Hinn (Mythology)

Overview

• Hinn: Supernatural creatures in Arabian lore, mentioned alongside jinn and devils (shaitan).
• Believed to be a pre-Adamitic race according to Islamic beliefs.
• Existence acknowledged by the Druze community.
• Associated with other races like binn, timm, and rimm.

Pre-Adamic Creation in Islamic Theology

• Qur'anic verse Surah al-Baqarah (2:30) prompts speculation about pre-Adam creatures causing bloodshed.
  • "And when your Lord said to the angels, 'I am placing a vicegerent on earth,' they said, 'Will You place in it someone who will spread corruption and shed blood…'
• Ibn Kathir: Links hinn with jinn as bloodshed-causing creatures before humans.
  • In "Al-Bidya wa-n-Nihya", mentions jinn exterminated hinn and binn to inhabit Earth.
• Ibn Taymiyyah: Criticizes inclusion of hinn and binn in Islamic cosmology, attributing it to foreign influences like Greek philosophy or Magian religions.
• Al-Jahiz: Describes hinn as "weak type" of demons, contrasting with other descriptions as powerful primordial creatures.

In Folklore and Poems

• Belief that hinn can take the shape of dogs and still exist.
• Based on a hadith, Muslims should throw food to a wild dog and chase it away, suspecting it may have an evil soul.
• Referred to in pre-Islamic poems along with jinn.

Bibliographic References

1. ElZein, Amira (2009). Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn.
2. Rosenthal, Franz (1970). Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam.
3. Ebied, R.Y.; Young, M.J.L. Encyclopaedia of Islam.
4. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (2015). The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary.
5. Wheeler, Brannon M. (2002). Prophets in the Quran: An introduction to the Quran and Muslim exegesis.
6. Ibn Kathir (2003). Tafsir Ibn Kathir.
7. Ibn Kathir (2001). Al-Bidya wa-n-Nihya.
8. Ibn Taymiyyah (2004). Majm al-Fatw.
9. Al-Jahiz (1965). Kitb al-ayawn.
10. Nnlist, Tobias (2015). Dmonenglaube im Islam.