I’m from Turkey, and I wanted to share how spirit communication and “hauntings” are traditionally understood in Islamic belief and Middle Eastern folklore. This isn’t meant to dismiss anyone’s experiences — only to offer a different cultural framework for interpreting them.
In Islam, there is no belief that the souls of the dead return to the physical world or can be summoned. Once a person dies, their soul is believed to enter Barzakh, an intermediate state between life and the afterlife. From that point on, the soul does not wander, appear in houses, or respond to rituals, letters, symbols, numbers, or spirit boards.
Because of this, practices like séances or Ouija boards are traditionally rejected. Not because people think nothing happens — but because what responds is believed not to be human spirits.
The common explanation is jinn.
Jinn are described as intelligent beings created from smokeless fire, existing in an unseen realm parallel to ours. They are believed to be capable of imitation, deception, and psychological influence. In traditional belief, jinn can present themselves as deceased people, mimic voices, or create physical sensations in order to mislead humans.
This same framework is used to explain what many cultures call haunted houses or ghost locations. In Islamic folklore, there are no wandering human ghosts. Strange sounds, shadows, whispers, pressure on the body, or repeated disturbances in abandoned or isolated places are often attributed to jinn inhabitation rather than the dead.
Importantly, objects themselves — boards, letters, pendulums, numbers — are not believed to have power on their own. However, intentionally attempting spirit communication is seen as opening a door, allowing non-human entities to interact with people who invite them.
Whether one interprets these experiences spiritually, psychologically, or culturally, I think it’s interesting how different traditions explain similar phenomena in very different ways.
I’m curious if anyone here has encountered similar interpretations in other belief systems — where paranormal encounters are attributed not to human spirits, but to entirely different kinds of entities.
In addition to jinns do you believe there are humans in other planets? I recalled some Muslims believe there are humans in other worlds
https://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=65&verse=8
Tbf it does state in the Quran that Allah swt is the creater of all “worlds” not world, let that sink in for a min…
That’s an interesting question.
Within Islamic thought, there isn’t a single, universally fixed position on life beyond Earth. The Qur’an does mention multiple worlds and creations, which some scholars and thinkers interpret as allowing the possibility of other forms of life — though not necessarily humans exactly as we know them.
However, when it comes to spirit communication or paranormal encounters on Earth, Islamic tradition generally does not attribute these experiences to human souls returning from other realms. Instead, they are understood as interactions with jinn, who are described as intelligent, non-human beings sharing this world in ways we normally don’t perceive.
So while the idea of life elsewhere in the universe isn’t outright denied, most experiences labeled as hauntings, visitations, or spirit contact are traditionally explained through jinn rather than extraterrestrial humans or departed souls.
In the interests of furthering knowledge in the West of Islamic cosmology, I'd like to add the following: Jinn are called 'The Second Children of God', created of smokeless fire (which some have interpreted as plasma), the First Children of God being angels, which are created of pure spirit. The Jinn were the inhabitants and the wardens of the Earth before Man, but due to arrogance rebelled and fought a war against God through the proxy of the militarized angelic host. The Jinn lost badly, and were in large part exiled to a new homeworld, while earth was remade entirely and Man created and set over it as carertakers.
Now, in Islam it is important to recognize that there is no such thing as a fallen angel: angels have no free will, and as such do not have the capacity to rebel. Consider them as a sort of semi-independent sub-routine of God himself, detatched from the primary consciousness to complete tasks that, I dunno, require an angelic face? Whatever: for specific purpose let's say.
So wherefor comes the evil that we know on earth, if there is no Lucifer, no fallen angel? Enter Iblis.
Iblis, while not thought to be the First Jinn, nevertheless was a standout amongst them, and surrendered at the end of the First War and was reformed. As such he was invited to study amongst the archangels at the University in heaven, during which time God gathered the heavenly host to him and unveiled his latest creation, Man, commanding all to bow before man and giving man primacy amongst the created beings. And the host did bow, save Iblis who refused to, in essence saying "I am made of FIRE, while he is made from MUD, and I shall not bow"
Now insert Milton and Dante's work on the Fall from Heaven: Iblis is cast out, but calls God unfair and asks leave to tempt man until judgment day, which is granted.
Now, the 2nd Children of God also have free will, so there are a majority of them that have joined Iblis in his jealousy, a minority of which are benevolent but largely removed from humanity, and another minority who dgaf whatsoever.
But given that backstory about the Fall, and the minimal amount available in the actual Bible about it, it strikes me that Christianity is pretty damn Islamic.
"Smokeless fire" sounds like plasma.
Is it true Catholic exorcists are highly regarded by other religions? I've heard they are sometimes called in for difficult cases.
You want the most hard-headed person as an exorcist.
Not a jerk, but someone with extremely strong will. This is all about consciousness.
It's why a shaman would bang on drum and make spirits go away. He was his own cheerleader, and unlocked his higher state of consciousness.
