The United Arab Emirates, and the Arabian Gulf as a whole, has a long and rich history of dependence on the sea. A majority of the region’s economy depended on sea-related activities, including fishing and pearl-diving up until the mid-20th century, when the first oil deposits were discovered.[1] Museums throughout the UAE and the Gulf highlight how early seafaring traditions, including fishing, pearling, and maritime trade, define the region’s heritage. Decades of reliance on the sea has created a so-called “Dhow culture”, which has been created by the plethora of traditions, ideas, and myths that have been shared over time amongst fishermen throughout Arabian trade routes. Historians, archaeologists, academics, and many other professionals have conducted a wide array of research that aims to shed light on the history of maritime activity in the Arabian world – examples of such research include determining the materials used in the creation of Dhows, what life on the Dhow looked like, what traditions seafarers had, among many other things. While these research questions aim to provide answers to the more obvious questions that surround the history of Dhow culture in Arabia, there is a large range of topics related to the maritime activities in the Gulf that are less researched. One such topic involves the idea of “the Jinn”. Jinn are unseen spiritual creatures that are made of fire, and in Islam they are believed to roam the Earth alongside humans. Different cultures have their own variations in mythology, superstition, and oral tradition relating to “the Jinn of the sea”. This paper aims to explore these tales and how they have shaped maritime tradition in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
Beliefs about Jinn are deeply rooted into the cultures of many countries throughout Arabia and sub-continental Asia and stem from the religion of Islam. In Islam, it is believed that there are three primary creations of God – humans, angels, and Jinn. Angels are believed to strictly serve God, while humans and Jinn have the power of free will.[2] As such, Jinn can be both good or evil. Jinn are mentioned in the Qur’an approximately 28 times.[3] They cannot be seen in their original form; however they have the ability to take different shapes and can be seen in other forms, including as humans and animals. Jinn can travel vast distances in the blink of an eye, and they can be any age or gender, free or slave.[4] According to Islam as well as folk tales, humans have the ability to call upon Jinn and solicit their services.[5] There are four main categories of Jinn – Sila, Ghul, Ifrit, and Marid. Marid are the Jinn of the sea, and they are believed to be the most powerful of all the Jinn. Marid are known to inhabit the ocean and have great powers. They are arrogant and proud, however through flattery or ritual summoning, they can be compelled by humans to perform certain activities and grant wishes.[6]
Many countries along the Arabian trade routes have their own stories of interactions between humans and Marid. One notable Jinn story that has been told throughout sub-continental Asia, primarily in Pakistan, is the legend of Amir Hamza and the Khizr: Amir Hamza’s captain, Amar Ayyar, was stranded in the middle of the sea when he was approached by the Khizr. The Khizr is a wandering Jinn who is believed to help people who are lost. Ayyar was told to stand on the Khizr’s feet and close his eyes, and the Khizr proceeded to fly Ayyar to safety. Many people have claimed to have interacted with the Khizr. One such claim was made just a few years ago – a fisherman in Karachi stated that his son was on a boat in the Arabian Sea when he befriended a strange man. One night while reminiscing the taste of the sweets from back home, the friend told the fisherman’s son that they could in fact taste those sweets right now. The friend told the fisherman’s son to stand on his feet and close his eyes, and just seconds later they were on land in front of a sweets shop. The man later confessed to the son that he is in fact a Jinn, but made the son swear not to tell anyone. Some time later, the son was back with his family and, in a distressed state, broke his oath and told his family about the Jinn. That same night, their house began to shake, as if some force was trying to gain entrance. The fisherman’s family recited prayers to keep the Jinn away. Then, one night, the son went outside to use the bathroom and never returned home. He was found the next morning with his neck broken, dead.[7] Other tales of Jinn and the sea can be heard throughout East Africa and the Arabian Gulf. In coastal Sudan, the Hadandawa clan believe that the sea is infested with evil Jinn. In Eritrea, some people are so afraid of Jinn that they refuse to go ashore. A former sea captain from Djibouti stated that Jinn would board their dhow and play mind tricks on their sailors. Another sailor from Djibouti claimed that people were disappearing from his dhow. A 70-year old fisherman from Saudi Arabia claimed that while he was fishing, some nearby sailors were snatched away by Jinn and were never to return.[8] Besides these tales, there are also beliefs of coastal towns being haunted by Jinn. In the UAE, just south of Ras-Al-Khaimah, there is a town by the name of Jazirat Al Hamra that is believed to be the home of many Jinn. The town had a dhow-building heritage and was once a hub for pearling and fishing until it was abandoned in 1968.[9] In the current day, it is said that anyone who goes to that town will be haunted by the Jinn who live there.
Many cultures have created their own rituals that they believe can protect them from the wrath of the sea Jinn. Fishermen in Yemen believe that sea Jinn can help guide them towards good catches if they provide the Jinn with food offerings. Similar traditions can be found in Somalia, in which sailors of dhows would float out model boats filled with coconuts into the sea in hopes of appeasing the evil sea spirits. On the coasts of Western India and along the Arabian-Persian Gulf, it is believed that Jinn will disrupt and derail the course of any ship that fails to provide offerings.[10] Besides providing Jinn offerings to get into their good graces, other rituals have been believed to ward off any evil Jinn, such as the burning of incense on ships. Muslim sailors use prayer and the recitation of Quranic verses as a means to keep Jinn away. They call upon Allah not only in their prayers, but in the songs that they sing, in hopes that they will be protected from any evil spirits. An Egyptian man by the name of Al Shadhili has even written a series of supplications that are geared specifically towards warding off the Jinn of the sea.[11] Many other traditions have been created to protect sailors from the evils of the Jinn of the sea, and these traditions have become embedded into the “Dhow culture” that we see today.
The idea of the Jinn is an important topic that has colored the relationship of the people of the Arabian-Persian Gulf with the sea. Generations of oral recounts, coupled with established religious beliefs and folk tales, have shaped the way that sailors interact with the sea, so much so that rituals and prayers have been created for the sole purpose of warding off Jinn during maritime expeditions. While beliefs about Jinn vary across countries and cultures, the interaction of these cultures through maritime trade networks across the Arabian Sea has allowed for the sharing of stories and practices. I had hoped to deepen my research of this topic and hear some of these oral histories first-hand by talking to fishermen at the Mina Port in Abu Dhabi, however the outbreak of COVID-19 made this not possible. Thus, the research included in this paper only scratches the surface of the topic of Jinn and maritime tradition in the Gulf. There is still a sea of information that we have yet to discover; but oral histories will continue to pass on, contributing to the pool of knowledge about the evil spirits of the sea.
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