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1 ThePoeticsoftheInvisible Muslim Imagination and the Jinn Imagination is like the image that a human sees in the mirror. —ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1240) As spiritual entities, the jinn are considered dual dimensional, with the ability to live and operate in both manifest and invisible domains. The traffic between them is the focus of discussion in Islam, because believing in al-ghayb, the unseen and the unknown, is central and fundamental in Islamic faith. God himself is referred to in the Qur’an as the Outward and the Inward.1 This means God unveils himself through infinite external manifestations and veils himself in absolute secrecy in his Oneness. “From that unitary point of view, the Principle of the Source is seen as not the Inward but also the Outward, not only the One but also the essential reality of the many which is but the reflections of the One.”2 The Notion of Multiple Worlds in Islam It is difficult to grasp this constant and complex interchange between the manifest and the invisible without unraveling from the outset the concept of multiple worlds that is at the heart of the Muslim vision of existence. It profoundly implies there is always more than meets the eye. Muslims begin their prayers each time with the fatiha (the opening chapter of the Qur’an), which begins with these words: “Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds,” rabb al-‘alamin.3 Muslims repeat the expression rabb al-‘alamin (the Lord of the worlds) in the fatiha several times during their prayers, which deeply ensconces the idea of numerous realms in their hearts and minds. Despite the preeminence of our Earth because the human is God’s vice-regent on it,4 Islam 2 | Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn emphasizes the existence of yet other domains in general, and of other earths in particular.5 It is this belief in the infinite possibilities of other dimensions that triggered the great development of sciences during medieval times. Nothing in the new religion hinders the exploration of these worlds mentioned in the Holy Book. Muslims believe God created many worlds and subjected them to humans and jinn to explore them, benefit from them, and come to a deeper discernment of the Divine and a genuine glorification of his wonders.6 Muslim compilers speak of not one earth but of seven earths as being one on top of the other, exactly like the seven heavens. The analogy between seven earths and seven heavens is worthy of note inasmuch as the number seven is considered “the number of the universe, the macrocosm.”7 It is also “the first number which contains both the spiritual and temporal”8 and that joins heaven and Earth. However, in Arabic the term “seven” could also be used emphatically to refer to more than seven, to numerous things or beings.9 In the context of earths and heavens, it could therefore allude to a great number of earths and heavens, and not just to seven. Although details on the seven earths are so scarce in the Qur’an that it mentions it only once,10 the prophetic tradition provides additional details. The imam Muhammad al-Bukhari (b. 810), author of one of the most authentic collections of prophetic traditions, states The Prophet asked once his Companions, “Do you know what is below the earth?” We replied, “God and his Prophet know better.” He said, “There is an earth. Do you know what is underneath it?” We replied, “God and his Prophet know better.” He said, “Another earth. Do you know what distance separates both of them?” We replied, “God and his Prophet know better.” He said, “Seven hundred years apart,” and he continued so forth until he counted seven earths. Then he said, “By God, if any of you go downwards, he will reach the seventh earth.” Then he recited from the Qur’an: “He is the First and the Last and the Outward and the Inward, and He has knowledge of everything.”11 The Prophet not only asserts the existence of multiple earths, but he also underscores the need to respect and nurture our Earth because it is alive, sacred, and ranked above other earths: “He who takes anything from the earth that doesn’t belong to him or that is not his right will be thrown on the Day of Judgment downwards to the seventh earth.”12 [3.133.121.160] Project MUSE (2024-04-25 04...

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