Jinn (Arabic: الجن‎‎, al-jinn)

Jinn (Arabic: الجن‎‎, al-jinn), also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of demons), ¹ are supernatural creatures in early Arabian and later Islamic mythology and theology. An individual member of the jinn is known as a jinni, djinni, or genie (الجني, al-jinnī). They are mentioned frequently in the Quran (the 72nd sura is titled Sūrat al-Jinn) and other Islamic texts. The Quran says that the jinn were created from a smokeless and "scorching fire":

وَالْجَانَّ خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ مِنْ نَارِ السَّمُومِ 27²

And created the jinn before him, from smokeless fire.

However, they are also physical in nature, being able to interact in a tactile manner with people and objects and likewise be acted upon.

• ¹  Ibn Taymiyah's Essay on the Jinn (Demons), abridged, annotated and translated by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, International Islamic Publishing House: Riyadh, Pg. 19. (note 4).
• ²  Holy Quran, Al-Hijr (The Stones) 15: 27