The Puppet Masters

We have all heard strange stories of “possession” at some point in our lives and some as early as childhood. We have watched movies with gruesome and terrifying scenes detailing the manifestations of possession and its effects on the “host” and surrounding people.

But, what is possession exactly according to Islam? Does the Qu’ran warn us about it all? What does the prophet (s) have to say about it? .

First of all, most cases of possession that are described and reported across time through folk tales and Islamic culture discuss possession by Jinns. Jinns are considered as spirits and and can actually be muslim or non-muslim. Satan is considered a Jinn, but he is a devil. Jinns are similar to humans in that they have free will and will be held accountable for their actions. They were created from smokeless fire. ¹

Jinns can be classified according ability. There are the flying ones, the ones who take up the appearance of snakes and dogs (particularly black dogs) and the ones who live as residents among humans or move from place to place. ² They can further be classified into four main kinds all with different strengths. These include: the resident ones, the evil demonic ones that try to push man towards sin and the Ifrit which is the most powerful kind. The Qarin is a type of jinn that every human has as a companion. He witnesses everything you do and follows you. Usually, you do not feel his presence, but generally the Qarin works in tandem with the devil and tries to lead you astray. The Qarin can turn against you and cause you much harm, but generally this is through black magic and Satan’s influence. So if you wonder about the difference between Jinns and devils, devils are usually the disbelieving jinns and the faithful servants of Iblis (Satan). Not all Jinns are devils, in that some are muslims or neutral in their belief.

Jinn possession is when a Jinn occupies a body by passing through an entrance point. Plenty of stories circulate in Islamic culture about possession by all of the above types. Some stories have details that seem hard to accept and believe. A person may have clear signs of possession and may react violently to Qur’anic recitation. In other cases, possession manifests as a change in behaviour, personality, recurrent themes in dreams, intrusive and obssessive thoughts, persistent blockages in marriage, pregnancy, work, family life and an overall stagnation in life, despite being previously prosperous. Jinn possession is a form of attachment that may occur for no reason, but in most cases, the Jinn is binded by a magician through black magic to cause harm to a person. The magician usually gains such a favour from the Jinn by making offerings to him.

For example, a magician may bind a jinn to a person to spy on him and steal his ideas and innovations. Another, may do so to cause separation between a husband and a wife. Cases have been reported where spouses suddenly start viewing their partners differently. They find them repulsive, unattractive and even imagine bad smells coming from them. Some may bind a Jinn to a human to isolate them and distance them from society to perhaps result in more damage or even death. The possession may start with someone being isolated from society and withdrawing and from then on possibly seeking wrong dangerous company or constantly being dragged unknowingly in dangerous situations leading to their harm or even abduction or mysterious disappearance.

Jin disturbance is when someone is in a home that is occupied, has visited a graveyard, gone to public bathrooms for example, and notes strange occurences. Unexplained light, whispers, tapping, nudges and shoves have all been reported by people. In some cases, attachments begin from frequenting such places. Homes with empty rooms and beds are said to be inviting. It is recommended in some Arab households to refrain from keeping beds empty as they may become occupied. Other times, attachments are said to be generational, in the bloodline, most likely from magic too.

In all cases, Jinns can cause mental health problems, physical ailments, spiritual distance or in severe cases, disconnection from Allah, social problems, among others. Jinn possession may occur as a test from Allah and may be due to the sins of the victim. That leaves many wondering, there are plenty of sinners who lack modesty, religion and morals. Why don’t they suffer possession? Jinn possession is quite complex in that rarely is there a definite answer for the why unless black magic is suspected. It could be love, revenge or interest from the Jinn itself. It simply could be envy. Jinns envy humans like Satan envied Adam (as) and may wish to mock humans and expose their weaknesses through possession.

