the genuine reincarnation. One means by which they assess the child is to present them with various objects to see if they can correctly identify those which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama.

Extrasensory perception

Also called sixth sense, is the ability to acquire information without the use of the five physical senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. This covers a range of phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and precognition. Telepathy is the ability to read another person’s thoughts. Clairvoyance is the ability to “see” events happening somewhere else. Psychokinesis, also known as telekinesis, is the ability to have a direct effect on another object without the use of any physical energy. Precognition is the ability to see into the future and is the most ancient and widespread of psychic phenomena. All known ancient cultures had the concept of special individuals – known by different names such as prophets, oracles, diviners, and soothsayers – who claimed to have a special insight into the future. This fascination with unveiling the unseen is not solely the domain of the religious, as even atheists, those who claim there is no God, are drawn to trying to peer into the future, with horoscopes being more popular than ever in secular societies.

In this section we have covered the most commonly reported paranormal activity through history. Although the nature of these different phenomena varies greatly, many of them go back to the most ancient of civilisations, transcending language, culture, and religion. They have survived the passage of time and the increase of human knowledge.

Islam and the world of Jinn

Islam informs us about many characteristics of entities known as ‘jinn’. The jinn are said to be a creation of God, distinct to that of human beings. God informs us in the Qur’an:

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. [51:56]

The Qur’an also tells us that jinn were created before man:

And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud. And the jinn We created before from scorching fire. [15:26-27]

The world of jinn is an independent and separate world that is hidden from our world. The default state of jinn is one of invisibility, we cannot see them when they are in their natural form. The word ‘jinn’ comes from an Arabic root meaning “hidden from sight”. The Qur’an states:

Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe. [7:27]

Unlike human beings, jinn are of different types. Among them are some who resemble dogs and snakes and some who can fly. Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him, said:

The jinn are of three types: a type that has wings, and they fly through the air; a type that looks like snakes and dogs; and a type that stops for a rest then resumes its journey. [4]

God has granted jinn powers that He has not given to humans. The Qur’an tells us about some of their powers, such as the ability to travel at great speed. Here the Qur’an relates a story about Prophet Solomon in which a jinn is said to have moved a throne from Yemen to Jerusalem in the blink of an eye, indicating that they can traverse vast distances in a very short amount of time:

A powerful one from among the jinn said, “I will bring it [the throne] to you before you rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this [task] strong and trustworthy.” Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, “I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.” And when [Solomon] saw it placed before him, he said, “This is from the favour of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful…” [27:39-40]

Jinn can also take on human form. They are so skilled in shape-shifting that they can take the appearance of specific people, even those who are dead. Prophet Muhammad said with regards to the trials of the coming Anti-Christ:

Part of his trial will be that he will say to a Bedouin, “Do you think that if I resurrect your father and mother for you that you will testify that I am your lord?” He will say, “Yes.” So two devils will appear to him in the image of his father and mother, saying, “O my son, follow him for he is your lord.” [5]

Prophet Muhammad revealed that every human being has a jinn who has been appointed to be our close companion, so they are aware of our speech and actions:

There is not one of you who does not have a jinn appointed to be his constant companion. [6]

Prophet Muhammad also revealed that jinn are able to flow through the bodies of human beings:

Verily, Satan flows through the human being like the flowing of blood. [7]

If you are wondering why Satan has been mentioned in the above narration, it’s because Islam teaches that Satan is a jinn. The concept of Satan as a fallen angel is a teaching of Christianity, not Islam. Here the Qur’an states that Iblees, which is the personal name of Satan, is a jinn:

They [the angels] prostrated, except for Iblees. He was of the jinn… [18:50]

The Qur’an reveals that jinn can plant thoughts and suggestions in people by means of whispering:

Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind. the God of mankind, from the evil of the retreating whisperer – Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind – from among the jinn and mankind.” [114:1-6]

They can even influence us to the point of altering our perception of reality. The Qur’an tells us that magicians can make use of jinn in order to sow discord between a husband and wife:

And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon… they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife… [2:102]

There is a notable incident where the Prophet Muhammad was bewitched to the extent that he started to imagine things that had not taken place. Aisha, the wife of Prophet Muhammad, said:

A spell was put on the Prophet until he imagined that he had done a thing when he had not done it… [8]

Jinn can not only interact with living things, they can also manipulate inanimate objects. Prophet Muhammad said:

