is a false claim, since it is not ordinarily possible to mingle and live with them in a way that would reveal whether they are righteous or corrupt. Experience shows us that many of the human beings with whom one keeps the closest company prove to be unfit. Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“O you who believe, indeed among your wives and children are enemies to you, so beware of them.”

This concerns visible human beings; so what then of the jinn, concerning whom Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“Indeed, he and his tribe see you from where you do not see them.”

2761 — “A man [from among the Jews] used to visit the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, [and the Prophet trusted him]. He tied a knot-spell against him and placed it in the well of a man from the Ansar. [As a result, he was ill for several days—in the hadith of Aishah: for six months.] Two angels came to visit him. One sat at his head and the other at his feet. One of them said, ‘Do you know what ails him?’ The other replied, ‘So-and-so, who used to visit him, tied a knot-spell against him and threw it into the well of so-and-so from the Ansar. If he were to send a man to it and retrieve the knots, he would find that the water had turned yellow.’ [Then Gabriel came to him with the two surahs of refuge and said, ‘A Jewish man has bewitched you, and the sorcery is in the well of so-and-so.’ He said:] So he sent a man—in another route: he sent Ali, who found that the water had turned yellow. He took the knots and brought them back. [He instructed him to untie the knots and recite a verse.] He untied them, [and began reciting and untying them]. Each time he untied a knot, he felt relief, until he recovered. In the other route: the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, rose as though he had been released from his bonds. Thereafter, the man continued to visit the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, but he did not