There is only one Hadith narrating the possession of a boy whom the prophet (s) exorcises and the jinn is said to have exited through the boys mouth in the form of a black dog. ³ Such a hadith is reported by a slightly weak source too. Nonetheless, there are plenty of variations to it which are considered more authentic. These variations involve a child suffering from mental derangement more or less who was exorcised by the prophet(s) and he was cured. ⁴

The Qur’an unlike the Bible or Gospel, does not really detail cases of possession by Jinn. ⁵ However, one verse is used by plenty of Islamic scholars and writers as proof of possession. Verse 2:275 says “..Those who consume interest will stand ˹on Judgment Day˺ like those driven to madness by Satan’s touch…” According to Imam Tabari, this ayah means that as a punishment, on the day of judgement, the ones who consume interest will rise from their graves like someone who has been beaten by Satan in a strange way in a fit of madness from his touch (which reaults in possession). ⁶

This essay will focus on other verses instead that are more striking and also worth reflecting over.

The first verse (7:27) warns:

⁷

This translates to:

“O children of Adam! Do not let Satan deceive you as he tempted your parents out of Paradise and caused their cover to be removed in order to expose their nakedness. Surely he and his soldiers watch you from where you cannot see them. We have made the devils allies of those who disbelieve.”⁸

It must be noted that “allies” here denotes a very interesting meaning. Allies can mean friends, helpers or guardians. Most translations for Al-Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Al Tabari among others, do not really focus on other dimensions to the meaning of allies. ⁹

A closer look in this essay may mean “masters” or even “Gods” (only God knows best). Waliya from Arabic is someone who is responsible for someone else’s affairs, someone who gives permission or denies it; someone who controls a large portion of the life of a dependent. ¹⁰ It must be noted that, this verse also implies a form of punishment for anyone who follows in the footsteps of Satan. ¹¹ If someone follows Satan’s footsteps, Satan becomes a master and controls him. The verse in other words, describes a form of Satanic dominion over the disbelievers. It also implies a form of omnipotence in that Satan and his army can see us from where we cannot see them. A form of omnipotence is not by any means divine omnipotence. The idea is, Satan has the ability to possess great power over humans, especially, disbelievers or disobedient muslims.

Another verse reads:

¹²

Which means

O believers! Do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Whoever follows Satan’s footsteps, then ˹let them know that˺ he surely bids ˹all to˺ immorality and wickedness. Had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy upon you, none of you would have ever been purified. But Allah purifies whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.¹³

The emphasis here will be on “Satan’s footsteps”. What are these footsteps exactly? Satan’s footsteps refers to the path of sin and destruction he has paved. It is a long one and involves gradual stages of sin which usually start with minor acts of disobedience to more major ones. Satan consults the Qarin (every human’s jinn companion) and gets a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses and begins to whisper into the mind and heart to incite sin. Based on every individual’s life and personality, Satan customizes a series of gradual steps to eventually make people sin so greatly that he has a hold of them. This is when possession is said to occur. This is described in the following verse:

¹⁴

Translation:

Satan has taken hold of them, causing them to forget the remembrance of Allah. They are the party of Satan. Surely Satan’s party is bound to lose.¹⁵

These verses, in my opinion, are very very crucial in understanding possession. It starts with whispers from the devils (who are also jinn) and his offspring which in turn leads to a large amount of immoraliry, conflict, chaos, violence and much more. I discussed in my essay entitled “A throne upon the sea – The devil’s base” how devil’s compete with each other to attain favours from Satan and come closer to his rank. The best of the devils are the ones who succeed in separating spouses. The devils would say to Satan ” I never left him until I separated him from his wife.”

This verse also describes Satan’s “footsteps” or stages of sin:

It means:

“I will certainly mislead them and delude them with empty hopes. Also, I will order them and they will slit the ears of cattle and alter Allah’s creation.” And whoever takes Satan as a guardian instead of Allah has certainly suffered a tremendous loss.”¹⁶

Guardian in the above verse is the same arabic word in the previous verses “waliya” that this essay argues may mean master or even god. The devil promises Allah as mentioned in the essay entitled “The beauty of Surah Al Fatihah”, that he will try to deviate us from the straight path. He will start that by creating desires and hopes and from then on, continue to work his way through the path of misguidance.