Cover your utensils and tie your water skins, and close your doors and keep your children close to you at night, as Jinn spread out at such time and snatch things away… [9]

Jinn are also said to eavesdrop on the heavens for news that they can pass on to fortune-tellers here on earth, and this news they mix with falsehood. Prophet Muhammad said:

While the angels talk amidst the clouds about things that are going to happen on earth, the devils hear a word of what they say and pour it in the ears of a soothsayer as one pours something in a bottle, and they add one hundred lies to that (one word). [10]

When God decrees a matter in heaven, the angels beat their wings in submission to his decree (with a sound) like a chain beating a rock. Then when fear is banished from their hearts, they say: “What is it that your Lord has said?” They say: “The truth. And He is The Most High, The Most Great.” Then the eavesdroppers (from among jinn) listen out for that, one above the other, so (one of them) hears the words and passes it on to the one beneath him. The shooting star may strike him before he can pass it on to the one beneath him and the latter can pass it on to the soothsayer or sorcerer, or it may not strike him until he has passed it on. And he adds one hundred lies to it, and only that word which was overheard from the heavens is true.” [11]

The 72^nd chapter of the Qur’an, called “The Jinn”, goes into great detail about them. Jinn are said to have different beliefs and are followers of different religions. The Qur’an has recorded their conversations, and from this we can conclude that they are intelligent beings with sophisticated language and are capable of independent thought.

The Theory of Everything

These characteristics of jinn put forward by Islam can account for every paranormal incident that has been reported. Their ability to fly and move at great speeds accounts for aerial phenomena such as UFOs. Their ability to shape-shift, appearing in different forms, as well as their ability to disappear at will, accounts for ghosts as well as sightings of any other strange creatures. The fact that each of us has a jinn assigned to us from birth, a close companion who is with us at all times and knows our darkest secrets, explains how some people are able to reveal personal knowledge about not only ourselves but also the deceased. Magicians simply make contact with jinn who will divulge the information they have learnt about people. The ability of jinn to influence us by means of whispering suggestions, as well as their ability to alter our perception of reality, accounts for phenomena like past life recall. If they can make a person ‘see’ or ‘feel’ things from the past, then that can lead one to think that they have personally lived that other person’s life. What about body defects, such as birth marks, which correspond to physical features of the person whose life they remember, how can jinn account for that? It is simply a case of match-making, the jinn selects a historical ‘target’ with body defects that match those of their human companion. The ability of jinn to influence us also accounts for near-death experiences. If they can make a person who is unconscious imagine that they are looking down upon themselves, then that can lead a person to think they have left their bodies. Their ability to physically interact with us by flowing through us is the mechanism by which a magician’s spell may harm their intended target, as jinn may be able to impact our health. Jinn can account for the psychic phenomena of telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and precognition. Since jinn can influence our thoughts, information can be transmitted telepathically from one person to another. All it takes is for a jinn to plant a thought in one person and then communicate that same thought to a telepathist which allows them to ‘read’ minds. Since jinn can move at great speeds, they can endow clairvoyants with knowledge of events happening elsewhere. Since jinn can manipulate inanimate objects, they can move objects on behalf of psychokinetics. Since jinn can eavesdrop on the heavens it means that they have access to some knowledge of the unseen. People who claim to possess precognitive abilities can make contact with these jinn in order to gain access to this information about the future. Jinn don’t pass on this information to us in uncorrupted form, they are said to mix each truth with numerous lies. This explains the often hit-and-miss nature of the predictions that people make, as for each thing they predict correctly they also get many things wrong. In conclusion, you can take literally any paranormal event and the Islamic concept of jinn will be able to account for it.

Theories that are consistent and have great explanatory power are much sought after when it comes to understanding life and the universe around us. In the world of science, physicists have for decades been involved in a race to discover a unifying ‘theory of everything’ that fully explains and links together all physical aspects of the universe. This quest to explain all reality is considered the Holy Grail of modern physics and remains one of the major unsolved problems. The need for a theory of everything has arisen because two of the most celebrated successful theories in physics are contradictory. The theory that describes very big things – general relativity – and the theory that describes very small things – quantum mechanics – each work amazingly well in their own realms, but when combined, break down. Physicists hope to find a unified theory that resolves this incompatibility and describes everything in the universe in one fell swoop. When it comes to the paranormal, we’ve seen that Islam reveals aspects of the unseen that can explain all of the paranormal activity throughout human history. The teachings of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad about jinn represent an all-encompassing, coherent explanation – that much sought-after theory of everything – which ties all these seemingly unrelated phenomena together.

