—their food and their fodder—beyond any doubt.

Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent to all humans and jinn alike, and this is a station more exalted in Allah’s sight than the subjugation of the jinn to Solomon, peace be upon him. The jinn were placed under Solomon so that he might rule them with the authority of a king, whereas Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent to them to command them with whatever Allah has commanded, for he is the Servant of Allah and His Messenger. The rank of the servant-prophet is superior to that of the king-prophet.

[The unbelieving jinn in Hellfire]
The unbelieving jinn will enter the Fire, as stated explicitly in scripture and affirmed by scholarly consensus. As for the believing jinn, the majority of scholars maintain that they will enter Paradise.

The prevailing view among the scholars is that messengers are drawn from humankind; no messenger has ever been raised from among the jinn, although there are warners among them. A full treatment of these questions belongs elsewhere.

What matters here is that the interaction between jinn and humans takes several forms:

• If a human being commands the jinn with what Allah and His Messenger have enjoined—worshipping Allah alone and obeying His Prophet—and likewise calls other humans to the same, he is among the finest of Allah’s awliyaʾ (friends). In so doing he serves as one of the Prophet’s successors and deputies.

• If someone employs the jinn for matters that are lawful to him, his case is like that of a person who employs other humans for permissible tasks. He instructs them in what is obligatory upon them, forbids them what is unlawful, and utilizes them only in what is licit for him; such a person is comparable to kings who conduct themselves in this manner.