A Short Course on the Khafi Before Muhammad carried the ideas over into Islam, the Arabs believed in the existence of supernaturally empowered beings who have the ability to intervene in the affairs of people, who they called “the People of the Earth, or more commonly !hafi or "#inn, both bo th words meaning “to cover, conceal$ %i&e humans, the "#inn are self'propagating and also have male and female genders$ And #ust li&e people, some are benign and some are malevolent, with many falling somewhere in'between$ (hey may or may not interact with us, #ust li&e any other spiritual being$ According to some beliefs, each one of us is assigned a personal "#inni called a Qarin when Qarin when we)re born, who acts sort of li&e a *uardian Angel$ In +estern +estern lore "#inn are sometimes euated with demons, but they are not the same$ (hey are often portrayed as having a demonic'li&e appearance, but they can also appear in beautiful, seductive forms$ (he "#inn are masterful shape'shifters, and their favored forms are sna&es and blac& dogs, but they can also masuerade as anything- humans, animals, ghosts, extraterrestrials, demons, shadow people, fairies, angels and more$ (he "#inn are not confined to the Middle East, or to the past$ Although most of their lore comes from Arabic culture, the "#inn have been found among the Moroccans as .nun, Pacific Islanders as .in, and Persians &new malevolent "#inn as /arahs or "evs and benificent ones as Peri, who were described very much li&e 0aeries$ (hey exist in their own realm, probably a parallel dimension, and the y have the ability 1 and the desire 1 to enter our world and interact with us$ (he "#inn have been among us in antiuity and they are among us now$ Although local legends and lore often have their own uniue forms of #inn, the ma#or types of #inn include Hinn generally Hinn generally appear as blac& dogs and are said to be the wea&est tribe "#inn, being on an • intermediate level between the "#inn and Men$ Ghul comes comes from a root meaning “to destroy$ destroy$ (he *hul 2ghoul3 are nocturnal shape'shifting • "#inn who inhabit graveyards, ruins and other lonely places and who feed on the flesh of human beings, especially travelers, children or corpses stolen out of graves$ (here (here are several types of *hul, with the most feared being the *hula$ In Persian lore the *hul has the legs of a don&ey don&e y and the horns of a goat$ Ifrit are are among the more powerful, evil, and difficult to control of the "#inn$ • Si'lat usually usually denotes a female$ (he form is unusual and sfhi and si)hi also occur$ 4ne author • states that sild denotes a male "#inn and thi)ldt a female$ 2a centaur'li&e #inn$ It is an expert shape'shifter, able to mimic a human)s appearance with ease, and is said to be the smartest of the .inn$ (hey most often appear as beautiful women$ (hey tend to live in forests and de sert oases, but they are more open'minded about humans than other types of #inn and can easily integrate themselves into human society3 Jann are Jann are shape'shifters who lives in the desert, and ta&e the forms of whirlwinds and white • camels$ (hey are open'minded about humans, and were among the first "#inn encountered by people$ (hey have the power to hide or reveal oases in the desert, depending on whether they li&e or disli&e a party of travelers$ (hey are the enemies of the *hul$ Marid are are unruly and rebellious, rebe llious, and also the most powerful of "#inn$ (hey possess great • &nowledge of magic and have been &nown to assist &ings and priests$ (hey are also &nown as “Blue "#inn and are the ones most often associated with wish'granting *enies$
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Nasnas are another wea& form of "#inn, who are the offspring of a 5hi and a human$ (hey are generally half'human being, that is, it has half a head, half a body, one arm, one leg but can ta&e many hybrid uman'li&e and animal'li&e forms, and may account for some of our encounters with mysterious creatures$ Palis are vampiric foot'lic&ing "#inn who lives in the desert$ (hey tend to have low intelligence and can be easily outwitted, according to lore$ (hey li&e to attac& sleeping people and drain their blood by lic&ing the soles of their feet, but they can be fooled by two people sleeping end to end with their soles of their feet together or under each other6s head$ Shaitan are a rebellious, malevolent type "#inni associated with de monic forces$ Shiqq are a lower type of "#inn, a half creature, or literally only half'formed and thus monstrous in appearance$ Ruh are a &ind of "#inn that attac&s children$ Amir is a term used to denote any "#inn that lives in a house or near Man&ind$ '
