The Djinn (What is it??)
Jinn is the most prominent supernatural being not only in the Moroccan folktales culture but in every Arab Islamic society. The concepts of jinn have been present even before Islam.
According to Islamic and Moroccan Mythology, God has created three kinds of sentient beings — angels from light jinn from fir,e, and humans from clay.
According to the Quran, jinn is almost the same as humans they have different races they breed, and they’re subjected to divine judgment however they can’t be seen nor felt by humans because they exist in a different dimension.
Jinn can be benevolent harmless and godly but some of them can be malicious and evil and those are called demons.
What makes jinn a terrifying creature in Moroccan folklore creatures Is the fact that their existence is canonized by the Quran and since most Moroccans are Muslim they believe their existence is a fact.
However, the stories involving jinn are usually far-fetched from theology and heavily influenced by folklore. And pre-Islamic influences the popular imagination depicts jinn as hideous creatures with supernatural powers they live in deserts and caves and filthy places and won’t miss a chance to hurt humans.
They are responsible for misfortune diseases bad luck or even death. Therefore people avoid making them angry and an example of that is the fact that people recite basmala after saying the word jinn.
Basmala is one of the key phrases of Islam and it means in the name of God most gracious and most merciful. People also avoid using the word jinn and replace it with another word but ideally, it’s better not to talk about them in the first place.
In Morocco, the most famous jinn is Shamharoush the king of jin is highly feared and revered and is the head of what’s known as the jinn court. They are instances where people seek to gain Shamharoush’s favor to end the possession or conflict between a human and a demon.
The resolution often requires a sacrifice usually in the form of an animal there is a shrine dedicated to this king that thousands of people travel there every year to offer. Their respect and seek help and comfort when the means of modern medicine fail to relieve them.