Qareen
Encyclopedia
A qarin according to Islamic literature, is a jinn. Qarins are unique to each individual. Qarin literally means 'constant companion'. The companion can be either good or evil.

From a purely Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

ic point of view, qarins have been mentioned in the following:
  • And whosoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent, we appoint for him Shaytan to be a qarin to him. Sūrat
    Sura
    A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...

     az-Zukhruf
    Az-Zukhruf
    Surat Az-Zukhruf is the 43rd sura, or chapter, of the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. It contains 89 ayat, or verses....

     (43:36)


The qarin, being a jinn-type creature, if not guided by his human companion on the right path, becomes a shaytan by the command of God. The companion will be what its guide is or more than what the guide is.

Ibn Mas'ood said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, 'There is not one of you who does not have a jinn appointed to be his constant companion.' They said, 'And you too, O Messenger of Allaah?' He said, 'Me too, but Allaah has helped me and he has submitted, so that he only helps me to do good.'" (Reported by Muslim, 2814). Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Muslim (17/175): "'He has submitted' ... he became a believing Muslim.

The idea of a qarin appears in pre-Islamic literature as well. One of the seven mu'allaqat
Mu'allaqat
The Mu‘allaqāt is the title of a group of seven long Arabic poems or qasida that have come down from the time before Islam. Each is considered the best work of these pre-Islamic poets...

-- 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.

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