Spiritual double of human in Islam
A
Qareen
(
Arabic
:
????
qar?n
, literally meaning: 'constant companion') is a spiritual double of a human, either part of the human himself or a complementary creature in a
parallel dimension
.
[1]
[2]
Due to its ghostly nature, the Qareen is classified among the
Jinn
-type creatures, although usually not actually a Jinni.
[3]
The Qareen as an accompanying spirit should not be confused with the
Qarinah
, a female "childbed demon" in Middle Eastern traditions.
Qareen in Islam
[
edit
]
Quran
[
edit
]
In the
Quran
, the concept of a
Qareen
is absent. The term, meaning "companion" appears a few times, but without any demonic associations.
Hans Alexander Winkler
noted that the Quranic reference to a
Qareen
refers to an earthly companion like a friend, who influences a Muslim to leave the
Islamic community
.
[4]
Even the "satan" mentioned in 43:36 would refer to a human tempter (
shaytan al ins
), not a spiritual entity. It is only in the
hadith
that spiritual company is clearly associated with the term
Qareen
. Here, it refers to either a demon or angel.
[5]
Only in later folklore is a
Qareen
considered a spiritual doppelganger of an individual human.
The term
Qareen
is mentioned in the following Quran
verses
without necessarily referring to any type of spiritual creature:
S?rat
az-Zukhruf
:
"And whosoever turns away from remembering and mentioning the Most Beneficent, we appoint for him a Satan to be a
Qareen
to him."
[6]
S?rat
as-Saffat
:
"A speaker among them will say, 'Indeed, I had a
Qareen
.'"
[7]
S?rat
an-Nisa
:
"And those who spend of their wealth to be seen by the people and believe not in Allah nor in the Last Day. And he to whom Satan is a
Qareen
- then evil is he as a
Qareen
."
[8]
S?rat
Qaf
:
"And his
Qareen
, will say, 'This is what is with me, prepared.'"
[9]
Interpretation
[
edit
]
Several opinions exist on the exact nature of the
Qareen
. According to one opinion, the
Qareen
is actually a
Shaitan
, who entices a human with
wasw?s
("evil suggestions"), but can become good in accordance with the human’s good deeds. However, it is uncertain whether or not a
Qareen
besides that of
Muhammad
can actually become good.
Another opinion holds that
Qareen
refers to any type of spirit accompanying humans. Here, the
Qareen
refers to demons, who give evil suggestions, but also to
angels
, who counsel towards good deeds.
[2]
Furthermore, the
Qareen
is depicted as the other self: a spirit integral to the person. A dissent between the inner
Qareen
and behavior may cause the same symptoms as
Jinn-possession
.
[10]
[3]
Other sources
[
edit
]
The concept of a
Qareen
appears in pre-Islamic literature as well, and is reminiscent of the
Greek
daimones
and the
Christian
guardian angel
.
[11]
In Pre-Islamic Arabian myth the Qareen is said to be able to inspire poets for their works.
[12]
How prevalent it is in folk belief varies by country. For example, it is more popular in Egypt than Sudan.
[13]
It is possible the concept in Egypt has been influenced by the older concept of the
ka
. In some cases (such as that of holy men), the qarin or karin persists after a person has died.
[14]
In Egypt, both
Copts
and Muslims believe in the qarin, and believe it may turn into a cat or dog at night.
[15]
Amulets are used to guard against the qarin, especially if it is jealous. Pregnant women in Egypt used to visit a
sheikha
three months before birth to ask their counsel on ensuring their qarina does not harm their child. The prescribed rituals and amulets usually involve the number seven. Brides in Upper Egypt also wore amulets against their qarin.
[16]
Some record the belief from
Ibn Hanbal
that one has a "qarin of the jinn and a qarin of the angels".
[16]
Russian and Turkish Muslims believe the qarin is present in the womb with the person it's attached to.
[16]
One of the seven
mu'allaqat
?Arabic poems recognized as masterpieces during the pre-Islamic period?uses the word as a metaphor. To describe his tribe's excellence in battle, poet Amr bin Kulthum says that "every tribe has taken fear of us as a
qarin
(or 'constant companion')," meaning that their fear of Amr's tribe is always present. This goes further to show the origin of the word
qareen
, as described in the Arabic dictionary as a "companion".
