Jinn

Unseen beings made from smokeless fire, who like humans have free will and can believe or disbelieve.

What it means

“He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire” (55:15). Surah 72 is named for them: a group heard the Quran and said, “We have heard a wondrous recitation that guides to right conduct, and we believe in it” (72:1–2); some are righteous and some are not (72:11). Iblis was one of them (18:50). The Quran says that they and humans were created to worship God (51:56).

What the sources say

Humans cannot see jinn, and only God knows the unseen (27:65). Scholars warn against fortune-telling and dealings with them (72:6), and affirm that no one is harmed except by God’s permission. The tales of genies in lamps are folklore.

Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 27, listed as JINN. The definition is restated here.