Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar [Paperback]

Robert Lebling (Author), Tahir Shah (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2011

When Westerners think of a genie, the first image that comes to mind may be Barbara Eden in her pink harem pants or the illuminated blue buffoon from the animated Disney film Aladdin. But to the people of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the picture is dramatically different. Legends of the Fire Spirits looks beyond Westernized caricatures to immerse the reader in the vibrant lore of the jinn—the wondrous, often troublesome, and sometimes terrifying spirit beings of ancient Arab and Islamic tradition.

Robert Lebling delves into long-lost accounts, medieval histories, colonial records, anthropologist’s reports, and traveler’s tales to explore the origin and evolution of legends that continue to thrive in the Middle East and beyond. He cuts through centuries of Orientalists’ cultural presumption to craft a study that stands apart from the overwhelming body of literature concerned with religion in the Middle East.

A captivating synthesis of history and folklore, this is the most diverse collection of jinn lore ever assembled in one volume. From ancient scriptures to The Arabian Nights and beyond, and with a foreword by acclaimed filmmaker Tahir Shah, Lebling has constructed a comprehensive account that not only transcends geographical borders but also spans some four millennia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Legends of the Fire Spirits

"The most complete compendium of research on the jinn to date." —UFO Digest

"Legends of the Fire Spirits is a long overdue compendium of the knowledge and history of the jinn. It will enrich the reader's knowledge of human history more than one might imagine. The book also can serve as a lifelong reference to the mysteries of the Middle East and their influence on both Western and Eastern cultures." —Arab News

"Robert Lebling’s exhaustive and very readable account of jinn lore and legends traces the fascinating history of these strange beings . . . Mortals interested in knowing more about these magical creatures must content themselves with Lebling’s absorbing study." —Times Literary Supplement

"A fantastic introduction to a big Middle Eastern subject—the belief in Jinn, spirit people who live in parallel to us yet are invisible to humans. Most cultures have had traditions about 'little people' or something similar, but in the West we've pretty much ruled it out—"Faires at the bottom of the garden." . . . Perhaps the fairies aren't at the bottom of the garden after all, but right next to us. An excellent read—highly recommended." —Jason Webster, author of the Max Cámara detective novels

About the Author

Robert W. Lebling has lived and worked as a journalist in Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States and is the author, with Donna Pepperdine, of Natural Remedies of Arabia. Married with two daughters, he is currently a writer and communications specialist based in Saudi Arabia. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (March 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582436320
• ISBN-13: 978-1582436326
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Opening cultural curtains March 2, 2011

By Butterfly A

Format:Paperback

This is a great book about fire spirits or jinn. It's about their possible origins, their families and religions, their interaction with humanity, their malevolence and kindness, likes and dislikes.

It appears that jinn don't like citrons (the fruit, not the Citroen car) although they probably don't like Citroens either because they dislike iron; they also dislike salt. Hence, perhaps the use of horse shoes above doors and various superstitions about throwing salt; in Japan, they throw salt to purify a sumo ring. The next time you meet a jinn please ask him or her why they don't like salt when they like the sea; they also like living at crossroads, in ruins, in sewers, down wells, in or beside rivers, in caves and in houses which have been empty for a while; which makes the excellent introduction by Tahir Shah relevant as he experienced jinn while renovating a house in Morocco.

Having read this book, there seem to be few qualities possessed by jinn that do not play on human hopes and fears. They live for a long time, yet most of us have puny life spans and fear death; they often have fabulous wealth or are able to produce it in an instant as in the tale of Maruf the Cobbler; they have incredible skills and can make jewelry which cannot be surpassed in beauty by human beings; they can travel at impressive speed. Yet, as Robert Lebling points out, they are very human; they have families, religions, although they live longer than us they are not immortal, they belong to large social groups and are tribal; but, whether or not they can enter paradise is disputed. Whether their leader, Iblis, is a fallen angel or was born a fire spirit is also disputed.

The real problem for would-be geni spotters is that jinn seem to be most visible to genuine sufis and prophets; in other words to men and women at the very top of the human pyramid who have the capacity to see them; the wise. It's perhaps not a coincidence that when King Solomon was asked which gift he would like, he chose wisdom and that he had power over the jinn who helped him to build his temple. The book also points out that humans can marry jinn and that Bilqis, Queen of Sheba (King Solomon's wife) was perhaps half jinn.

