Question:
Assalamualaikum w.b.t SS Dato’ Seri. If it is true that syaitan is chained, why does jinn’s possession still occur in Ramadhan?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Probably this issue arises due to two hadeeths narrated by Abu Hurairah RA, when the Prophet PBUH said:
إِذَا دَخَلَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ فُتِّحَتْ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ، وَغُلِّقَتْ أَبْوَابُ جَهَنَّمَ، وَسُلْسِلَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ
"When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained."
Sahih al-Bukhari (1899)
Based on the narration of Imam Muslim (1079), it is recorded by the phrase: (وَصُفِّدَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ)
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani said: “…According to some opinions, syaitan stated here in this hadeeth refers to some of them; those who are wild and have strong resistance (not all syaitan is included). As for that, Ibnu Khuzaimah specifies a chapter in his Sahih for hadeeth related to this matter, he then include hadeeth narrated by himself as well as al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasai’e, Ibnu Majah and al-Hakim… (as being mentioned above).” (Refer Fath al-Bari, 4/114)
If we take a closer look, we will find that there is a chapter in Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah entitled:
بَابُ ذِكْرِ الْبَيَانِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ بِقَوْلِهِ: «وَصُفِّدَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ» مَرَدَةُ الْجِنِّ مِنْهُمْ، لَا جَمِيعَ الشَّيَاطِينِ «إِذِ اسْمُ الشَّيَاطِينِ قَدْ يَقَعُ عَلَى بَعْضِهِمْ
“A chapter on explaining what is meant by the words of the Prophet PBUH: ‘And the wild (or big) syaitans are chained.’ Not referring to all syaitan because the phrase (or terminology) of syaitan sometimes used for only some of them,” (Refer Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah, 1/188)
According to Imam al-Qurtubi as narrated by Imam Ibn Hajar al-‘Aqalani:
“Indeed possession of jinn decreases only towards those who fast while observing the conditions and ethics of fasting. Or the chained ones are some of the syaitan, which are the wild ones, and not all of them like according to some narrations. Or what is meant is the decrease of wrongdoings in the month of Ramadhan, and this is felt vastly, as it is less compared to other months…” (Refer Fath Al-Bari 4/114)
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, we can conclude that the meaning of chained syaitan as:
- Only some of the syaitan is chained, which are the big or wild (مَرَدَةُ الْجِنِّ), while some are not.
- This also means that syaitan do not have the freedom to lure the believers to sin as compared to other months.
Possession of jinn can be prevented by aggregating acts of worship in this month of Ramadhan like the fasting itself, reading the Quran, dhikr and etc. Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani quoted from al-Hulaimi stating that the meaning of chained as; the syaitans cannot freely possess/seduce the Muslims like in the other months due to Muslims fasting and trying to control their desires, as well as them being busy with the recitation of the Quran and dhikr. (Refer Fath al-Bari, 4/114)
At the same time, we would like to suggest for those who faced people who has a problem of jinn’s possession to consult with psychiatrists for there may be a relation with psychological issues and not merely a possession of jinn.