do exist, and human beings are the children of Adam. They are called al-ins because they find social comfort in one another, gathering and bonding together. The jinn, however, take their name from ijtinān, meaning concealment. From the same root comes janīn (the fetus) hidden in the womb, the expression jannah-hu al-layl when night covers a person, and al-mijn, the shield used against arrows. Ijtinān or jinnān therefore refers to something veiled and out of sight; accordingly, the jinn are hidden from us—we do not see them.

They are a real created realm, and whoever denies their existence is an unbeliever, for he has rejected Allah, His Messenger, and the unanimous consensus of the Muslims. Allah has declared that He created the jinn and humankind for no purpose other than to worship Him. He did not create them so that they might benefit or harm Him, or to seek honor through them after humiliation, or to augment His numbers because of any scarcity. He is independent of all creation. He had no need of them when He created them; He did not create them so they could provide for Him or acquire wealth on His behalf: “I desire no provision from them, nor do I desire that they should feed Me. Indeed, Allah is the Ever-Providing, the Lord of Mighty Power” (51:57).

Thus Allah has no need of the creation. He created the jinn and mankind for one purpose only: that they worship Him. He is not in need of their worship; rather, they are the ones who need it, for if they worship Allah