If asked, who lives in a ruined castle in desolate mountains? Who cannot be seen in a mirror? Who has lived for centuries? Who can cause a change in local weather and shape shift from human to animal? Who comes out at night and sucks human blood? You might answer Dracula and it's quite possible that Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) was inspired by the nineteenth century poet laureate, Robert Southey, whose eastern interests are explained by Robert Lebling; but if you asked these questions in the east the answer would almost certainly be 'a jinn'; and there are many fascinating cross-cultural aspects to this book.

But what are jinn? Are they real? Are they allegorical and symbolic of psychological behaviour? Are they cunning literary devices? Are they a means of reconciling happenings we don't understand? Are they mere superstition? Are they spirits from a parallel world? After all, they are mentioned in the Quran and the Quran informs us that Allah is Lord of the Worlds (note the plural: Worlds; which may include a world for the jinn). Or, are they all of these and more? Whatever they may be, having read this book, you'll be able to make a better decision. There's so much here, it's a great book, it will make your mind fly like the most aerobatic fire spirit.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jinn and the Human Race May 6, 2011

By Anteater

Format:Paperback

How do you write for sceptical westerners about things, beings or forces so subtle they are undetectable by ordinary human senses and, until now, by scientific instruments? Robert Lebling has done just that, undeterred by the risk of incurring ridicule from those of us unwilling to concede that there is much we still do not understand; but who saw Osama bin Laden as the embodiment of evil clashing with good in the form of Barack Obama; and the marriage of Kate Middleton to Prince William as the union of a mortal with a supernatural being.
`Jinn' is a word derived from an Arabic root which means to `conceal' or `cover with darkness'; but the darkness is not total. The spirits created by God from smokeless fire can take on the features of any living being they desire apart from those of a prophet or imam, but when they interact with humans, who are more dense and made from clay, there is an energy change. Robert Lebling has searched for these energy bursts in pre-Islamic writing, the Koran, the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammed), folktales, history, European literature, the Internet and the writing of maverick scientists. With time and space compressed a picture emerges, fashioned from metaphor and legend.
Although Jinn are physically fundamentally different from familiar living creatures, we see a race similar to us in many ways, sharing our emotions of envy, love, hatred, fear resentment, anger. Some Jinn are helpful to mankind. Others are powerful and malicious. From them humans have found it necessary to devise forms of protection, and not just in Muslim countries. Here in the West people wear blessed medals, bless themselves with holy water and put sprigs of conifer, blessed on Palm Sunday, behind pictures as protection against evil spirits.
It wasn't until after I started to read this book for the second time that I really appreciated how extraordinary it is. It deserves to be read for several reasons. Besides being entertaining it provides, as Tahir Shah writes in his introduction, `a window into Arab and Islamic society that is usually clouded over, opaque to all except Arabists and scholars of Islam.' By gazing through this window with an open mind we may discover something useful. Spiritual forces, whether we call them Jinn or not, whether they are material entities, a form of electromagnetic radiation, thoughts, or none of these, are complex and inescapable. Robert Lebling concludes that we may never really understand them, but `we can understand how they affect us, and how we respond to them and how we interact with each other as we try to deal with them.'

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Bedtime Tales: A Scholarly Look at the Jinn January 9, 2012

By Sharon B. Buchbinder

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this book at the recommendation of a friend who knew of Mr. Lebling's ongoing research in this topic. As an author in the paranormal romance genre, I am always searching for solid works that will serve as resources for my fiction. Mr. Lebling's book did not disappoint in this goal. In fact, he cost me a lot more money in books (in a very good way) because this book is so well researched and well-referenced that I wanted his source materials, too. Mr. Lebling has provided an open-minded look into cross-cultural phenomena. His treatment of the origins of the legends in middle eastern countries, as well as ethnic, religious and gender issues is sensitive, thoughtful and analytical. I applaud Mr. Lebling for making a significant contribution to the Jinn literature and to enlightening those of us who have little knowledge of the topic.