http://www.forteantimes.com/articles/147_djinn.shtml
quote:According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, a djinn (jinni or genie) is “in Arabic mythology, a supernatural spirit below the level of angels and devils. Ghul (treacherous spirits of changing shape), ifrit (diabolic, evil spirits), and sila (treacherous spirits of invariable form), constitute classes of djinn. They delight in punishing humans for any harm done them, intentionally or unintentionally, and are said to be responsible for many diseases and all kinds of accidents; however, those human beings knowing the proper magical procedure can exploit the djinn to their advantage.”
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In my travels to India and Pakistan, I have come across a widespread belief amongst, in particular, the older generation of Muslims in the actual existence of djinn. Belief in the reality of the djinn is held as easily as belief in other natural forces such as light or darkness. I was talking with a well educated, highly qualified friend in Islamabad; he expressed great surprise in my own surprise that a graduate from Lahore could believe in a hidden race of beings existing alongside us. Asking for evidence was, of course, a hopeless request, eliciting the standard response of citing other intangible things, like being surrounded by radio and television waves, or the impossibility of photographing the wind.
As to how they came to co-exist with mankind, this was, I was told in a matter-of-fact way, simply another strand of evolution. The existence of transparent sea creatures at great depths or an animal like the chameleon that can render itself ‘invisible’ was, he said, regarded as commonplace. If evolution could produce such a diverse population of known creatures on this planet, why should there not be more?
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