Jinn Possession in Humans: An Islamic Jurisprudential Analysis

Islamic tradition maintains that Jinn possess supernatural abilities to inhabit humans, animals, and inanimate objects. While certain Muslim sects like the Mu'tazilah and Qadariyah reject this concept, authoritative Islamic sources confirm Jinn's capacity to possess human bodies and manipulate sensory faculties. This phenomenon is linguistically distinguished through two Arabic terms: Lubs al-Jinn (internal possession affecting mental faculties) and Lams al-Jinn (external physical manifestation). The paper examines theological evidences, types of possession (including hereditary cases), symptoms ranging from erratic behavior to reproductive health issues, and Islamic preventive/remedial measures including Qur'anic recitation and Ruqyah therapy. Findings affirm possession as both spiritual reality and medical phenomenon, particularly prevalent among women in Northern Nigeria due to socio-religious factors.