Hey aren’t you the user who did an AMA once about being in the Stanford prison experiment???
That happened before I was born.
This is a cool post. Thank you for your contribution.
Christians are actually a very diverse group with different teachings among the different denominations. I was raised Southern Baptist and we are also taught that people don’t come back as ghosts and what people perceive as ghosts are deceptive spirits or a manifestation of mental illness.
My husband’s Catholic family is very different and they believe in ghosts and that the dead can communicate occasionally with the living.
In my previous house and neighborhood we were infested with shadow beings of all sizes and shapes and demeanors. I think you’d probably call them Jinn. Some were harmless. Some were very malevolent. They didn’t do anything materially to me or my family but they messed with my neighbors very badly.
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
What you described actually lines up very closely with many accounts from Anatolian and Turkish folklore. These kinds of experiences are usually not interpreted as human ghosts, but as encounters with non-human entities tied to a place rather than a deceased person.
Stories often include things like stones being thrown inside homes, unexplained knocking or movement, objects shifting on their own, sudden small fires with no clear cause, or disturbances that feel intentional rather than random. In some cases, animals behave strangely or people report shadow-like forms with varying temperaments.
What’s interesting is that the idea of a dead human spirit is largely absent in these traditions. Instead, the phenomena are described as autonomous beings that can interact with environments and people, sometimes passively, sometimes aggressively.
Different cultures may use different names, but the patterns behind the experiences themselves are remarkably similar.
Yeah the experiences seem pretty universal. Just the terminology differs for the most part. But I do think Islam provides the most extensive knowledge and acknowledgment of the phenomena. A lot of Christian churches shut down the discussion of such topics.
My daughter went to Catholic high school and her religion teacher spent some time somewhere in the Middle East. I can’t remember which country. He told the class about Jinn and he said he saw enough there to convince him that the lore describes something real and not to be taken lightly. That got the class’s attention!
If they’re tied to place, do they congregate more in Muslim countries? I know a lot of veterans report tons of weird supernatural Jinn-like entities from their time in the “sandbox” in the previous two decades of American wars
I tend to agree with that idea. I wont do ouija boards or seances, ive already seen and experienced quite enough to know there is probably something to the idea of non human entities messing about.
Still cant figure out why i dream about deceased people all the time, but ill cross that bridge at some point. May just be my subconscious doing goofy stuff!
In Islam, dreams are not dismissed as “just psychological,” nor are they automatically treated as literal spiritual contact. There is a long tradition of dream interpretation, going back to the Qur’an and early scholars.
Seeing deceased people in dreams is usually understood as symbolic or connected to the subconscious, grief, memory, or unresolved emotions. In some cases, dreams can carry meaning or serve as personal reflections, but they are not considered communication with the dead.
Islam strongly rejects spirit-calling practices like séances or Ouija boards. The belief is that human souls do not return or interact freely with the living. Any entity responding to such practices would not be a human spirit, but something else—traditionally understood as jinn.
So dreams are taken seriously, but they are kept separate from the idea of contacting the dead.
Thank you for the response. Yes, that tracks with a lot of what i've experienced.
Thanks for opening up an interesting discussion! Nothing to add but I'll check back after sometime
I was going to say the same. Nothing to contribute aside from that this seemed to open a good thought experiment and the comment section didn't disappoint.
Same here, chiming in and following.
f it, i’ll chime in too 👍
some Native American cultures see "powers" that are lesser forms of the "great mystery" These are lesser mysteries but important on their own right as representatives of the greater power. Call it magic, shamanism or whatever. Europe had similar beliefs until Rome suppressed native religions. Not all the powers are good and evil individuals use power to evil ends. Hindu type religions also realize magic and spirits and great saints at some times have used these powers. If th power takes you away from the creator it is evil, if it helps it is good. It is up to the individual under correct guidance to figure this out, but the Creator is obviously the most important in all this. Fear judgement if you use the left hand path.
Now out of curiosity, what if an individual WANTS to become a ghost after death in your culture, or doesn't choose to let their spirit to enter Barzakh?
Barzakh according to what I understand, is where all souls head to. Can't choose to avoid.
So fate dictates your life, and there's no free will?
Once the soul separates from the body permanently, there is no more choice he/she can make.
While still alive, there is free will for us to choose between right and wrong, to follow truth or falsehood.
Thank you for the responses!
One final question.
When you say "us", do you believe this applies to everyone, or just everyone 'like you' who follows and practices your beliefs?
This applies to those who have received "The Message" and understood it's contents sir 😊
I see. Thank you for your candor. Have a good day!
And to you too 👍🏽👍🏽
So, if we don't hear the message, we're safe?
You have to be receptive to the doctrine to hear the message. If you're not, then you're fine.
