6. Seeking the help of the jinn and summoning spirits or souls

6.1. Seeking the help of the jinn
Ibn Taymiyah said, “What is meant here is that the relationship between the jinn and humans may be of different types. If a human instructs the jinn to do what Allah and His Messenger have enjoined of worshipping Allah alone and obeying His Prophet, and also instructs people to do that, then he is one of the close friends of Allah, and is also one of the heirs and deputies of the Messenger. The one who asks the jinn to do permissible things for him, just as he asks humans to do permissible things for him, such as instructing them to do what they should do and telling them not to do things that are forbidden to them, and asking them to do permissible tasks for him, then he is like the kings who do such things. This applies if we assume that he is one of the close friends of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, so the best thing that we can say about him is that he is one of the close friends of Allah in a general sense, just as there were prophet-kings as well as messenger-slaves, like Sulayman and Yusuf who held positions of worldly authority in contrast to Ibrahim, Musa, ‘Isa and Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them all). As for the one who asks the jinn to do things that Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, whether that has to do with matters of shirk, or killing one whose life is protected according to Islamic law, or transgressing against people in ways other than killing them, such as causing them to fall sick or to forget knowledge, and other transgressions, or causing them to commit immoral actions, such as bringing to a person someone who will demand that of him – in all these cases he has sought their help to commit sin and transgression. Moreover, if he seeks their help to commit acts of disbelief, he is a disbeliever; if he seeks their help to commit sin, he is a sinner; he is either an evildoer or he is a sinner but not an evildoer. If he does not have proper knowledge of Islamic teachings and he seeks their help in a manner that he thinks is like performing miracles (karamat) for him, such as seeking their help to go for Hajj, or to make him fly when listening to innovated religious songs, or to carry him to ‘Arafat, when he does not do Hajj as prescribed in Islam and as enjoined by Allah and His Messenger, or to carry him from one city to another, and the like, then in this case he is deceived and they have tricked him.” [291] See: Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 11/307-309.

As for using the jinn to treat sickness, that should not be done and there are some problems with it. Ibn Baz said: “The sick person should not use the jinn to treat sickness or ask them to do that; rather he should ask known doctors. As for turning to the jinn for healing, that should not be done because it is a means that leads to worshipping them and believing them, for among the jinn there are disbelievers, Muslims and innovators, and the human does not know which is which, so he should not rely on them or ask them for healing, even if they appear to you. Rather you should ask people of knowledge and doctors among humankind. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, criticised the polytheists when He Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning): "Some individuals among humankind used to seek refuge with some individuals among the jinn, and they only increased them in tyranny."
(al-Jinn 72:6)
Moreover, that is a means that leads to believing in them and associating them in worship with Allah, and it is a means of seeking benefit and help from them, all of which comes under the heading of shirk.” [292] Majallat al-Da‘wah, issue no. 1602, p. 34.

6.2. Summoning spirits or souls

What those who promote the summoning of spirits or souls claim is an example of the jinn toying with humans. [293] See: ‘Abd al-Karim ‘Ubaydat: ‘Alam al-Jinn fi Daw’ al-Kitab wa’l-Sunnah, p. 447; ‘Ali al’Ubaydi:  al-Mawsu‘ah al-Shamilah li Madhhab al-Ruhiyyah al-Hadithah wa Tahdir al-Arwah, 2/604. The soul is one of the matters of the unseen, knowledge of which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has kept to Himself, so it is not right to indulge in such matters except on the basis of textual evidence.

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "They ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is a matter known only to my Lord, and of knowledge you have been granted only a little." (al-Isra’ 17:85) The Holy Qur’an indicates that souls remain after bodies die. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Allah takes people’s souls at the time of their death, and He takes the souls of the living when they sleep. He keeps the souls of those for whom He has decreed death, and He sends the others back for an appointed term." (al-Zumar 39:42) Ibn Baz said, “The souls of the dead remain for as long as Allah wills, and they hear, but there is no evidence to suggest that they may get in touch with the living except in dreams.” Similarly, there is no truth in what the charlatans claim of being able to summon the souls of whomever they wish among the dead and talk to them and ask them questions. These are false claims for which there is no religious text and no rational evidence to support them; rather it is Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, Who knows best about these souls and Who controls them, and He is the One Who able to restore them to their bodies whenever He wills. He is the only one Who is in control of His dominion and His creation, and no one can compete with Him. As for the one who claims anything other than that, he is claiming something of which he has no knowledge and he is lying to the people in what he tells them about those souls, either to earn money, or to demonstrate his ability to do what others cannot do, or to confuse people in order to corrupt their faith and creed.” [294] See: Majmu‘ Fatawa Ibn Baz, 3/311-313.