making them ill, bringing them someone they desire, or procuring some money. Yet the harm they suffer as a result is greater than the benefit; indeed, it may outweigh the benefit many times over.

Many of those who employ the jinn through these practices claim that Solomon employed the jinn by the same means. More than one scholar of the early generations mentioned that, when Solomon died, the devils wrote books of sorcery and disbelief, placed them beneath his throne, and said, “Solomon used these to employ the jinn.” A group of the People of the Scripture therefore disparaged Solomon on this account.

Others said, “Had this not been right and permissible, Solomon would not have done it.” Both groups thus went astray: the former by disparaging Solomon, and the latter by practising sorcery. Concerning this, Allah Most High revealed His words:

“And when a messenger from Allah came to them, confirming what was with them, a group of those who had been given the Scripture cast the Book of Allah behind their backs,”

through to His words:

“If only they had believed and feared Allah, a reward from Allah would have been better, if only they knew.”

He, glory be to Him, explained that this neither harms nor benefits, since benefit is that which is wholly or predominantly good, while harm is that which is wholly or predominantly evil; and the evil of this is either unmitigated or predominant.

The point is that when the jinn transgress against human beings, they are informed of the ruling of Allah and His Messenger, the proof is established against them, and they are enjoined to do what is right and forbidden to do what is wrong, just as is done