"#inn are also classified by colors$ Blue "#inn are older, intelligent "#inn, often ambivalent about humans$ 7ellow "#inn are the leaders of families and small clans$ %ess powerful than Blue but more powerful than *reen$ *reen "#inn are young and immature "#inn, ofter playful and mischievous$ Blac& "#inn are powerful "#inn, thought to be &ings, but it)s not &nown if there is one &ing or multiple ones$ 8ed "#inn are hostile and aggressive "#inn$ Origins According to pre'Islamic lore, the "#inn are born o f smo&eless fire 2which in modern terms could be plasma3$ (hey live very long lives but they are not immortal$ According to some accounts, they live with other supernatural beings in the !af, a mythical range of emerald mountains that encircles the Earth$ In modern terms, they live in a parallel dimension$
(he "#inn li&e to roam the deserts and wilderness and inhabit caves$ (hey are usually invisible, but have the power to shape'shift to any form, be it insect, animal, human, or entity$ (hey have long been regarded as malicious and dangerous, capable of bringing bad luc&, illness, disaster and death$ Even when granting favors, they have a tric&ster nature and can twist events for the worse$ (hough the "#inn can be con#ured in magical rites, they are difficult to control$ 4ne individual said to have complete power over the "#inn was the legendary Biblical !ing 5olomon$ *od gave 5olomon a copper and iron magic ring that enabled him to subdue "#inn, and which protected him from their powers$ In some accounts, the ring was inscribed with a pentacle, and in other accounts it was set with a gem, probably a diamond, that had a living force of its own$ +ith the ring, 5olomon branded the nec&s of the "#inn as his slaves and set them to wor&ing building the first (emple of .erusalem and even the entire city of .erusalem$ 4ne story tells that a #ealous "#inni 2sometimes identified as Asmodeus3 stole 5olomon6s ring while he bathed in the river .ordan$ (he "#inni seated himself on the &ing6s throne at his palace and reigned over his &ingdom, forcing 5olomon to become a wanderer$ *od compelled the "#inni to throw the ring into the sea$ 5olomon retrieved it, and punished the "#inni by imprisoning him in a bottle$ According to another story, 5olomon summoned the "#inn to his crystal'paved palace, where they sat at tables made of iron$ 2In fol&lore, iron wea&en s supernatural entities$3 (he 9ur6an tells how the &ing made them wor& at building palaces, ma&ing carpets, and creating ponds, statues and gardens$ +henever 5olomon wanted to travel to faraway places, the "#inn carried him on their bac&s$
Djinn in Muslim lore Islamic theology absorbed the "#inn: an entire chap ter in the 9ur6an concerns them$ According to the Muslim faith, humans were created from clay and water, and angels from a special and pure spiritual light$ "#inn were created from the smo&eless fire, or the essential fire 2plasma in modern terms3$ (hey are invisible to most people except under certain conditions: however, animals, especially dogs and don&eys are able to see them$
"#inn were on the earth before man, but it is un&nown for how long$ By some accounts, they were created ;<<< years before Adam and Eve, and were eual to angels in stature$ +hen Allah created Adam, he told the angels to bow to him$ (he angels complied but Iblis, the leader of the "#inn and who had access to heaven, refused, and so he and his &ind were cast out of paradise$ Iblis appealed to Allah, and the "#inn were granted the opportunity to redeem themselves by .udgment "ay$ Iblis 2also called 5haytan3 became a figure comparable to the "evil$ =is evil'minded followers are called devils, and they behave in ways similar to +estern demons$ %i&e humans, "#inn have free will, and are able to understand good and evil$ (he 9ur6an states that the purpose of their creation is the same as that of humans, which is to worship Allah$ (hey are responsible for their actions, and will be #udged at the %ast .udgment$ Muhammad had encounters with the "#inn$ =e warned the people to cover their utensils, close their doors and &eep their children close to them at night, as the "#inn spread out at night and ta&e things$ =e also warned people to put out their lights, as the "#inn drag away the wic&s and start fires$ =owever, they will not open a loc&ed door, untie a tied ¬, or uncover a vessel$ If a "#inni is harmed or &illed, even inadvertently, "#inn will ta&e revenge, bringing misfortune, illness and even death to the offenders$ Muhammad said that if people find a sna&e in their house, they should call out to it for three days before &illing it$ If the sna&e is a shape'shifted "#inn, it will leave$ If it remains after three days, it is an ordinary sna&e a nd can be &illed$ (he "#inn can be converted to the faith, and Muhammad converted some of them by reciting the 9ur6an to them$ Djinn life (he life span of "#inn is much longer than humans, but they do die$ (hey are both male and female, and have children$ According to the 9ur6an , they eat meat, bones, and the dung of animals$ (hey play, sleep, and have their own pet animals, especially dogs$ (hey live in communities organi>ed into families and clans, and ruled by &ings$
Although they can live anywhere, they prefer remote and lonely places, such as deserts, ruins, caves, and tunnels$ In Middle Eastern lore they also inhabit places of impurity such as graveyards, garbage dumps, bathrooms, and camel pastures$ (hey can live in houses occupied by people$ (hey li&e to sit in the places between the shade and the sunlight, and move around when the dar& first comes$ (hey also li&e mar&etplaces, and Muslim lore holds that it is not a good idea to be the first to enter a mar&et or the last to leave it$ 5ome "#inn become attached to human beings and function li&e companion spirits$ (he #oining of humans and "#inn in marriage is still a practice in some parts of the world$ A mixed marriage is believed to be capable of producing offspring, though this is not desirable$ In lore, the 9ueen of 5heba,
who fascinated !ing 5olomon, was rumored to be part "#inn$ Possession by Djinn "#inn are capable of possessing human beings$ (hey are said to enter the blood stream and circulate rapidly through the body$ (hey cause mental and physical problems, and a lso disrupt marriages and relationships$ As&ing a "#inni to leave, or bargaining with it, may not be enough to get it to go, and someone who is trained may be needed to perform an exorcism to get it out of the body$ Modern experiences of Djinn "#inn encounters occur everywhere, and they may be interpreted as other entities rather than their true selves$ (his is especially the case in areas where little is &nown abo ut them$ Encounters with angels, fairies, demons, elementals, extraterrestrials, mysterious creatures and ghosts of the dead may be "#inn in disguise, either playing tric&s or carrying out an agenda$
"avid Morehouse, a retired remote viewer for the ?$5$ military, relates in his boo& Psychic +arrior how a head in#ury enabled him to have temporary visions of "#inn, normally invisible to most people$ =e was among American troops camped with .ordanian troops for training exercises in .ordan at Ba ten el *houl, which means “Belly of the Beast$ (he .ordanians considered it a haunted valley, where the demons came out at night to murder people$ It was not unusual to have one6s sleep interrupted by the screams and howls of frightened .ordanian soldiers who swore in the light of day that they had seen a demon@Baten en *houl was a desolate and #agged valley carved out of the desert that spilled over from 5audi Arabia$ It was renowned for its spiders$ Morehouse was accidentally shot in the helmet, which left a huge lump on his head$ After this, he temporarily experienced seeing the elusive "#inn$ =e described the conditions asSometime in the night, my eyes oened to a surreal light outside the tent! It "as li#e the light o f an e$lised sun and "asn%t $oming from any sto&e! It filled the night s#y! he entire (aten en Ghoul and the hills )eyond "ere )athed in the strange )luish gray light* I "al#ed to the edge of the )luff and stared into the &alley! +ar# figures mo&ed effortlessly a$ross its floor, li#e aaritions! hey oured from the ro$#s in &arious heas and shaes and mo&ed a)out the $lusters of tents! I $ould hear muffled $ries from the Jordanian en$amment, and momentarily I thought "e "ere )eing o&errun )y thie&es or Israelis! Pani$#ed, I turned to run for hel! olliding "ith one of the figures, I refle-i&ely $losed my eyes, e-$et I didn%t $ollide! I "al#ed right through it! urning around I "at$hed the figure disaear o&er the edge of the )luff! After that, the lump on his head was gone$