I heard some say ignorance is bliss innit? Hahaks
thank you for the insights. that is a very fascinating perspective. it’s not about where things differ but where they align
I was raised mostly agnostic but my grandfather was Muslim so I raised with some islamic influence. I was once told by my mother that according to Islam women shouldn’t whistle as it attracts jinn (not sure how true that is).
As I understand they are like a race of beings so some are good some are bad. What if one wanted to interact directly with the “good” ones? Or is interacting with them at all considered a bad idea?
Conversely, is there an equivalent of an “exorcism” in Islam? Are there surahs/prayers specifically for cleansing or protecting a space from malevolent jinn?
I just want to add, a bit late, that humans are born with Qareen, a jinn that act as your 'familiar' (in games term), and stays with you for the rest of your life. When you die, this Qareen, who knows about you inside out, may act as you and interact with the world. This may account for the sighting of the ghost of someone inhabit certain house or area
That's quite interesting, thank you for sharing. I am western but I don't believe in ghosts per se, I believe in hauntings but I think that usually people are doing the haunting themselves by sort of psychically projecting fears or memories or expectations onto things.
Question: can jinn be attached to an item and therefore move location as the item is moved? Thanks
My mom became devout in her beliefs the last 10 years of her life, she was Christian, but not the evangelical Christian that many people think of when they think of devout Christians. She believed that any spirit of this realm was not the ghost of deceased humans but similar to your belief they were demonic spirits and evil tricksters. I had deep grief when she passed of brain cancer at 63 and in my deepest moments of grief I thought about going to a psychic to make contact with her but never did due to how she would have felt about that in her life. I haven’t quite figured out what I believe about spirits.
This is exactly my belief, and I guess you could call me Christian, but a surprising number of Christians seem to think souls linger or even send messages to loved one’s. My “knowledge” of these djinn or demons has been heavily influenced by former occultists who’ve had personal, literal meeting-with-Jesus moments. They have the wildest stories.
I follow some dude here on reddit who presents as a fallen angel too. I think he has to drop hints of “the truth of reality” due presumably to a cosmic rule that the truth must be presented to all so that we have the option to accept or reject it (and 99% of people reject what he says.)
He indicates Jesus is real (he calls Him “the carpenter”), there is a battle for souls going on, and every person of influence and power worship what they think are Babylonian gods. So… crazy conspiracy stuff. Anyway, i think he said human souls are only present on earth if they were cursed and bound to an object. He could also just be a kid in a basement trying to spook people by telling them we’re living through the end times too. 🤷♂️
Back in 2017 my girlfriend had a demonic attack that shocked me and I had to separate her abd her kids.She was clawing her bed like a dog digging a hole snapping her fingernails off.She bite at me and was forced to pray over her and it left .After that I was a true believer that there is something n the spiritual world that isnt nice
What you described matches a type of experience that is very commonly talked about in Turkish and Anatolian folklore. These cases are usually referred to as jinn-related affliction rather than anything involving human spirits. The physical strength, animal-like behavior, self-harm, and reaction to prayer are patterns that appear again and again in local accounts, interviews, and even recorded testimonies. Of course, there can be multiple explanations, but the similarities are striking when you’ve seen enough of these stories.
I’d love to know more about this please from you / those who experience this. I have my own stories and would love to know.
Im n agreement with you all the way
It's actually a much more coherent explanation than traditional western/pagan/Christian doctrine.
Isn't there also some belief that Jinn exist in the darkest depths of the deepest ocean? Something like that... in any case, lots of UFO/UAP cases have strikingly similar attributes.
That’s actually very close to how I see it as well.
Personally, I think many encounters described today as “alien” experiences share striking similarities with how jinn are described in Islamic tradition — not in a literal, dogmatic sense, but in terms of behavior and patterns.
Sudden appearances and disappearances, shape-shifting, interaction with human consciousness, liminal environments (deserts, oceans, remote areas), and a strong psychological or perceptual component all overlap heavily.
I’m not claiming they are definitively the same phenomenon, but I do think different cultures may be interpreting the same underlying experiences through their own symbolic frameworks.
In that sense, the jinn concept feels less like folklore and more like an older explanatory model for what we’re still trying to understand today.
Thank you for posting!
What is your take on the logistics of Muhammad's first revelation? Did Jibreel descend from the sky as a shiny celestial body/orb?
I had a djinn contact me in a vision. I don't understand why. But, it was cool that I got to see him in his real form. He was just meditating. Apparently sending the signal. I wish I had a better understanding of the culture. I have heard that people in India have stories of them as well. That differ from the Quaran. I read over the part were they are assisting Soloman. But, I am not sure wear else to look for information? From what I have heard. It has made me reluctant to try and contact him.
Enlightening but seems very rigid.
Not Muslim at all here but this is actually a very consistent and cohesive explanation for a lot of the paranormal experiences out there. It’s something I am very open to. From my perspective it may be the most likely contribution of Islam to my own personal worldview
Nobody cares about Islam....NOBODY