Overview

(Verses 18 - 19)

None Other Than God

The next verse may represent another quotation from the jinn, or it may be a direct statement made by God:

Places of worship are for God alone; therefore, do not invoke anyone other than God. (Verse 18)

In both cases it makes clear that worship, and places of worship, which is expressed in the Arabic text in the form of prostration, must be devoted to God alone. That is where God's oneness is strictly observed, leaving no room whatsoever for anyone else, be that a person, a value or an idea. The whole atmosphere must be dedicated to the pure worship of God alone. Invoking.someone other than God may take the form of worshipping that someone, appealing to him, or even directing one's thoughts and feelings towards him instead of God.

If we take the verse to be a statement made by the jinn, it serves as a reconfirmation of their earlier pledge: "We shall never associate partners with our Lord." (Verse 2) This is repeated at the mention of places of worship and prostration before God. If we take it as a statement by God, it serves as a directive that fits with what the jinn said about their belief in God's oneness. The same applies to the verse that follows:

Yet when God's servant stood up to pray to Him, they pressed in on him in multitude. (Verse 19)

The verse describes how the unbelievers pressed upon this servant of God when he stood to invoke and pray to Him. If we treat this verse as quoting the jinn's statement, then they are telling us about what the Arab unbelievers did when they gathered in groups around the Prophet as he stood up to pray or as he recited the Qur'an. This is referred to in an earlier surah in this volume: "What is wrong with the unbelievers, that they run confusedly before you, from the right and the left, in crowds?" (70: 36-37) They listen with amazement, yet they do not respond. Alternatively, the expression, they pressed on him in multitude,' means that they tried to inflict harm on him but God protected him, as repeatedly happened. In this case, the jinn are reporting this event to their people, describing how singular the Arab unbelievers' attitude was.

If we take the verse as a statement made by God, then it tells us about this group of jinn's reaction when they listened to the Qur'an. They were totally amazed, pressing on the Prophet, close to each other. This is perhaps more probable as it fits with the feelings of surprise, amazement and alarm that are clearly apparent in the jinn's account.