Haunted homes: causes and treatment

28-2-2011 | IslamWeb

Question:

Do haunted homes actually exist? What is the evidence?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

There are indeed some homes that are haunted by Jinns or which receive them. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that any house in which Chapter Al-Baqarah (of the Quran) is read is not entered by Satan. [At-Tirmithi]

Abu Sa‘eed narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that poisonous vermin are Jinns. Therefore, anyone who sees such things inside his house should warn them three times to leave. If there is no positive response, it must be killed. [Abu Daawood]

It is also narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, forbade killing house snakes until they are warned three times to leave. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Based on this, Jinns really do inhabit homes that the Quran is not recited in. If indoor vermin do not leave a house after being warned three times, they should be killed for they are not Jinns.

Also, Jinns live in uninhabited places such as caves and burrows. Abu Qataadah narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, forbade urinating in holes. Explaining the reason behind this, Abu Qataadah said that they are the houses of Jinns. [Ahmad, Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa'i, At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah]

In sum, Jinns live in uninhabited places and in homes that are void of Quranic recitation and the remembrance and mentioning of Allaah.

Allaah Knows best.