# If doctors cannot explain an illness, could it be a jinn?

*Unexplained illness is not a jinn; harm 'from Shaytan' comes from following his advice, as with Ayyub*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/s/4/
- Date: 2017-09-20 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Jinn Possessions: Myth and Reality in Islam by Sh. Akram Nadwi & Mufti Abu Layth (19:40–23:06)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z8yu8Kr83Y&t=1180s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/

**Topics:** Jinn possession; Jinn, angels and the devil; Guest conversations

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** An illness doctors cannot explain is not thereby a jinn; that is a story made up without proof. The Quran attributes harm to Shaytan only in the sense that people follow his whispering, as in Ayyub's prayer, and forbids claiming what one has no knowledge of.

## Longer summary

The guest says that some people's conditions are so bad that doctors cannot explain them, which he does not deny, but that not being able to explain something does not make it a jinn; that is a story the mind makes up without proof. The hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim in which the Prophet advised what to recite, he summarises, teach that people can be whispered to by Shaytan and that whispering can harm when it is followed, like a man persuaded by another to try drugs until he is convinced and harmed: the harm comes from listening, not from the one who whispered. He reads this into the prayer of Ayyub, 'Shaytan has touched me with hardship and pain', and his other prayer that harm has come to him: harm is attributed to Shaytan because one followed his advice, but Shaytan himself never creates any harm for anybody. He closes with the verse that one must not pursue what one has no knowledge of, since hearing, sight and heart will be questioned: those who claim someone is possessed must be asked how they know, and since nobody can see the jinn, they interpret a disturbance as a jinn without proof, while Allah has created many illnesses people do not understand.

## Sources and names cited

- Shaykh Akram Nadwi (guest)
- Shaytan
- Quran 38:41 (Ayyub: Shaytan has touched me with hardship and pain): https://quran.com/38/41
- Ayyub (Job)
- Quran 17:36 (do not pursue what you have no knowledge of): https://quran.com/17/36
- waswasa (the whispering of Shaytan)
- Shaytan's only power is to whisper and call; he cannot force or possess
- a claim about the unseen needs proof from the Quran and Sunnah

## Transcript (machine tier, 19:40–23:06)

[19:20] get the money and then he got all this money I'm going to buy thirty thousand in debt think really if you have got 30,000 our mutagen and nobody can see them easily can can cut the whole world and people believe in these stories and then he got so much money so you know this thing all the time you can you know these stories going on really and people people the simple matter is there's something in Lissa's sometimes you know people have got such entries that were happening we do not have any single proof in the Quran the soon something I could no proof in the real life it never happened so it could be fast will no doubt real sometime could be people's condition is so bad doctors cannot spend

[19:59] I don't deny that this kind happens r10 in time that you have some some certain illness who nobody can explain but not being able to explain how to miss it is general in which to just produce by your mind you make up this story that no proof for that similarly there are in many you know in Sona and Alison Bihari Muslim when the professor Darla Salam had advised people what to read I don't want to condition because we don't have much time so this is due to our best summary of these hadees basically the prophet salaallah Salam is pitching that people can be whispered by Fatah and when upset on whispers it can harm left further put in when a human being miss

[20:38] Calcutta polish somebody you know Shaitaan some human being said - okay you know use the truggy know these drugs are very good when you you know take them you fly and you become you know something different we are in heaven you know that what people think so then we don't believe the first time second time third time until he convinced you and then you test then you test again more and more and start flying so and then what happens then the harm come to you so this harm has come he did not harm you but you listen to him harm has come to similarly when people listen to Shaitan her will come but you not shattered in making the harm you basically following and the harms coming - like that why are you balusters

[21:16] hamsa once he said oh allah shaitaan has touched me with the heart and in other words he said you know Robin you know I read the book was from from the Quran what clear carranza well in the Torah are you with why you bite not a robber who a Nima's senator to harm has come to me Oh Oh Anton Orihime in other words a u.s.

[21:47] Tom said what Okura Abdul now you inaudible and me must initiate oh no been a swimmer adapt Shaitan has caused me this tiredness and to that how the right manner is really when any harm happened to no doubt has come suffer from Shaitan Shaitan at all but Shaitan did not bring that cleared harm it based meaning you listen to Shaitaan you follow the device then it hyper resulted to Shaytan never can create any heart for anybody never happen it impossible he never bring the heart but what happens it when people listen to shatters advice that advice if you follow that that will result into some harm to death can happen to TomTom the Quran you know relate the heart to

[22:27] Shaytan because this reason because you know all the coddle you listen to Shaytan you follow the shaitaan and that resulted into this harm you know the Koran said very clearly what a tactful a slacker volume in the samurai wala basara were four other could occur kana inamura if you don't know something then basically you don't you have no right to make a claim the first you have to know the chorus of rata formalize the Cameo if you don't know so all those people who claim that somebody has garbage in possession of something like Delta you ask them what it what is your proof how

[23:05] do you know this thing what the proof and a lot sometimes far we need people you know from saying anything which for which they have no knowledge and this is our tell we don't have knowledge because we card sitting in what you see you know that know where you can see them what you see something different but you collect that this is something dinner you see certain you know a you know activity of some disturbance and they interpret that this could be Jean but they're not prefer that in Allah so Allah has created so many illness so many things in this world you know something with know something we don't know but if you don't know that we don't not not immediately that we have to claim something you know you know it

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 7z8yu8Kr83Y/s/4. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/s/4/

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