The concept of possession in Islam may begin with sin, regardless of whether it is a major or minor one. Any sin is considered as following Satan’s footsteps. In that way we become puppets, constantly pulled by a thread. The thread is usually a train of thought that evolves into needs that Satan dictates. From there, it is like a constant dialogue between man and Satan or the jinn who may have a powerful hold on man. The person could be suffering from extreme vengeance, lust or greed as Satan and his offspring keep feeding him negativity.

Satan is like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. He possesses the ability to whisper in our ears and affect masses almost like he has a flute that he plays with other devils and jinn and controls people. Allah bestows upon people mercy and blessings and only asks you to thank him and pray to him. Satan and the disbelieving jinn may give disbelievers favours, but will likely ask for an offering. Whether it is immorailty, nudity, blasphemy, suffering or some sort of evil to please them. This is why Allah says, do not take satan as an ally or guardian and consider him an evil enemy.

Intention in Islam is key. So all acts are judged according to intention. You may do something very bad, but you did not intend to. However, there are some who intend to consciously follow in Satan’s footsteps. Those are usually Satanists, magicians and witches who need favours from him and his offspring and the disbelieving jinn (spirits). In today’s world, they are also considered as the one’s who “sold their souls to the devil”. Of course, the soul belongs to Allah and Allah only, but the intentional act of sin for the purpose of pleasing the devil is far worse than sinning without really having some explicit alliance with Satan.

There are multiple verses in the qur’an that may be reinterpreted in today’s world and considered as hints towards the Satanist culture permeating the fabric of society that favours sin and wrongdoing in exchange for worldly benefits whether it is money or fame etc.

For example verse 2:175 says:

They are those who have bought (traded) the wrong way at the price of the right way, and punishment at the price of pardon. How well they endure the Fire!¹⁷

Most interpretations point to the idea of simply choosing error instead of righteousness. This means that the idea of giving up your life or soul to the devil or buying some sort of dream is not the intended meaning. This essay argues that it may be and similar verses are repeated throughout the Qur’an. But only Allah knows the true layers of meaning behind the verse.

The problem with the ones who choose Satan’s path is that he starts to cause them fear to obey his commands too. That is mentioned in 3:175.

That ˹warning˺ was only ˹from˺ Satan, trying to prompt you to fear his followers. So do not fear them; fear Me if you are ˹true˺ believers.¹⁸

What is important though is that Satan has no power or control over the faithful servants of Allah. That is also mentioned in a verse in the Qur’an too.

¹⁹

“Indeed, there is for him no authority over those who have believed and rely upon their Lord.”

Taking Satan as an ally is a form of self-destruction as Satan is extremely detestful of man and is very envious too.

The footsteps of Satan can be understood from the Christian perspective as the 4 devices of Satan. They are disappointment, discouragement, doubt and division.²⁰ All these devices are usually tied to worldly matters that, in turn, are linked to God. Through man’s constant disappointment, there is discouragement which in turn leads to doubt in God and finally division that is within society for example, or even the division of man from religion.

In Islam, a common phrase coming from the Qur’an that is said during any hardship, difficulty or even upon hearing the news of death is

²¹إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

This means: “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.”

It is very important to understand that most interpretations describe the meaning well, but there may be more to it. ²² When you analyze all these verses mentioned in the essay with the above verse, it is a direct response to Satan who tries to make us one with him by causing strife and disaster.

When such a verse is said by a believer who is facing hardship, he is affirming his loyalty to Allah, we (still) belong to Allah and we are under his shade and we will not give in to your attempts to cause us discouragement, doubt and division. It is very empowering and very positive. Most people dread to see such a verse (me included) because it usually means that there is unfortunate news that follows it, usually that someone has passed away. This has become a way of announcing death in Arab and Islamic culture. That is not bad practice at all but in reality, the verse has little to do with death and more to do with expressing one’s patience and strength in the face of lies, deception, hardship and calamities (death included).

