A group, including Abū Hanīfah—as reported from him—held that the obedient among the jinn will become dust like animals, and that their reward will be deliverance from the Fire.

Are there messengers among them, or only warners? There are two views.

One view holds that there are messengers among them, based on Allah’s words:

“O company of jinn and humans, did messengers from among you not come to you?”

The other holds that the messengers are human, while the jinn have warners. This is the better-known view, for Allah tells us that they follow the religion of Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and that they:

“Returned to their people as warners.”

“They said, ‘O our people, we have heard a Book revealed after Moses’”—and the rest of the verse.

Those who hold this view say that His words, “Did messengers from among you not come to you?” are like His words, “From both emerge pearls and coral,” although these emerge only from salt water; and like His words, “He made the moon a light within them and made the sun a lamp,” although the moon is in only one of them.

As for their obligation to observe commands and prohibitions, and what is lawful and unlawful, the evidence is abundant. One example is the report in Muslim from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“‘An emissary from the jinn came to me, so I went with him and recited the Quran to them.’ They then set out, and he showed us their traces and the traces of their fires. They asked him for provisions, and he said, ‘You may have every bone over which Allah’s name has been mentioned: when it comes into your hands, it will be in its fullest state. Every dropping is fodder for your animals.’ The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then said, ‘Do not cleanse yourselves after relieving yourselves with bones or dung.’”

This was to prevent their food and fodder from being spoiled. Here he makes clear that he permitted them only that over which Allah’s name had been mentioned, not that over which His name had not been mentioned.