In the introduction to his translation, Edward Lane included the following autobiographical note after several trips to Egypt between 1825 and 1835:
"I have resided in a land where genii are still firmly believed to obey the summons of a magician or the owner of a talisman, and to act in occurrences of every day; and I have listened to stories of their deeds related as facts by persons of the highest respectability, and by some who would not condescend to read the tales of 'The Thousand and One Nights,' merely because they are fictions, and not written in the usual polished style of literary compositions."
Who or what were genii, jinn, or djinn?
Well, putting together a compilation of information from various reference sources, each of which appear to define the word slightly differently and add new infomation, it seems that:
Jinn originated (as with the type of fairy called Peri) in Indian and Persian mythology. Legend dictates that the jinn were created from fire, predating Adam by 2000 years. A jinni could assume any form it liked, and could make itself invisible. By cunning a man could manipulate a jinni for his own purposes. They are fabled to dwell in the mountains of Kaf which encompass the earth. Their kingdom is also known as Djinnestan. The evil jinn are hideously ugly, but the good are incredibly beautiful.
Koranic references to Jinn
When God spoke to to the Prophet Muhammad through the agency of the Angel Gabriel, it turns out that He had something to say about the jinn. This is recorded in the Holy Koran - e.g. sura 34 verse 11:- "And unto Solomon did we subject the wind, which travelled in the morning a month's journey, and a month's journey in the evening. And we made a fountain of molten brass for him. And of the Djinn were some who worked in his presence, by the will of his Lord; and such of them as swerved from our bidding will we cause to taste the torment of the flame."
This quote fostered the belief in Islamic folklore that Allah appointed Solomon controller of the good jinn - and the folklore that surrounded this is beautifully summed up in the story of 'The City of Brass'.
And after this, the people of the ship went down to divert themselves in the city, and they found one of the fishermen who had cast his net in the sea to catch fish, and he drew it up, and, lo, in it was a bottle of brass stopped with lead, which was sealed with the signet of Solomon the son of David. And the fisherman came forth and broke it; whereupon there proceeded from it a blue smoke, which united with the clouds of heaven; and they heard a horrible voice, saying: "Repentance! repentance! O Prophet of God!" Then, of that smoke there was formed a person of terrible aspect, of terrific make, whose head would reach as high as a mountain; and he disappeared from before their eyes.... And a man returned to the king [of the island], and asked him respecting this; and the king answered him: "Know that this is one of the genies whom Solomon, the son of David, when he was incensed against them, imprisoned in these bottles, and he poured lead over them, and threw them into the sea. When the fisherman casteth his net, it generally bringeth up these bottles; and when they are broken, there cometh forth from them a genie, who imagineth that Solomon is still living; wherefore he repenteth, and saith: 'Repentance! O Prophet of God!'"
I have heard that the apocryphal "Wisdom of Solomon" contains the idea that Solomon controlled the jinn. However, when seen through Christian translations in the King James Bible etc. this would certainly mean interpreting 'jinn' as 'spirits' - and things become very unclear and subject to interpretation. Maybe someone can advise me on this.
The Koran denounced a belief current at the time of the recitation, that jinns were related to God - sura 6 verse 100:- "Yet have they ascribed the Djinn to God as his associates, though He created them; and in their ignorance have they falsely ascribed to him sons and daughters. Glory be to Him! And let Him be exalted above that which they attribute to Him!"
Muhammad appears to have considered Eblis (or Satan) to have been of the jinn - sura 18 verse 48:- "When we said to the angels, 'Prostrate yourselves before Adam,' they all prostrated them save Eblis, who was of the Djinn, and revolted from his Lord's behest."
The most important Qur'anic passage about jinn, however, was revealed to Muhammad in the mosque near Mecca known as the Masjid al-Jinn (Mosque of the Jinn), and comprises the whole of the seventy-second chapter of the Qur'an. This chapter [sura] is called "The Djinn", and it tells us that a company of jinn listened to the messenger of God, and assured Him that they were believers in the one singular God. They went on to disclose that, in their folly, men have appealed to the jinn for refuge from God, thinking (incorrectly) that Allah would not raise anyone up to Judgement - but when the jinn looked into the secrets of heaven, they found it to be 'filled with a mighty garrison, and with flaming darts' for those who stray from the true path. The jinn also acknowledge that there are good and bad amongst them; and that 'they who go astray shall be fuel for Hell.'
The Islamic Definition of Jinn
Islam subdivides spiritual beings into angels malaikah (made from light), demons shayatin and jinn (made from fire). Jinn are divided into three categories, the ghul (pernicious spirits that can change their form), the sila (nasty spirits that cannot change shape) and the ifrit (evil spirits). None of them are noted for being particularly nice to humans. Official Islamic belief holds that jinn, like human beings, will have to face salvation or damnation.
With regard to what these creatures actually are, it is important to note here that the orthodox Islamic view is that the jinn are much like Biblical spirits - and that they do not have the sort magical powers attested to in the Nights. They are living beings created by God that are invisible to mankind, but that can have an affect on mankind in general or a particular individual.
The authors of the Arabian Nights seem to have been predominately members of the diverse Sufi sects of Islamic mysticism who have taken the study of jinn very seriously. Relations between jinn and men have even been enshrined in Islamic law - i.e. the property rights of jinn and marriages between jinn and women. It's also worth noting that Muhammad was very concerned that the revelations revealed to him in the Koran might have been the work of jinn.
There are also some types of jinn with quite specialised functions, such as the udar, the atra and the qutrub. As to their functions... well why not get a book from the library? See Recommended Reading above.
Belief in the jinn is fairly universal amongst Muslims, and the seeking of communication with jinn is a common practise in the modern Islamic world, even though it is considered very sinful in orthodox Islam.
By the way, the correct singular spelling is jinni, the plural is jinn and the feminine is jinneyah.
It must be emphasised that belief in the existence of jinn is not a mere
frivolity. The process of westernising the Nights has meant transforming
the jinn into mythological non-entities like fairies and sprites, and this is
tantamount to poking fun at Islam. The fact that the jinn are real to so many
people is one of several reasons why the appellation of 'fairy tale' to the
Nights is totally misleading. Because of the serious nature of any
enquiry into jinn, I here proffer three excellent links passed on to me by a
correspondent who is a Sunni Muslim. As he tells me, they have "provided
authentically transmitted proofs for everything they have said."
Ibn Taymeeyah's
Essay on the Jinn
On the Ways
of Satan in Leading Humans Astray
And most particularly -
Fortunetelling
So much for my summary, but for Edward Lane's in-depth treatise, please click here.