GENIE/JINN

We hear a number of stories these days connecting Jinn with paranormal events.  Jinn are regarded in Islam as creatures intermediary between angels and humans, but they were believed in long before the dawn of Islam.  They were worshiped as pre-Islamic gods in Arabia.

It is possible that they exist as spirits, which were incorporated into Islam.  In the West, particularly in fairytales, they are known as Genies.  The best known one resided in Aladdin's lamp in the Arabian Nights.  They sometimes are said to interbreed with humans and the offspring of such a union has the attributes of both.  Belief in Jinn has spread to Malaysia and North Africa.  They are formed from fire.  It has been suggested that Jinn are responsible for paranormal events today.