Creation of Man and the Jinn

Creation of Man and the Jinn This does not mean that man is God’s successor or vicegerent. It means instead that man is the jinn’s successor. With humanity’s replacement of the jinns, man has been settled on the earth as a creature with total freedom. According to the Quran, when God announced that He was going to create man, the angels expressed their disapproval, saying, “Will You place someone there who will cause corruption on it and shed blood?” (2:30) The angels may have raised this objection in the light of their experience with the jinns. They meant to say that the jinns created mischief, causing corruption because of being granted freedom. Similarly, man would also cause corruption when given freedom. God replied, “Surely, I know that which you do not know.” (2:30) There is a fundamental difference between the jinns and men; at the very outset, the Creator inculcated in man a unique and powerful feeling: a sense of guilt. When man makes the mistake of misusing his freedom, a sense of guilt is awakened within him, and he begins to reform himself, whereas this feeling of guilt was not inculcated in the jinns created out of the fire. As such, it was hoped that man would not become permanently haughty and disobedient like