Ancient and fearsome, the jinn are said to live in a hidden realm away from humans. At twilight the boundary between the hidden realm and human realm blur, allowing the jinn to work mischief as night falls.

A thread on nighttime jinn and haunts-

Al Hirah stalks the unwise at night. His presence causes unease and anxiety, a fear which has no source.

His icy fingers grip the heart as chill runs down the spine. As one lays to rest, he whispers in the ear turning dream into nightmare as you toss and turn.

His cousin Kabus serves the jinn king Maymun and brings night terrors to the unsuspecting.

Appearing as a winged shadow, he slips into the cracks of the house and into your bedroom. His legions perch on the chests causing sleep paralysis.

The Davara is a shadow who also causes terror and fear. He likes to hide in corners, preferring darkness. He creeps through the house until he is by your bedside.

He is chased away by the coming dawn and light.

The feared, Umm al Subyan haunts young children and babies. A gruesome monster, she is reputed to cause illness and death among young children.

So feared was she King Solomon bound her power to weaken her.

The terrifying ghul, haunt cemeteries and graveyards feasting on the flesh of corpses. A patient carnivore, they lure the unsuspecting into the wilderness before eating their victims.

As cities grew, they wandered more and more into urban areas. Some say if you look out your window at night you might see a ghul waiting for you outside.

Their queen Ghola is said to be beautiful and enchanting with lustrous hair, but bestial hooves.

The ogre-like Dami waylays travelers causing accidents and bloodshed. Her presences can be sensed by the phantom scent of filth.

Wasin, the son of the devil Iblis, causes anxiety and melancholy in humans.

On sleepless nights he fills the heart with doubt. He appears as a formless shadow, a presence without a source.

He is chased away by mirth and prayer.

Those who walk at night risk the coming of the Sa’alin, jinn who fly on the backs of black birds, or winged steeds.

They arrive on swift wings and linger in high places waiting to pounce.

Sudden flocks of birds are said to conceal them

Some of the Sa’alin like flinging stones at passerby, but if you are not careful you may be carried off by their raiding parties.

Even homes are said to be haunted by jinn. The khubuth wa khabith dwell in bathrooms and the corners of the house.

Some of the jinn of the night are said to hide in trees and so people are warned not walk under tress while the kingdom of night reigns.

Then there are those shapeshifting jinn like the Sil’at who take on the shape of humans to mingle among the unsuspecting.

The Sil’at can appear as beautiful people, seducing their victims into letting them into their house.

Other times they appear as strangers with dark eyes, standing unmoving outside your door.

Some jinn overlap with ghostly phenomenon.

The Gelin is a jinn-like ghost from Turkish folklore. The spirit of a murdered woman betrayed by her lover, she haunts her murderer and his descendants through time, bring misery to generation after generation until she is slated.

Finally, there is Hama, whose murdered spirit is transformed into a shrieking jinn beast with a thirst for vengeance.

The hoot of the owl heralds her coming.

This jinn is created when a murder victim’s spirit cries out for revenge, transformed by their grief into a shadowy jinn monster, they hunt down their victims until their blood is shed.

The Hama can also be summoned by sorcerers who trace out its seal in the blood of the victim

For many who grew up in Muslim households, jinn stories were told like ghost stories, tales to scare one another, a rite of passage, and the sharing of lore.

But the legends themselves are old and speak to primordial anxieties still with us today.

No matter how many lights we turn on, the dark may always hold watchful eyes.

I'll cover more spooky jinn lore next week.