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During Prophet Muhammad's return journey from Ṭa'if to Makkah, the Qur'an recounts an incident in which he paused at a place called Nakhlah, situated not far from Makkah.
While engaged in prayer and reciting the Qur'an, a group of jinn-reported to number between three and nine-gathered and listened attentively to his recitation. Moved by the message, they later returned to their own community to relay what they had heard and to warn them of its implications.
This event occurred around the tenth year of the Prophet's mission, approximately three years before the Hijrah to Madinah. Importantly, the Prophet was unaware of the jinn's presence; he neither saw nor spoke to them. The Qur'an later revealed the episode to him, as documented in Surah al-Ahqaf (Chapter 46), verses 29-32.
A similar incident happened several years earlier when the Prophet, accompanied by a few of his companions, visited the ancient market and fairground of 'Ukaz, located about 40-50 kilometers northeast of Makkah. According to the account, the Prophet also recited the Qur'an in his prayer at the same location-Nakhlah-and a group of jinn listened to it. A Surah in the Qur'an, called al-Jinn, is named after this incident, and its first fifteen verses highlight several of its aspects.
On both occasions, the jinn merely listened to the Prophet without him being aware of their presence. After listening, they embraced Islam and returned to their people to convey what they had witnessed and heard. Later on, the jinn came to the Prophet in groups-one party after another-so that he could communicate the message of Islam to them in a systematic and direct manner.
The Qur'anic account in Surah al-Ahqaf, documenting the later incident-the one that took place in the tenth year of prophethood when the Prophet was returning from Ta'if to Makkah-reads as follows: "And [mention, O Muhammad], when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Qur'an. And when they attended it, they said, 'Listen quietly.' And when it was concluded, they went back to their people as warners. They said, 'O our people, indeed we have heard a [recited] Book revealed after Musa (Moses) confirming what was before it which guides to the truth and to a straight path. O our people, respond to the Messenger of Allah and believe in him; Allah will forgive for you your sins and protect you from a painful punishment. But he who does not respond to the Caller of Allah will not cause failure [to Him] upon earth, and he will not have besides Him any protectors. Those are in manifest error'" (al-Ahqaf 29-32).
The above Qur'anic passage reveals and reaffirms several profound truths.
Since no prophets have been sent from among the jinn, they are expected to learn and follow guidance through human prophets. Within this framework, preachers and warners naturally emerge among the jinn, fulfilling roles that mirror those of human religious guides.
In terms of spirituality, the jinn do not differ significantly from humankind. Allah's statement that the jinn are of various factions and follow divergent paths-"Among us are those who are righteous and those who are less so. We have been of different factions" (al-Jinn 11)-suggests that the religious diversity found among humans is reflected in the world of the jinn as well: from Muslims to Jews, Christians, polytheists, atheists, and pagans.
Undoubtedly, there were other avenues through which the jinn could learn about the Prophet's message in greater detail. However, this Qur'anic account-alongside the one in Surah al-Jinn-was meant to serve as a gateway to deeper insight and to provide a window into a realm of extraordinary wonder. The account is an expanding of human understanding, a quiet unveiling of what stirs beneath the surface of existence where the tangible and the transcendent converge in silent harmony.
It is therefore central to the Islamic worldview that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was sent to both humans and the jinn, and that he engaged with both ambits accordingly. This has led some scholars to infer that very little in the Prophet's life was devoid of the miraculous.
With the advent of Prophet Muhammad and his divine message, the previous revelations were abrogated and the earlier prophetic missions brought to a close. Among those who responded to his message were the jinn who had previously followed Prophet Musa and his scripture, the Tawrat (Torah).
The jinn's enlightening reaction to the Qur'an-described in Surah al-Ahqaf (46:30)-was that it was a revelation sent after Musa, confirming what came before it and guiding to truth and righteousness. The Qur'an had now become the definitive criterion, the essential point of reference without which no viable future, whether individual or collective, in this world or the afterlife, could be envisioned. They thus believed in it and in Prophet Muhammad.
The jinn did not reference any prophet after Musa because, in their theological framework, subsequent prophets and revelations-even if they resided outside the lineage of the Children of Israel-were seen as confirmatory and complementary, not foundational. In this sense, Musa and the Tawrat denoted the fulcrum-the pivotal axis-until the arrival of Prophet Muhammad and the Qur'an. Everything else revolved around, depended on, and returned to that fulcrum for validation.
Though living many centuries after Musa and following the long line of Israelite prophets, the jinn still regarded themselves as adherents to his message. It remains uncertain whether the scripture they followed was the original, unaltered Torah or a version that had undergone distortion-perhaps akin to the corrupted texts embraced by their human Jewish counterparts in the material realm. Yet, judging by the sincerity and purity of their Islamic response, one might surmise that they either preserved the authentic revelation or, if it was indeed altered, the distortions were not as severe as those found in the Judaism practiced by human communities.
