# Does the Quran's verse about the touch of Shaytan prove that jinn possess people?

*The riba verse and the tree of Jahannam: Quranic imagery misread as proof of possession*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/s/12/
- Date: 2017-09-20 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Jinn Possessions: Myth and Reality in Islam by Sh. Akram Nadwi & Mufti Abu Layth (58:35–1:02:31)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z8yu8Kr83Y&t=3515s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/

**Topics:** Jinn possession; Tafsir and verse study; How to read the Quran

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: the riba verse describes how usurers will rise on the Day of Judgement or pictures their greed, and the image of Shaytan's touch is drawn from human imagination, like the tree of Jahannam whose fruit is 'like the heads of devils'. It is a misused verse, not a proof.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the riba verse 2:275 describes how such people will rise on the Day of Judgement or pictures their greed, and that like the zaqqum fruit resembling the heads of devils it is imagery drawing on human imagination, not evidence that possession is real.

**Evidence, his words at 1:00:42:** “imagery that Allah grows upon the imagination of mankind when he's addressing them let's take another example” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z8yu8Kr83Y&t=3642s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth takes the verse historically debated in this connection, that those who take riba will not stand except as one made unstable by the touch of Shaytan, which supporters of possession cite as proof. He answers that those who took riba were not acting like lunatics but were ordinary people looking after their interests, and that many commentators read the verse as describing how they will rise from their graves on the Day of Judgement, while others read it as a picture of greed so consuming that it is as though they had lost their faculties. To the question why Allah would use the touch of Shaytan as an image if it had no reality, he answers with Ibn Atiyya [?] and others that this is imagery drawing on the imagination of mankind, and compares the verse describing the tree of Jahannam whose fruit emerges as though it were the heads of devils: nobody has seen a devil, so the comparison works only because Allah knows his creation has imagination. He adds that the most frightening thing a person ever encounters is their own imagination, and concludes that this is one of the key verses misused by those who build the narrative of demonic possession.

## Sources and names cited

- Quran 2:275 (like one whom Shaytan has driven to madness by his touch): https://quran.com/2/275
- Quran 37:65 (the tree of Jahannam, its fruit like the heads of devils): https://quran.com/37/65
- Ibn Atiyya [?]
- riba
- Shaytan
- Quranic imagery draws on the imagination of its listeners and is not a report of fact

## Transcript (machine tier, 58:35–1:02:31)

[58:09] people were coming with normal whatever problems asking these people to explain them and they had took they were trying to come up with some answer to help these people right so that is because we need to keep that in mind when we're dealing with this so why are the ulama where's this confusion coming from within islam certain verses had historically been debated verses in the quran allah speaks about a very popular verse that when allah speaks about those

[58:46] people who take of RIBA liya home owner Allah , Akuma lady at the Hobbit or Shaitaan or anonymous those who take a river do not kind of go about the daily affairs except how liya come on or they do not stand or however you want to see this or lie upon muna as though they do not go about the daily face except as though somebody who has been yet the hot butter in Arabic means to become unstable like you've kind of like you've been all over the place as though somebody has become unstable due to mus like this touch by a devil

[59:25] or a demon what does this mean so some people said well okay so what people coming to this people who are supporting this whole gene possession they say ah well here's a verse in the Quran highlighting this first of all people who were taking RIBA were not doing that they were people who look normal people who were taking River weren't actually acting mental they were just people looking out for the interests they were just saying no I'll give you 100 if he can bring me back 200 at the end of the month they weren't kind of like all over the place and acting like

[1:00:04] lunatics so many more first Selene had highlighted this is talking about in the arc era that lie a homeowner ll al-qaeda Oh min kabura him or when they come from rise from the graves they will be all over the place and some people said no this is so so it's not even talking it's got nothing to do with this you know Djinn possession some people said oh well this is speaking here about them in their lust and greed that this is how it's as though they possessed they're so greedy they don't want to help people

[1:00:42] this greed is so overtaking them it's as though they've lost their mental faculty but why this must summon a Shaitaan why this this touch of the of the Shaitaan why does it have a reality why would Allah use this as an example if it wasn't real this is the question so here may many people hide highlighted including them of us here like even our Thea and other people that this is imagery that Allah grows upon the

[1:01:18] imagination of mankind when he's addressing them let's take another example let's take a look at the verse in the Quran well I speaking about Jahannam and he says that in there there's this tree shall return means our home this this devastating tree and then last days that Aloha I know a narrow social theme that it emerges as though it's the heads of Devils have you seen a

[1:01:54] devil has anybody seen a devil so how do they know what that's supposed to mean when you say that oh this tree looks like it's the heads of Devils I haven't seen a devil that's because it's okay you have imagined Allah knows ezel imbecile teehee he knows they have creation that they have imagination and then what's interesting he has a side note is that in life the most intimidating and frightening phenomenon that you will ever encounter right

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 7z8yu8Kr83Y/s/12. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/s/12/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.