I completely agree with the opinion expressed in this essay by Dr Shabir Ally ²³ about the stories of possession in our culture. They usually do not involve people who are blasphemous, dishonest, and unmodest. They tend to affect religious people, people who are more or less considered average in their Islamic practice, not really the “party hard all night” kind. Ironically, this goes back to Satan’s hatred and plot. Of course, he will be preoccupied with the righteous ones he has no authority over.

Do not forget the hadeeth that says:

“There shall come upon the people a time in which the one who is patient upon his religion will be like the one holding onto a burning ember.”²⁴

Towards the end of time, this hadith says that adhering to ones religion will be like holding onto a burning ember. This hadith may point to the difficulties faced by people of religion from all religions too, who are enemies to Satan.

Ultimately, this powerful 5 word affirmation (To Allah we belong and to him we shall return) holds more meaning than what meets the eye. It responds to Satan’s pretence of being a “God” and having authority over people and ownership. Remember, Satan tries imitate Allah by placing his throne on the water just lIke Allah has his throne on water. ²⁵

When muslims say the above verse, it means all that is done is by the will of Allah. We belong to him and we are accountable to him and we return to him. You (Satan) have no power here, or over our affairs. You can pretend to be the orchestrator of our affairs, choices and the longevity of our lives, but any damange you do is by the will of Allah.

From this essay, one can understand that possession is not always highly dramatic with seizures, insanity, screams and terrifying behaviour. It can be a quiet and gradual occupation of the mind and body affecting every individual in society so much so that populations become puppets to unseen masters. The effects of Satan’s army are felt at a micro-sociological level through arguments, betrayal, gossip, hypocrisy and also at the macro-sociological level through war, terror, corruption, injustice, discrimination, violence, and pollution. The world becomes uninhabitable and inhospitable or at least large parts of it. Conspiracy or not, it remains a possibility, a reason or explanation for the unfoldings that have shaped our existence, w Allahu A’lam (Only God knows). If you think about it, all of us are in a constant state of possession. Some may have more severe symptoms than others.

There is still so much that can be said in detail about the world of Jinn, their types, appearance, and powers. We will surely be exploring them in future essays of course. They are said to have the capacity to affect humans and cause physical symptoms. ²⁶ Satan’s touch (mass) or Jinns touch is documented in the Qur’an and may cause madness as was mentioned in verse 2:275 in surah Al-Baqarah. ²⁷

Any medical symptoms should be treated, especially if there is an emergency. When Jinn possession is suspected, an Islamic Ruqya (healing through reciting qur’an and supplication) can be performed without needing to oppose medical treatment. Science and Faith can co-exist together. The patient must be very descriptive of his condition to receive proper care which can be inclusive of psychiatric treatment, faith healing or medical treatment all of which can form a patient’s holistic treatment plan.

Some people are hesitant to come forward and discuss their symptoms of possession for fear that they may be diagnosed with a psychiatric illness. However, it must be understood that Jinns may cause psychiatric illness. So there should be no shame. In other words, a person who is “possessed” may well be experiencing a psychiatric illness as a result of the possession. In that case, therapy and treatment may be beneficial along with faith healing or Ruqya.

Similiarly, a person who ends up having a treatable medical condition like a fever or infection should be treated without the need for denying a paranormal influence as you simply cannot disprove it. Jinns may well be causing the disease. They can do that by mimicking symptoms in which case you can never know so it is best to adhere to treatment. They can also ensure that you are present in a place and time where you are likely to catch a disease. The patient and family must be able to understand the importance of seeking medical help and seeking multiple sources of opinions if needed, before exclusively relying on religion as a cure. Medical staff should also keep in mind that something else may be going on and the patient would then require careful analysis and observation.

At the moment, the essay will reaffirm the importance of the remembrance of Allah (thikr), and using the Qur’an and supplication as a shield too, in this ever-changing world. Adhering to the 5 prayers as well is necessary because we are in a constant state of possession, a constant battle and struggle between good and evil. Giving charity is very important too as the prophet (s) said it prevents calamities, protects from disasters and accidents, and repels all illnessss. It is a form of comprehensive safety against black magic too and can also prevent divine wrath from sins.

The Puppet Masters

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