Tazkirul Quran, Qur’an 72:1–7
The Jinn (Al-Jinn)
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
English text; the translator is not named in the archive’s data.
Translation
(1) Say, ‘It has been revealed to me that a band of the jinn listened [to the Quran] and they said, “We have heard a really wonderful recital, (2) which guides to the right path; so we have believed in it and we will not associate anyone with our Lord— (3) and exalted is the majesty of our Lord—He has taken neither a wife nor a son. (4) And [now we know] that the foolish among us have been saying outrageous things about God. (5) We had supposed that men and jinn would never utter a lie against God. (6) Some men used to seek refuge with the jinn in the past, but that only increased their insolence. (7) They thought, as you did, that God would never raise up anyone from the dead.
Commentary
(a) In this world, in addition to human beings and angels, there is another set of creatures known as jinn. Human beings cannot see them but, in the Quran, they have been mentioned at several places. These verses show that among the jinn also there are guided and misguided types. Just as there are foolish leaders who misguide the common people, similarly there are foolish leaders among the jinn, who go on misguiding them with deceitful utterances. So far as the angels are concerned, they are not being put to the test, and thus do not have free will. They simply follow the commands given by God.