The Fear of the Jinn

The Fear of the Jinn

From the start of the novel, it is easy to tell that religion and superstition play an important role in the life of al-Sayyid Ahmad’s family and the culture they live in.  Through the course of a simple conversation, the Qur’an is quoted and referenced in multiple contexts.  They are either asking for God’s forgiveness, or blessing, or submitting to his will.  Amina is especially religious and quotes the Qur’an often when speaking to her husband.  She seems to use these phrases when she is most terrified of his reaction.  For instance, when telling her husband about her accident, she adds to the end of the story, “May God spare you any evil, sir” (197).  Since Amina seems the most devout, I was intrigued when her intense fear of the jinn was introduced. 

The jinn are described as a type of demon that have a real and physical presence in Amina’s life.  Amina cowers at night with her only defense of, “reciting the opening prayer of the Qur’an… about the absolute supremacy of God” (7).  At first I compared the jinn to the devil of the Christian faith.  However, unlike the devil, the jinn are not blamed for tempting followers or causing evil.  They seem more to be invisible creatures who could harm humans through possession.  Amina states that they are, “demons who could not be lured away from these spacious, empty old rooms for long” and that she can, “frequently hear their whispers… be awakened by their warm breath” (7).  The jinn cause Amina great fear and she never feels safe unless her husband is home.  Even when Amina has children, their presence causes more anxiety than a sense of security.  She would hold them protectively and yell at the jinn, “Leave us alone.  We are Muslims and believe in the one God” (8).

Since the life I lead is very different from that of al-Sayyid Ahmad’s family, and I am not a Muslim (nor familiar with the religion), I looked up information on the jinn to fully understand them.  I found information on the Wenner-Gren Blog which publishes findings of the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.  In the blog, they describe jinn as, “a type of sentient, invisible creatures whose creation by God from fire is mentioned in the Qur’an—to harm humans, either directly, by entering their body and possessing them, or indirectly, from the outside.”  This definition goes along with that one found in the novel.  The blog goes further to explain that possession by the jinn can only be healed by Quranic healer because many Egyptians are convinced that the Qur’an, as the Word of God, can cure any disease including physical and mental ones.  Amina is a direct example of this belief as she tries to heal from her accident.  She attempts to refuse to see a doctor because, “she did not believe in modern medicine and associated it with major catastrophes and serious events” (188).  Even al-Sayyid Ahmad expresses this sentiment when he tells Amina, “Stay in bed till God heals you” (197).  This explanation of Quranic healers being able to cure everything also explains why Amina sees the Qur’an as her only defense against the jinn and surrounds herself with, “a protective shield of Qur’an suras, amulets, charms, and incantations” (7).

Religion and superstitions obviously play a large role in the novel.  By learning more about the relationship between the Qur’an and the jinn, it is easier to understand many of Amina’s thoughts and actions. It becomes clear that religion exists as a protection against other beings as well as being a method of forgiveness, acceptance, and blessing.

Source - link to the Wenner-Gren Blog: http://blog.wennergren.org/2013/02/interview-ana-maria-vinea-and-between-the-psyche-and-the-soul/