This theological continuity is echoed in the Qur'an itself, where Prophet 'Isa (Jesus), for example, is quoted as saying: "O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger (Muhammad) to come after me, whose name is Ahmad" (al-Saff 6).
Moreover, for the same reason, when the Torah foretells the eventual arrival of Muhammad as the final messenger and the fulfiller of all human covenants and destinies, it links him directly to Musa, bypassing the other supplementary prophets, their revelations, and missions. It says: "I will raise up for them a Prophet like you (Moses) from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him" (Deuteronomy 18:18).
In passing, aside from Prophet Muhammad, no other figure in the history of prophethood was as great and consequential as Prophet Musa. Additionally, Muhammad is considered one of the brethren of the Israelites, as he is a descendant of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) through the lineage of Prophet Isma'il (Ishmael). This genealogical connection places him within the broader Semitic family, making him, symbolically and historically, a younger brother to the Children of Israel.
Rather than denoting exclusive ethnic privileges or territorial claims, these ideas function as metaphors for spiritual responsibility and divine proximity. The "Chosen People" signifies those who uphold moral and ethical monotheism, while the "Promised Land" represents the realization of divine purpose-a state of spiritual harmony and justice, rather than a mere geographic domain.
From the perspective of heavenly truth, every human being has the potential to join the fraternity of the Chosen People and partake in the milieu of the Promised Land. In fact, all of humanity, as the creation of Allah and bearers of the divine trust (khilafah), are inherently the Chosen People. Likewise, the entire earth-and by extension, the universe-is the Promised Land, insofar as it serves as the locus of human existence and the arena for fulfilling the vicegerency mandate.
In this light, the material world becomes a stepping stone towards becoming the truly chosen in the Hereafter, and towards inhabiting the ultimate Promised Land: Allah's Paradise (Jannah). A person may belong to any ethnicity or reside in any region, yet the earth remains his ontological home, humanity his extended family, and the universal truth of Islam the essence of his existential journey.
The contemporary Zionist appropriation of Moses, the Torah, and the land of Palestine represents a flagrant distortion of both historical reality and scriptural integrity. This ideological manipulation not only undermines the ethical foundations of Judaism but also constitutes an affront to universal human conscience and rationality.
Not surprisingly, even the Qur'an repeatedly emphasizes that the Children of Israel were honored above other nations, effectively conferring upon them the title of a "Chosen People." However, this privilege was conditional and threefold: it applied only during their era, specifically the periods in which their prophets and divine messages were active; it was limited to the righteous among them, those who upheld the covenants and lived by divine guidance; and it entailed a weighty responsibility: to serve as exemplars of truth, to invite others to divine submission, and to lead humanity towards righteousness-a mission that became the hallmark of the Israelite household.
This is the meaning behind Allah's words in Surah Alu 'Imran (3:4) that the Torah and Injil (Gospel) had been revealed before the Qur'an as "a guidance for the people." Here, "the people" refers first and foremost to the Children of Israel, who were entrusted with these scriptures. Yet the guidance was not exclusive. It extended to anyone lacking genuine revelation who sought truth and chose to follow these divine books, whether individually or collectively.
As al-Maududi insightfully commented on the Qur'anic idiom "honored above the other nations" (faddaltukum 'ala al-'alamin, 2:47): "It refers to the period when the Israelites were the only people in the world who possessed the knowledge of the Truth from Allah and were, therefore, made leaders of the people of the world and were required to invite all other nations to His submission and to guide them on the Right Way."
Thus, the Qur'anic concept of chosenness is not ethnic or nationalistic-it is moral, spiritual, and mission-oriented. It is open to all who embrace divine truth and fulfill its responsibilities. One may live in Makkah, Madinah, Jerusalem, or any other place on earth-or even beyond, in the case of the jinn. Yet such geographical distinctions are fundamentally irrelevant. Wherever and whoever one is, access to spiritual privileges remains near and attainable.
The jinn understood this perfectly and saw no obstacle in transitioning from following Musa and the Torah to following Muhammad and the Qur'an. In doing so, they displayed a remarkable level of intelligence, wisdom, and open-mindedness. In his tafsir, al-Tabari notes that certain scholars expressed astonishment at the incredible speed and lucidity of the jinn's comprehension (ma asra' ma 'aqal al-qawm).
If only the Jews, both historically and today, could take a page from the jinn's book.
When Prophets Muhammad and Musa (Moses) Met in Heaven