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Anwer Mahmoud Zanaty
Glossary Of Islamic Terms
IslamKotob page 184
- ^
a
b
Kelly Bulkeley, Kate Adams, Patricia M. Davis
Dreaming in Christianity and Islam: Culture, Conflict, and Creativity
Rutgers University Press 2009
ISBN
978-0-813-54610-0
page 144
- ^
a
b
Veena Das, Clara Han
Living and Dying in the Contemporary World: A Compendium
Univ of California Press 2015
ISBN
978-0-520-27841-7
page 145
- ^
Nunlist, Tobias (2015). Damonenglaube im Islam [Demonic Belief in Islam] (in German). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-110-33168-4. p. 304-305
- ^
Nunlist, Tobias (2015). Damonenglaube im Islam [Demonic Belief in Islam] (in German). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-110-33168-4. p. 304-305
- ^
Quran
43:36
- ^
Quran
37:51
- ^
Quran
4:38
- ^
Quran
50:23
- ^
Baudouin Dupret
Standing Trial: Law and the Person in the Modern Middle East
I.B.Tauris 2004
ISBN
978-1-860-64997-4
page 154
- ^
Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Philip J. Imbrogno
The Vengeful Djinn: Unveiling the Hidden Agenda of Genies
. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2011.
ISBN
978-0-738-72881-0
. p. 117.
- ^
Baudouin Dupret,
Standing Trial: Law and the Person in the Modern Middle East
, I. B. Tauris, 2004.
ISBN
978-1-860-64997-4
. p. 153.
- ^
"Sudan Notes and Records Volume 9 ? Sudan Open Archive"
.
www.sudanarchive.net
. pp. 80?82
. Retrieved
2024-02-26
.
- ^
Haikal, Fayza M. H.
"The Heritage Of Ancient Egypt In The Culture Of Islamic And Modern Egypt"
.
- ^
Blackman, Winifred.
The Fellahin of Upper Egypt
. pp. 69?71.
- ^
a
b
c
Zwemer, Samuel Marinus.
Influence of Animism on Islam
. pp. 107?118.
People and things in the
Quran
|
---|
|
---|
| |
---|
Mentioned
| Ulul-?Azm
('Those of the
Perseverance
and Strong Will')
| |
---|
Debatable ones
| |
---|
|
---|
Implied
| |
---|
|
| People of Prophets
|
---|
Good ones
|
- Adam's immediate relatives
- Believer of Ya-Sin
- Family of Noah
- Luqman's son
- People of Abraham
- People of Jesus
- People of Solomon
- Zayd
(Muhammad's adopted son)
People of
Joseph
| |
---|
People of
Aaron and Moses
| |
---|
|
---|
Evil ones
| |
---|
Implied or
not specified
| |
---|
|
| Groups
|
---|
Mentioned
| Tribes,
ethnicities
or families
| |
---|
|
---|
Implicitly
mentioned
| |
---|
Religious
groups
| |
---|
|
|
|
Locations
|
---|
Mentioned
|
|
---|
Implied
| |
---|
|
Events, incidents, occasions or times
|
---|
| Battles or
military expeditions
| |
---|
Days
|
- Al-
Jumu?ah
(The Friday)
- As-
Sabt
(The Sabbath or Saturday)
- Days of battles
- Days of Hajj
- Doomsday
|
---|
Months of the
Islamic calendar
|
- 12 months: Four holy months
|
---|
Pilgrimages
|
- Al-
?ajj
(literally 'The Pilgrimage', the Greater Pilgrimage)
- Al-?
Umrah
(The Lesser Pilgrimage)
|
---|
Times for prayer
or remembrance
| Times for
Du???
('
Invocation
'),
?al?h
and
Dhikr
('Remembrance', including
Ta?m?d
('Praising'),
Takb?r
and
Tasb??
):
- Al-?Ashiyy
(The Afternoon or the Night)
- Al-Ghuduww
('The Mornings')
- Al-Bukrah
('The Morning')
- A?-?ab??
('The Morning')
- Al-Layl
('The Night')
- A?-
?uhr
('The Noon')
- Dul?k ash-Shams
('Decline of the Sun')
- Al-
Mas??
('The Evening')
- Qabl al-
Ghur?b
('Before the Setting (of the Sun)')
- Al-A??l
('The Afternoon')
- Al-
?A?r
('The Afternoon')
- Qabl ?ul?? ash-Shams
('Before the rising of the Sun')
|
---|
Implied
| |
---|
|
|
Other
|
---|
Holy books
| |
---|
Objects
of people
or beings
| Mentioned idols
(cult images)
| Of Israelites
| |
---|
Of Noah's people
| |
---|
Of Quraysh
| |
---|
|
---|
|
---|
Celestial
bodies
| Ma??b??
(literally 'lamps'):
- Al-Qamar
(The Moon)
- Kaw?kib
(Planets)
- Nuj?m
(Stars)
|
---|
Plant matter
|
Ba?al
(Onion)
F?m
(Garlic or wheat)
Sha??
(Shoot)
S?q
(Plant stem)
Zar?
(Seed)
Fruits
| |
---|
Bushes, trees
or plants
| |
---|
|
---|
Liquids
|
- M??
(Water or fluid)
- Nahr
(River)
- Yamm
(River or sea)
- Shar?b
(Drink)
|
---|
|
Note:
Names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form: Islamic name / Biblical name (title or relationship)
|