The meaning behind the paranormal

Explaining what is responsible for the paranormal is one thing, but understanding the meaning behind the paranormal is an entirely different matter. Why would jinn want to be behind such events, what is their motivation? Islam informs us that just like human beings, they have free will, and there are both the good and evil among them. The Qur’an reveals:

[Some jinn said:] And among us are the righteous, and among us are [others] not so; we were [of] divided ways [72:11]

The good among jinn are righteous in their conduct. They believe in God and are obedient to Him. The devils among jinn, however, are disobedient to God and interfere in the affairs of human beings. Why would the devils among jinn want to interfere in the affairs of human beings? The Qur’an teaches that the supreme leader of these devils is a jinn called Iblees, which is the personal name of Satan. The ultimate goal of Iblees, as well as that of his followers, is to mislead mankind by taking us away from God. The Qur’an states:

[Iblees] said, “Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them [mankind] on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].” [7:16-17]

Jinn existed before the creation of man, and Iblees was the most righteous among them, so much so that he dwelled in Paradise and was elevated to a high position amongst the angels. All of this changed with the creation of the first human being, Adam. The Qur’an tells us that when God created Adam, He ordered Iblees to show respect to Adam by prostrating to him. Iblees, out of his own pride and arrogance, refused this command because he thought he was superior to Adam. God then cast Iblees out of Paradise as a punishment for his disobedience. The Qur’an tells us:

And when your Lord said to the angels, “I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud. And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.” So the angels prostrated – all of them entirely, except Iblees, he refused to be with those who prostrated. [God] 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.” [God] said, “Then get out of it [Paradise], for indeed, you are expelled. And indeed, upon you is the curse until the Day of Recompense.” [15:28-35]

Ever since this incident, Iblees has blamed Adam for his own downfall and has had a personal vendetta against mankind. Iblees has sought revenge by leading Adam and his descendants astray through deception. Here the Qur’an relates to us the story of how Iblees went on to trick Adam by lying to him, causing him to also be cast out of Paradise:

And [God said] “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.” But Satan whispered to them… He said, “Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal.” And he swore [by God] to them, “Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors.” So he made them fall, through deception… [7:19-22]

The deception of Iblees continues to this day. The following narration informs us that Iblees sends out his followers to the far ends of the earth to spread mischief among mankind. Prophet Muhammad said:

Verily, Satan places his throne over the water and he sends out his troops. The closest to him in rank are the greatest at causing tribulations. One of them says: “I have done this and this”. Satan says: “You have done nothing”. Another one says: “I did not leave this man alone until I separated him from his wife”. Satan embraces him and he says: “You have done well.” [12]

These Islamic claims about the mischievous conduct of jinn is reflected in the paranormal. If we analyse the paranormal events that have been reported, we will find that although they differ greatly in nature, there is one commonality – the entities behind them are generally elusive and secretive. They are notoriously difficult to capture on camera and offer only fleeting glimpses of themselves. If these entities were forces of good, for the sake of argument let’s say for example that they were intent on benefiting mankind, then why do they conduct themselves with such elusiveness and secrecy? It seems that these entities are mischievous in nature, they intend to cause confusion and fear among people. We can see that Islam is comprehensive in its claims, because it explains both the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ when it comes to paranormal activity.

Conclusion

Islam is a complete way of life. It provides guidance not only for our worldly affairs, but also the world of the unseen. God has given us this detailed information about jinn not for the purpose of entertainment or to draw us into the world of the occult, but rather for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Whatever God has chosen not to reveal to us regarding the world of jinn we do not need to know. If knowing it was essential for us, God would have told us. Hence, we should not concern ourselves with looking into the mysteries of jinn as this is knowledge which can only be known through revelation. Rather, we should reflect on jinn as another example of the magnificence of God’s creation, and we should also take benefit from the Qur’an and traditions of Prophet Muhammad which arm us with the knowledge we need to protect ourselves from the devils among jinn and mankind.

Learn more

To learn more about the miracles of the Qur’an you can order and download the free book “The Eternal Challenge: A Journey Through The Miraculous Qur’an” from the One Reason website (click on the image below):