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Quran · Surah 72:8–9

Jinn listening at the sky

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceSurah 72:8–9
Written610–632 CE
SetMuhammad's time
And (the Jinn who had listened to the Qur'an said): We had sought the heaven but had found it filled with strong warders and meteors. And we used to sit on places (high) therein to listen. But he who listeneth now findeth a flame in wait for him.

Translation: Pickthall, 1930 · About the translator

Read it literally

The jinn used to intercept transmissions from the sky. Then security was tightened and new listeners get shot down.

What scholars say

Surah 72 is named 'The Jinn'.

Spirits and jinn From the sky Looks like technology

Quick answers about Surah 72:8–9

Where is Surah 72:8–9 found?

Surah 72:8–9 (Quran). Translation quoted: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930).

When was Surah 72:8–9 written?

610–632 CE.

What do scholars say about Surah 72:8–9?

Surah 72 is named 'The Jinn'.

Rabbit holes in this passage

BeingJinnA second species, made of smokeless fire and hidden from sight, shares the world with us, the Quran says. They eat, marry, die and choose whether to believe; one chapter claims they once sat in listening posts in heaven, until meteors drove them off. What were they trying to overhear?

Sources

  1. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)Primary text
  2. Quran 55:14–15; also 72:1–9 and 37:6–10, trans. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated