Hinn (mythology)

Hinn (Arabic: حنّ‎) are supernatural creatures, besides jinn and demons, in Arabian lore and also a group of pre-Adamitic race in Islam-related beliefs.[1] The existence of Hinn is accepted by the Druze,[2] along with binn, Timm, and Rimm.[3]

Pre-Adamitic circles

According to the Alawi sect, the jinn are part of the "circle of time", belonging to a period preceding the creation of mankind. Therefore before humans, the hinn, binn, timm, rimm, jann and jinn roamed the earth. These six periods symbolize negative progress until humans emerge, thus the first letters of the first four circles mean Habtar (here referring to the personification of evil) and the latter referring to jann and jinn as subordinates of the devil. The following circle divides human history, starting with Adam and ends with Muhammad, the period in which humans now live.[4]

Alternatively, hinn have been said to be associated with air and another creature, binn, with water in a document called "Revelations of ʻAbdullah Al-Sayid Muhammad Habib". In the same document, hinn and binn are said to be extinct, unlike jinn.[5]

According to Ibn Kathir, the hinn belongs together with the jinn to those creatures who shed blood on earth before humankind, causing the angels to question God's command to place Adam as a vicegerent.[6] In his work Al-Bidāya wa-n-Nihāya, he relates that the Hinn and binn were exterminated by the jinn so that they could dwell on the earth.[7]

Muhammad Al-Tahir ibn Ashur states in his work at-Tahreer wa’t-Tanweer that the hinn and binn may be a reference to Persian mythology or the ancient Greek Titans, who were driven away by their deities.[8]

Hinn fighting alongside angels
See also: Nar as-samum

According to some accounts, the hinn supported the angels, led by Iblis during a battle against the earthen jinn, who bore disaster on the world. Tabari explained the hinn were created out of fire, like the jinn. But the hinn, who belong to Iblis' group, are created out of the fire of samum (poisonous fire), which is mentioned in the Quran (15:27) while the regular jinn are created out of marij min nar (mixture of flame), which is mentioned in (55:15).[9]

In folklore and poems

According to some folklore, hinn are believed to be still alive and take the shape of dogs. Based on a hadith, if a wild dog approaches a Muslim, he shall throw some food to him and chase him away, because he would have an evil soul.[10]

Hinn were mentioned in pre-Islamic poems along with jinn.[11]

References
  1. Franz Rosenthal Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam Brill Archive 1970 page 152
  2. Ebied, R. Y. and Young, M. J. L., “Ḥinn”, in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 13 January 2020 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_8622> Erste Online-Erscheinung: 2012 Erste Druckedition: ISBN 9789004161214, 1960-2007
  3. Ebied, R. Y. and Young, M. J. L., “Binn”, in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 13 January 2020 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_8419> Erste Online-Erscheinung: 2012 Erste Druckedition: ISBN 9789004161214, 1960-2007
  4. Yaron Friedman The Nuṣayrī-ʻAlawīs: An Introduction to the Religion, History, and Identity of the Leading Minority in Syria BRILL 2010 ISBN 978-9-004-17892-2 page 113
  5. Ḥasan Shaukī Ḥassīb, Al Hay'at Al-kashfiyah Li H̲al Mushkilat Al-bariyah: (Revelations of ʻAbdullah Al-Sayid Muhammad Habib Concerning the Creation and the Sidereal Universe) Luzac & Company, 1909, p 21
  6. Brannon M. Wheeler Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis A&C Black 2002 ISBN 978-0-826-44957-3 page 16
  7. Ibn Katheer Early Days: Al Bidayah – Wan Nihayah Darussalam Publishers 2014
  8. https://islamqa.info/en/72470
  9. Lucinda Mosher, David Marshall: Sin, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation: Christian and Muslim Perspectives. Georgetown University Press, 2016, ISBN 978-1-62616-284-6, S. 63.
  10. Amira El-Zein Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn Syracuse University Press 2009 ISBN 9780815650706 page 124
  11. Amira El-Zein Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn Syracuse University Press 2009 ISBN 9780815650706 page 124
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