Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

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Asalam alikoum

Dear brother Burhan,

I was reading the translation of Suraa Rehman and the suraa again and again refers to jinns and humans. Is the Holy Quran also for the jinns. If yes then do jinns also have the same problems as humans regarding finding the correct and right religion? Also in the same suraa Allah says that he rules two easts and two wests(mashreqain and maghribain). What is the meaning of 2 easts and 2 wests?

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Answer:

Meaning of Two easts and Two wests

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: is the Holy Quran also for the jinns. If yes then do jinns also have the same problems as humans regarding finding the correct and right religion?

Among all of Allah’s creations, only humans and jinns have been given the free will to choose between right and wrong, virtue and sin, obedience or disobedience to his Creator, accept or deny the Message!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 51 Surah Dhariyat verse 56:I have not created the jinn and men except for this that they should worship Me alone.

The Holy Quran is a revealed Book of Allah, and as such it is obligatory for a believer to believe in all the revealed Books of Allah Subhanah. The basic principles and foundation of all of Allah’s revealed Books are exactly the same; namely, The concept of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah), the absolute refutation of Shirk (associating other beings with Allah), the concept of the Hereafter, etc. All the Books revealed by Allah have the same basic message. Thus, the believing Jinns must also bring ‘imaan’ on the Quran to be muslims.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 46 Surah Ahqaaf verses 29-31:(And recall the event) when We brought to you (O Mohamed) a group of the Jinn so that they might listen to the Quran. When they reached the place (where you were reciting it) they said to one another, “Be silent.” When the recitation was over, they returned to their people as warners. They said to them, “O our people! We have just listened to a Book that has been sent down after Moses. It contains the Books that came before it and it guides to the Truth and to a Straight Way. O our people! Accept the invitation of the one calling to Allah and believe in him. Allah will forgive you your sins and will save you from a painful torment.”

Your Question: Also in the same suraa Allah says that he rules two easts and two wests(mashreqain and maghribain). What is the meaning of 2 easts and 2 wests?

The literal meaning of the Arabic word ‘mashriq’ means the place the sun rises; and the word ‘magrib’ means the place the sun sets.

It is a scientific fact that the sun does not always rise and set at the same points, but does so at different points every day. Moreover, it does not rise at the same time for the whole world, but rises at different times for different places. Both the ‘easts’ and both the ‘wests’ mean the two points of sunrise and the two points of sunset on the shortest day of winter and the longest day of summer. There are other places in the Quran where Allah says that He is the Lord of all the ‘Easts’! The plural form of ‘easts’ and ‘wests’ is used to indicate the different points at which the sun rises according to the seasons of the year!

These aayahs are stated by Allah as a declaration of His Oneness, to all those pagans and polytheists who worship other things with Allah; especially those who worshipped the sun, its rising, its setting, etc. Allah Subhanah declares that He Alone it is Who is the Lord of the sun and all the places from where it rises and sets!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan