The species jinn or foreigner humans?

[Cherry Khanoom]

And when We inclined toward you (Muhammad) certain of the jinn, who wished to hear the Qur'an and, when they were in its presence, said: Give ear! and, when it was finished, turned back to their people, warning.  46:29  Al-Ahqaf.

Does this verse mean the paranormal kind of jinn or does it mean foreign or non Arab people (non Arab humans)?   I have heard some commentators say it is foreign humans.

[Ruhi_Rose]

While only Allah Almighty would know the precise reference, we are of the opinion it refers to the jinn made of smokeless fire. 

The reason why some people presume the Verse alludes to non-Arab foreign humans is because of the mention of Prophet Musa (pbuh) in the following Verse 46:30, quote:  “They said: O our people! Indeed, we have heard a scripture which has been revealed after Moses, confirming that which was before it, guiding unto the truth and a right road.”  46:30  Al-Ahqaf.  Thus, some readers of the Quran are of the opinion that it may refer to non-Arab Jews who were followers of Prophet Moses. Only Allah knows  how far this correct as we don't see any confirmation for such an opinion in the Noble Quran.

In our opinion, it refers to the specific species of jinn which Allah Almighty describes as created of smokeless fire.  The reason being, the mention of Prophet Musa in V.46:30 does not necessarily define those jinn as foreigners or non-Arab humans.  Like many humans, many jinn are also believers and follow the Prophets sent by Allah and the Divine Scriptures brought by those Prophets.  And also, there were many human Jews living in Arabia at that time. Similarly there could have been several jinn living in Arabia following the Jewish faith and believing in the original Torah sent to Prophet Musa from The Almighty.

In standard Arabic language, Ajami or al-Ajami (عجمي) is the Arabic term prevalent in Arabic speaking countries. It is derived from Ajam (عجم) that literally means ‘mute.’   But in Arabic language in the middle ages and at present it refers to someone whose mother tongue is not Arabic or foreigners.  A slight variant of this Arabic word is also  أجنبي (ajnabiun)  which has the same definition, “foreigners.”  All of this certainly refers to humans, not to the jinn of smokeless fire.

The term used in the Noble Quran for “foreign” as in V.41:44 of Surah Fussilat is  أَعْجَمِيًّا  (aejamian) and أَعْجَمِيٌّ  (aejami).

“And if We had appointed it a Lecture in a foreign tongue they would assuredly have said: If only its verses were expounded (so that we might understand)?  What! A foreign tongue and an Arab? - Say unto them (O Muhammad): For those who believe it is a guidance and a healing; and as for those who disbelieve, there is a deafness in their ears, and it is blindness for them.  Such are called to from afar.”  41:44 Fussilat.

As you can see, the word “foreign” appears twice in V.41:44, mentioned in the original Quranic Arabic as
“aejamian”  and “aejami” as per the linguistic requirement of each sentence.   That very much corresponds to the standard Arabic term “ajami.”

Frankly,I don’t know how some people got the idea that the word “jinn” can also mean human foreigners.  The Quran does not confirm this nor allude to it directly nor indirectly.  Although there is quite a lot of discussion in the Noble Quran about the jinn, all such discussions refer to the jinn created of smokeless fire, never to human foreigners.  There is no reference anywhere in the Quran that I am aware of, mentioning human foreigners as jinn.   

[Cherry Khanoom]

Thank u very much Ruhi Rose for the very clear and articulate explanation.  Went through it carefully,, informative and helpful.

[Shabana]

Some readers want to feel that the Quran does not contain anything beyond the perceptive naturals in accordance with their own limited thoughts and minds.  So they say jinn means human foreigners.

[Ruhi_Rose]

You could be right about that.